Are you feeling guilty after the holidays? Are your pants a little tighter than they used to be? So what? That’s the holiday season and who can resist a good Christmas dinner? During the holidays, it’s easy to overindulge in treats and drinks with an eye towards resetting your diet January 1^st. So if you want those jeans to fit again, here are some tips on how to detox after the holidays, to clean your body.

These tips are nothing earth-shattering and nothing new, they are more a reminder of how to optimize your body’s natural detoxification system.

Limit Alcohol. We all know that alcohol is metabolized by our liver, but a glass of champagne or wine is always a nice way to toast especially in Christmas and New Year season. One should be aware, however, that excessive drinking can severely damage your liver function by causing fat buildup, inflammation, and scarring. When this happens, your liver cannot function adequately and perform its necessary tasks – including filtering waste and other toxins from your body. Limiting or abstaining entirely from alcohol is one of the best ways to keep your body’s detoxification system running strong.

Focus on sleep. Ensuring adequate and quality sleep each night is a must to support your body’s health and natural detoxification system. At this time of the year, going to bed on time to get you eight hours of sleep is not that easy. There are the Christmas parties with family and friends that go late into the night. Often you have to work between Christmas and New Year so you might not put sleep on the first level of your priority list. But remember that sleeping allows your brain to reorganize and recharge itself, as well as remove toxic waste byproducts that have accumulated throughout the day.

Drink more water or tea. Your detoxifying organs have been working overtime during the holidays. Your liver and kidney are probably still trying to filter out toxins from the food and drinks you consumed. Water does so much than then quench your thirst. It regulates your body temperature, lubricates joints, aids digestion and nutrient absorption and detoxifies your body by removing waste products. Try to drink two to three liters of water per day. Make sure your bottle is filled up and in your field of vision so that you are reminded to take a sip every once in a while. If you are tired of the taste of water good alternatives are different kinds of tea or hot lemon water!

Reduce your intake of sugar and processed foods. The Christmas season is known for its countless tasty biscuits such as mailänderli, cinnamon star, gingerbread etc., I mean, who can resist Grandma’s homemade cookies? But as delicious as they are, they do nothing for our bodies. High consumption of sugary and highly processed foods has been linked to obesity and other chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. By consuming less junk food, you can keep your body’s detoxification system healthy. Replacing junk food with healthier choices like fruits and vegetables is a healthy way to reduce sugar consumption.

Get active. Regular exercise is associated with a longer life and a reduce risk of many conditions and diseases. You need to get moving in order to stimulate your lymphatic system and flush all those toxins out. While some inflammation is necessary for recovering from infection or healing wounds, too much of it weakens your body’s systems and promotes disease. Per week it is recommended that you do at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking or 75-150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity physical activity, like running or cycling.

You don’t have to go to extremes to reset your body after a festive feast. Take care of your body with the intention of mindfulness, nourishment and self-love.