The entrepreneurial landscape is constantly changing, marked by endless deadlines, growing tasks, and the undeniable pressure to consistently excel. However, amidst this maelstrom of duties, the modern entrepreneur must prioritise their health – both mental and physical.

Let’s delve into the world of detoxification, understanding its profound impact on both our physiological and cognitive functions and our ability to ‘deliver’ in our professional lives.

A businessman with a calculator and graphs on his desk.

Understanding Detoxification

Detoxing has been a linchpin of traditional medicine systems worldwide. It is both an art and science, entailing the removal of toxins and rejuvenating the body and mind.

But why do we need to detox?

Over time, pollutants from our environment, diet, and lifestyle amass within our systems, causing fatigue, illness, and reduced mental clarity. In fact, on a day-to-day level, our systems are bombarded with (modestly estimated) 700,000* different toxins and chemicals. That’s a lot for any system (regardless of how incredible our bodies are) to process and flush out. Detoxing aids in reducing our toxin loads and supports our body to reset our systems, fostering vitality and optimal functionality.

The Corporate Conundrum

The modern corporate environment, although rewarding, poses numerous challenges. Long hours in artificial settings, sedentary routines, and the ubiquitous use of digital devices amplify the need for detox strategies tailored for the corporate warrior.

Sustainable Choices

  • Keep Cups: Beyond their environmental benefits, these vessels, particularly when made of stainless steel or glass, ensure beverages remain free from potential plastic contaminants.
  • Cutlery & Crockery: It sounds basic, but BYO wherever you can. Ceramic and better yet, stainless steel are great options. Plastics and Tupperware options can leach microplastics – especially when warmed. Horrifically these microplastics and nanoplastics can then get into our bloodstreams. Minimising exposure at all is the best option if you can set yourself up in your work environment to do so.
  • Hand soaps and dish cleaning products: These are incidental items that people are often exposed to in the workplace – and are loaded with chemicals. Are they dangerous? Not immediately and in isolation. But toxicity is about the prolonged use over time and continued build-up of numerous toxins. Businesses are most likely to purchase bulk and cost-effective options to stock up the facilities in a workplace, and these are often laden with ingredients you’d rather not be exposed to in an ongoing capacity if you can help it. There could be some helpful conversations to start and suggestions to make around moving to more natural solutions for these products in the office environment.

Reimagining the Workspace

  • Indoor Plants: Plants such as the Snake Plant and Peace Lily serve dual roles—boosting aesthetics and actively purifying the air.
  • Natural Light & Fresh Air: Maximising natural light can reduce eye strain and uplift mood, offering a subtle detox from often harsh artificial lighting. Equally, opening windows and doors when you can to let in natural airflow instead of turning on air-conditioning is a great natural alternative.
  • Mindful Meal Choices: With work catering and quick takeaways being the norm for those in roles that might see some long hours, choosing whole, unprocessed foods can significantly reduce toxin intake. Stock up on healthy snacks to give yourself a natural energy boost around 3:30 p.m.

Working from Home: The Sanctuary of Well-being

  • Removing Shoes: This is a simple, yet effective habit to set. Not walking through your house with shoes on reduces pollutants and allergens from entering your living spaces. Toxins are attached to our footwear and studies have shown that 99% of what is on our shoes, transfers to our floors. This could include toxins from road surfaces and pesticides from gardens or public grassed areas, along with everything walked upon on the street.
  • Natural Cleaning: Opting for natural cleaning alternatives like tea tree or eucalyptus oil, bi-carb and vinegar, instead of chemical cleaners, ensures a cleaner and toxin-free environment. There are many natural cleaning products, but for extra assurance, there are natural cleaning guides available for those who want to make up their cleaning kits.
  • Fragrance: This might hurt a few people, but candles are not great. The synthetic chemicals found in most (any pure beeswax, soy or other plant-based wax candles, fragranced only with essential oils are fine) candles, can be toxic. Particularly avoid candles that have been dyed as these often have benzidine to colour the candles. This chemical can be linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer.

Beyond the Physical: Detoxing the Mind

Digital Detox: Giving ourselves breaks and detoxing from our digital lives from time to time, has been proven to be a positive move for our physical, mental and emotional health.

How long to do it for?

  • Try to unplug for an entire weekend but even allocating specific times of the day, free from screens, can improve sleep quality and overall mental well-being. A great starting point is to push back the moment that you first look at your phone in the morning, by an hour. Some benefits of a digital detox include:
  • A reduction in stress
  • An increase in productivity and creativity
  • Better sleep
  • Greater connection with those around you
  • Mental clarity

Mindfulness and Meditation: Daily practices, even if just for a few minutes, can detox the mind from the pressures of entrepreneurial life. This is often a practice that gets better with time, so try to find some consistency. You’ll ideally need a quiet space, so if that means getting up a little earlier than the rest of the house, set your alarm. Focus on your breathing (slow it down) and just hold space for yourself for 15-20 minutes.

Lifestyle Enhancements for Comprehensive Detox

  • Regular Exercise: Apart from the obvious physical benefits, activities like yoga or even brisk walking improve internal circulation, assisting in more efficient toxin removal.
  • Hydration: Water is a detox powerhouse. Infusing it with herbs like mint or fruit slices such as lemon provides an added boost. Pack your bottle in the morning and stock it up full of fresh fruit to drink those gorgeous flavours all day long.
  • Organic Choices: Whilst slightly pricier, organic foods reduce exposure to pesticides and synthetic fertilisers, offering purer nutrition.Detox Programs: Undertaking a monthly detox reset is a great way to stay on top of your toxin load. What our bodies can’t process naturally, gets stored in our nerves, glands and brains. A gentle and natural detox program can help support your body’s natural function to further reduce and reset your toxin levels. Maintaining a healthy level of toxins sets you up for optimal performance in both work and life!

Detox as a Business Strategy

Embedding detox into your lifestyle isn’t merely a personal health decision; it’s a strategic choice for the astute businessperson. A detoxed body and mind think clearer, operate with more efficiency, and handle stress with resilience. For the entrepreneur, this equates to sharper decision-making, enduring stamina during lengthy meetings, and overall superior performance in the corporate sphere.

The Detox-Centric Corporate Future

As businesses develop, our approach to health and well-being must similarly evolve and keep in step with our needs. Detoxing, when holistically integrated into our lifestyles, can be the modern entrepreneur’s secret weapon, yielding both personal health benefits and professional peaks in performance.

Every choice we make, whether dietary, environmental, or digital, has a bearing on our overall well-being. By adopting a detox-centric approach and ridding what doesn’t serve us, we not only revitalise our bodies but also offer our entrepreneurial endeavours the very clearest thinking and energetic version of ourselves.