Lifestyle Principles & Guidelines

1. REDUCE PROCESSED FOODS & DRINKS

While you are waiting for your food and detox supplement support to arrive, start reducing processed food, junk food, wheat, dairy, caffeine, soft drink and alcohol. Replace your caffeine with non-caffeinated drinks, alcohol with mocktails, and bread with a healthy GF alternative. After the program has finished, and you have achieved the desired weight loss, these processed foods/drinks can be gradually re-introduced.

2. SUPPORT LIVER CLEANSING.
Begin your day by kick-starting the detoxification process with a liver cleansing drink of warm filtered water and organic lemon juice. For an extra detox boost you can add ginger, apple cider vinegar, and turmeric powder.

3. DRINK FILTERED WATER
Hunger is often confused with dehydration. Next time you feel like having a snack, have a glass of water. This helps you lose weight faster, and also keep it off longer, after all our bodies are around 70% water.

4. BUY ORGANIC
While on a detox it is not recommended to eat foods that are laden with chemicals and toxins. Wherever possible shop for organic produce. Buying organic means the food you eat is free from pesticides, synthetic fertilisers, sewage, ionising radiation and genetic modification.

5. EAT A HEALTHY BREAKFAST
By eating or drinking a healthy breakfast you give your metabolism a jumpstart. Studies repeatedly show that daily breakfast consumption is associated with maintaining a healthy weight

6. FOLLOW THE 28-DAY SUMMER BODY MEAL PLAN
Aim for 400-600 calories per main meal and where possible choose a meal from the weekly menu and ensure at least one main meal a day is a smoothie or salad for ease of digestion. As long as you are following the diet guidelines by eating clean, organic whole foods in sensible portions you won’t go far wrong.

7. LIMIT OR ELIMINATE SUGAR
Limit, or if possible avoid all foods that have sugar in them; lollies, fruit juices, chocolate, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, bottled sauces, etc. Sugar is one of the most toxic, addictive substances, with no nutritional value. It has been linked to weight gain and will only hinder your weight loss efforts.

8. AVOID RED MEAT IN THE FIRST WEEK
Meat contains a high level of saturated fat and is devoid of fibre and other nutrients needed for phase 1 of detoxification. For at least the first week, limit white meat intake and avoid red meat to give your digestive system a well-deserved break. This will lower inflammation and support the detoxification process, allowing the digestive system, liver and kidneys to do their job. 

9. KEEP BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS BALANCED 
Our blood sugar is the master controller that dictates our hunger, our cravings, and our energy. You will feel your best when your blood sugar is balanced. When disrupted, your blood sugar can lead to increased sugar cravings, irritability, poor sleep, brain fog, low energy and weight gain. When you eat a meal with a lot of sugar, or simple carbs, you end up giving your body more glucose than it actually needs at one given time. One of the best ways to balance your blood sugar levels is to minimise processed carbs and instead have a meal/snack with protein, whole food carbs, and healthy fats (e.g. a snack consisting of veggie + hummus + activated nuts). 

10. PREPARE YOUR MEALS
If you wish to follow the weekly recipes it will serve you best to plan ahead. Take the provided shopping list with you and get everything you need for the meals you want to make. Spend 1-2 hours on the Sunday preparing snacks and meals for the week ahead, e.g. you can cut up some veggie sticks, boil eggs, make quinoa, roast veggies. It is best to store lunches in a chemical-free glass container, rather than a toxic/BPA plastic one. Always carry your healthy snacks with you so that you don’t get caught out when you’re hungry.

11. PRACTICE INTERMITTENT FASTING
This is optional, and it can benefit some women by giving their body a complete break from digesting foods. You can do this daily by eating all your meals in an eight hour window and fasting for the other 16. Or you might want to reduce the amount you eat once or twice a week as per the 5:2 diet. Another method that is gaining more popularity is to have a cleanse day once or twice a month. On a cleanse day you can sip lemon water and dandelion tea, and eat small simple snacks (eg a handful of nuts or a slice of apple) every few hours to balance blood sugar levels. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water and to take your detox support supplements to enhance the detoxification and elimination process.

12. DETOX YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Further reduce the toxins in your life by taking on some of my other recommended detox action steps, e.g. switch out your chemical-laden cleaning products for natural and organic alternatives, change your current moisturiser to a chemical-free, organic skincare product, don’t wear shoes in the house.

13. EXERCISE DAILY
Exercise doesn’t have to just be at the gym, lifting weights and doing intense cardio. It can be a light walk, yoga, playing tennis or swimming. Exercise promotes waste removal, lowers stress, increases energy, increases metabolism and much more. Incorporate incremental exercise into your day as much as possible. Sitting sedentary for too long will put your metabolism to sleep!

14. SLEEP
Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night, every night. Deep, restful sleep is required to release growth hormones, aid the overnight detoxification process, and release body fat. Also, when we are tired we want to eat more, and exhaustion can lead to hormonal imbalances. Rest is also essential for repair and recovery of muscles.

15. MEDITATE OR DEEP BREATH DAILY
Practice daily meditation, deep breathing and/or gratitude exercises to detox the mind, de-stress, and to help relax your parasympathetic nervous system. If you incorporate these steps into a morning ritual, you are more likely to stick with it in the long-term. 

16. CONNECT
If you are having a hard day and need support or have a question, connect with the private Mojo Detox Facebook Group - we are all here to support, inspire and motivate each other. Or you can share a photo of your breakfast shake, or how you're fitting back into a favourite dress, whatever connects you to the liked minded people doing this detox.