Apple Cinnamon Detox Water

*Update: Wow, looks like this is getting a few more clicks lately! Thanks for visiting my blog!*

It's a pretty common idea that if you want to improve your diet and eating habits, you should cut out caloric beverages. Drinking calories makes it far too easy to lose track of what you're really consuming, and when we've been doing it for years it can be hard to consider what a big difference cutting it out could make.

I've been drinking my 8 glasses (or more) of water daily for a while now, but I always had Diet Coke as my crutch. While I still roll my eyes when people go into the whole "diet soda is just as bad as regular soda" thing, and I know drinking it every now and then isn't going to kill me, I do realize that I'm better off without it.

The problem is that I think it's crazy to expect people to ONLY drink water every single day. I'm an American and I need some flavor. That's where this detox water comes in.

This water recipe will help clean up your system and even help your body burn calories more efficiently. That old rule "the more water you drink, the less you retain" is absolutely right, and drinking this apple cinnamon water will speed up the process of cutting water weight.

You will need:
A large pitcher
Fuji apples
Cinnamon sticks (powdered works too, I used about one teaspoon)
Ice
Water
*Update* Somebody suggested a squeeze of lemon to keep the apples fresher!

Oops, I only had powdered cinnamon! :)

This recipe has a 1:1:1 ratio, meaning you'll need 1 fuji apple and 1 cinnamon stick for 1 pitcher of water. With that said, you can leave the same apple and cinnamon stick in the pitcher for up to three days while refilling the water.

Slice a fuji apple and toss the slices into the pitcher with the cinnamon stick. Cover with ice, then fill the pitcher with water and allow it to set in the fridge for 15 minutes before drinking. Enjoy it throughout the day in the place of any juice or soda you would normally have!

The Not-Too-Crazy Detox

When people tell me they're on a strict, long-term diet I get completely mixed feelings. Example: the paleo diet. If a person tells me they are on the paleo diet, my first thought is always "this person is either clinically insane or has never been to the Cheesecake Factory," and my second thought is generally "that's really impressive, I want to try that!" .....until reality kicks in. I cannot even commit to watching The Mindy Project two weeks in a row, let alone change my entire diet permanently. I've always been curious about the benefits of detoxing, eating clean, and hitting "reset" on your system, but it all seemed too extreme!

Until now, every juice cleanse I read about or saw on Pinterest had some absurd requirement involved that would turn me off every time. Most of them sounded close to starvation while the others sounded like medical experiments without pay. This detox, however, is not too crazy.

Dr. Oz's 3-Day Detox Cleanse

End each day with a detox bath:

While hot water is running, pour 2 cups lavender epsom salt into bath.

Water should be at a comfortable temperature, but hot enough to trigger sweat.

Soak for about 15 minutes.

Benefits:

After doing this detox, my skin feels absolutely amazing and my complexion is glowing. My metabolism is running at lightspeed, I have more energy (without caffeine or sugar), and - drumroll please....

It eliminated that annoying last layer of fat over my lower abs. 

Seriously! Every girl's dream.

Going three full days without eating any solid food will also show you how much eating you do just because you want something to nibble on. You'll find yourself completely full and still wanting chips just because they're crunchy, and then you'll cut that habit out!

Tips:

1. These recipes make a LOT to drink- you will actually find yourself full before you finish them, but make sure you drink the whole thing each time.

2. DRINK WATER. Drink it all day long. Be sure to have at least two cups after each detox bath to avoid dehydration. I probably had about 15 cups per day.
3. Don't forget to sweat! During a detox, make sure to do light cardio each day. Breaking a sweat is what will release those icky toxins.

3. Make your smoothies ahead of time. They will store perfectly fine in a sealed container in the fridge. 

4. Use your coconut oil as lotion after each bath. It is solid in the jar but will melt with your body heat.

Give this a try! Feel free to ask any questions, and let me know how it goes!