Written by: Kristy Carbone, Partner at o2 Wellness

Forbes Magazine has stated that one third of all Americans are now affected by obesity. Those who suffer from the issue of being overweight do so for an obvious reason: They consume more calories through the foods they eat than they burn. One not so obvious reason that may be contributing to the increasing weight of Americans is toxicity in the body. Practitioner Dr. Steven Arculeo, DC says, “Most people do not realize that removing accumulated toxins is a big part of a weight loss program. Losing weight will be difficult, if not impossible, without removing them”.

Toxins exist all around us; in our environment (UV exposure, radiation, pollution), in our households (cleaning products, mold), in our foods (pesticides, heavy metals, high fructose corn syrup) and even in our behaviors (stressful lifestyles, drinking alcohol, smoking). When the body accumulates these toxins, our natural defenses; the liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract, go to work filtering the toxins out of your body. However, when your natural defense systems are overloaded, your body uses fat as a protection source which stores toxins so they do not damage your tissues and organs. Therefore, if you have an abundance of toxins in your body, and are trying to lose weight, your body will fight to hold onto the fat for protection, making it difficult to shed the pounds.

What can you do about it? Before you begin any type of weight loss program, detoxify your body. By ridding yourself of the toxins that may be built up in your fat stores, you will allow your body to remove excess fat faster. If you do manage to lose weight, but continue being toxic post-weight loss, your body will gain weight faster in order to build up its fat stores to once again protect your tissues from toxins.

Therefore, prior to any weight loss program or after you have lost a significant amount of weight, stay away from the most common toxic behaviors such as leading a stressful lifestyle, consuming unhealthy foods and beverages, smoking, drinking alcohol, lack of exercise and taking medications. There are some highly effective detoxification tools you can do yourself at home or take advantage of on today’s market:

Drink Plenty of Water: Take your weight and divide it by two. This is the amount of water you should be drinking. Drink alkaline, pH balanced, highly oxygenated water.

Whole Body Vibration: Promotes weight loss and detoxification of the body among other things, through a low impact, vertical vibration massage;

Infrared Sauna: Uses far infrared light to raise your core body temperature resulting in a deep, detoxifying sweat while promoting relaxation, increasing your metabolic rate and cleansing the body;

Ionic Foot Bath: Produces positive and negative ions that echo through the body to remove toxins and rebalance cellular energy;

Use Herbs: There are many herbal remedies available for assisting you in colon cleansing and overall detoxification of your body. Specifically, dandelion root, burdock, milk thistle and green teas;

Get more Vitamin C: Vitamin C is not just for colds anymore, it also produces a liver compound which helps to drive away toxins from the body;

Breathe Deeply: The atmosphere contains 21% oxygen. Use this to your fullest by breathing deeply to allow the oxygen to circulate through your body. There are also oxygen bars, oxygen drops, and other oxygen based products on the market which help you use oxygen more efficiently;

Dry Brush: Use a dry brush daily. Run the brush up your arms, legs, and body towards your heart to release dead skin cells and increase circulation.

Not only does detoxification of the body promote weight loss, it can play a significant role in your long term health and quality of live. Toxins may be the cause of some of the most common health problems we see today: chronic illness, premature aging, headaches, indigestion, acid reflux, mood swings, yeast infections, fatigue and much more. So, to reach your health and wellness goals remember to eat a healthy diet, exercise on a regular basis and keep your body toxin free!

To learn more about how to detoxify your body, please feel free to call o2 Wellness at (949) 240-6713 today!