By Jessica Sepel
@jshealth

Getting back on track after the Silly Season is all about making a few simple changes or adjustments to your day – like starting your morning with a cleansing tonic or introducing a new form of exercise into your daily routine! It doesn’t have to be extreme, these little steps can make a big change! Here are my top tips for restarting your system (or you can try my Restart Plan for a complete reboot!)

Start your day the right way!

I encourage people to enjoy warm lemon water with a 1/2 lemon juice + some fresh grated ginger upon waking. This is something you can do every morning to help detox your system, but especially after a big meal. Throughout the day, enjoy some chamomile, peppermint or green tea. Herbal tea is always a great choice to hydrate and detox the body, just be sure you’re drinking plenty of water. Prior to a big meal, I also think it’s important to take a digestive enzyme – just to get things started!

Stay active to help with bloating and digestion!

General walking after a meal is always a good practice to get your system moving. One of my favourite stretches, for digestion and for general calm, is to put my legs up against the wall for 10-15 minutes and focus on deep breathing. Deep breathing calms the nervous system, which aids digestion.

And a few more tips… 

– It’s actually best to not drink much water in the time immediately before and after a meal, because it interrupts digestion. Small sips are fine.

– Slow down and chew each bite at least 10-20 times.

– Really – slow down! Eating too fast leads to gas and bloating, and it also prevents you from recognizing when you’re satiated.

– Try to avoid eating fruit on a full stomach, as it ferments there and leads to gas and bloating. Starting the day with fruit and having it as a snack between meals is ideal.

– Pop a digestive enzyme with each meal to maintain good gut health.

– If you’re already feeling bloated, chew on some raw fennel. It sounds strange, but it works magic on bloating!

– Go for a brisk walk around the block to help digestion and reduce feelings of over-fullness.

 

Hope this helps!