Detoxing the 2011 way

It’s just as synonymous with the New Year as a ringing chorus of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ – the annual New Year detox or strict diet is evident in offices and homes across the country. All over the UK, men and women are swapping their full fat lattes for skinny Americanos, eschewing the cake trolley and joining the gym in their lunch hour.



The ‘no pain, no gain’ approach has long been out of favour in the fitness world, as holistic and fun ways to get fit have replaced punishing, sweaty high impact aerobics sessions. It’s no longer fashionable to boast about how much you hurt after a session at the gym and ‘being kind to yourself’ is definitely the way to go.



The approach also extends to detox regimes in the 21st century. Harsh lettuce leaf and lemon juice fasts are passé these days and far from being a way to punish yourself for the excesses of the festive period, a detox is now more a way to set yourself up for the year ahead, and give yourself a bit of a head start by energising your body and calming your mind. So what are the options if you want to start the year with a detox?

A home detox is easy and can also be relatively cheap to follow. There are a myriad of variations on the theme of a home detox, January’s magazines and newspapers are full of them. If you’ve over spent on Christmas presents and socialising, look out for detox and diet plans in the mainstream newspapers in January, especially the women’s pages. In some cases you don’t even have to buy the papers as they will have versions of the detox online. Magazines often have online versions of their print editions too, with good suggestions as to how to detox at home. Most of them cater for the average budget so they will usually be more about fresh fruit and vegetables rather than alfalfa sprouts or goji berries.



There are plenty of websites that offer specific detox ideas, so you can just type the words ‘new year detox’ into a search engine and take your pick!



If you have a bit more cash to play with, why not book a spa day or a detox retreat? The upmarket spas and retreat centres are falling over themselves to offer great deals on New Year detox and spa packages, and a stay in a spa, whether in the UK or abroad, can really work wonders for your 2011 resolve. The options for your spa detox are endless – you could try a yoga based stay, an Ayurvedic detox, a vegan or raw food programme, or just book yourself for a day of rejuvenating treatments and healthy food to kick start your year in holistic style. Happy New Year!