12 ways to cleanse following the Iowa State Fair

A world-breaking 1.17 million people attended the 2019 Iowa State Fair from Aug.8-18 located at the Iowa State Fair Grounds. Eleven days in the sun included tons of food such as apple pie on a stick, bacon cheddar cheese on a stick and bacon-wrapped deep-fried Italian sausage on a stick. You name it. With so much food and booze, how does one cleanse their body after the state fair? Check out eleven tips below to get back on healthy streak following an over-indulging week and a half.

Get some sleep

It’s been four days since the fair concluded. But if you over-indulged on food, booze, and partying, you may be struggling to get back into a regular sleep schedule. Focus on getting eight to 10 hours of sleep the next five nights. If you have to be up at 6 a.m., count back at least eight hours and set a bedtime alarm. Avoid checking your social media and watching too much TV before bed. Give your body enough time to unwind from the last 11 days to help return to a regular sleeping schedule.

Got water?

Toxins and an off-balanced diet need to be flushed from your body. According to Dr. David Duizer ND, Balance of DAMY Health Blog, dehydrating alcoholic beverages means lack of water consumption. If you spent most of your time at the Bud Tent and the Iowa Craft Beer Tent, drinking 2-3 liters of water a day will help you detox.

Limit alcohol intake

Speaking of alcohol, the next few days, you might not want to hit the bottle so much. According to a piece published by Heathline, more than 90% of alcohol is metabolized in your liver. Reportedly, liver enzymes metabolize alcohol to acetaldehyde, which is known as a cancer-causing chemical. With recognizing acetaldehyde as a toxin, your liver can convert it into a harmless substance called acetate. This is later eliminated from your body. Excessive drinking can cause several health issues such as severely damaging your liver function by causing fat buildup, inflammation, and scarring. Your liver then won’t be able to function properly and perform its necessary tasks, including filtering waste and other toxins from your body. In other words, put the bottle down, at least for the next couple of days.

Vitamins

Following those long 11 days, you’ve probably skipped your vitamin intake. Get back to taking your vitamins to restore your system. Vitamins help with your mental clarity, detoxification and cellular health.

Exercise

You might be dreading hitting the gym or feeling guilty after over-indulging in so much food, but it’s vital to get back into an exercise routine. Be sure to sweat out those toxins from your body. It will also help get your endorphins flowing, which helps release pain or stress. If you feel stressed out following the festivities with the thought of work and school, exercising can help relieve that stress and boost your happiness. Walk, run or jog, whatever you need to do to get back on a good streak. Your body will thank you.

Reduce stress

While on the topic of stress, let’s face it — life is just stressful. After an eventful 11 days, stress can creep up on you. You realize you may have to catch up on work and getting things for the kids before school. Reduce your amount of stress by meditating before work or school, or taking 30 minutes a day to yourself. You don’t want to contribute to your already worn-out body by getting worked up over everyday life challenges. It’s vital to not only cleanse the body but the mind.

Stretch

You might want to add stretching to your daily routine. Stretch your muscles that may be stiff from long days of partying. Stretching will help your muscle control, flexibility, and range of motion. You can try triceps or 90/90 stretching.

Reduce sugar and processed food intake

With over a million people coming together for one event, the likelihood of someone caring about sugar and highly processed food consumption is slim. However, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, great use of sugar and highly processed food is linked to obesity and other chronic diseases. These chronic diseases include cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, which can hinder your body’s ability to naturally detoxify itself by harming organs that are vital such as liver and kidneys. Limit your junk food intake to keep your body’s detoxification system healthy.

Go green

Get back to your healthy eating with green veggies, lean proteins, healthy fats, and whole grains. You’ve had 11 days of fun — five days without sweets won’t hurt. Let  green veggies become your friend for the next couple of days.

Plan a snack pack

While cutting off sweets for a couple of days and the idea of eating veggies might seem a bore, it’s vital to get the body back on track. Another way to stay on the healthy trail while cleansing your body following the Iowa State Fair is to prepare a snack pack. According to WebMD, making a snack pack will help you from overeating throughout the day and keep the hunger at bay. Plan nutritious snacks the night before with healthy options such as dried and fresh fruits, carrots and trail mix. Just don’t grab a bag of chips.

Drink dandelion tea

Dandelion tea is vital to liver detoxification. Drink one cup of tea for the next three days. According to Healthline, dandelion tea can also help with muscle aches as well.

Organize

Last but not least, get organized. Create a plan or schedule of things you need to get done. Prioritize and realistically accomplish the essentials. Writing down your schedule will help relax and reassure your mind. Check things off as you complete them to help you keep track of how well you’re doing. You will feel better about how much you’ve tackled following an eleven-day event.

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