We're celebrating January with fresh starts and new habits. And since 2016 has been one helluva haggard ride, we believe that it's time to cleanse away all the toxins so we can surely start with a blank canvas we can put another colorful story to.

Toxicity can be in the form of too much food intake or too much stress, less sleep, and negative thinking that can affect your health in general. 

In order to keep living an upsized life, we must always be up and ready. Here are some of our easy tips you can keep in mind and try:

Drink more water

There's a reason why we always hear experts saying, "Drink more water".

Water is the universal solvent and our bodies are made up of 70% of it. Did you know that once you lose even just 1% of water (through sweating, talking, peeing, etc.), you can already feel and become dehydrated which is why it is super important to always keep this liquid of life ready whenever we need it.

Water is also effective to flush out toxins we intake from all the food and drinks that we consume. Detoxify and feel refreshed by always carrying a bottle of water with you. But remember to be kind to the earth while doing this! Why not put water in a refillable flask like this cute one from Starbucks.

If you want to mix things up a bit, try adding some cucumber or lemon and mint to your water. Delicious and refreshing!

Try a no-rice diet, replace it with green, leafy veggies

Rice is very much a Filipino staple food and this tip can actually be a bit challenging if you still live with your Filipino-food-loving mom who cooks Kare-kare and bagoong every weekend. We bet we've all experienced sitting at the table with a sumptuous selection of dishes that we keep eating because it's just so good with that sweet-smelling, warm white rice that is unfortunately packed with carbs and sugar that can make you feel heavier.

What we do that you could also try (since we don't like depriving ourselves with good food too) is to do no-rice weeks in alternate. Meaning, this week we could do a full no-rice diet - breakfast to dinner - getting greens and leafy veggies with our roast chicken and beef and then the following week, we could indulge in some fried chicken with rice or even grilled pork chop with rice. Then we do the whole cycle again the following weeks.

So in a month, that's two alternating weeks of no rice and two alternating weeks of a bit of cheating.

The key to this is consistency and willpower. This is guaranteed to make you feel a little lighter and maintain your body in its healthy state.

Meditation

Trust me, this is definitely a life changer. Meditation has been around for many years practiced by philosophers and successful people for a reason. This activity helps clear your mind and open your body to consciousness to your surroundings.

It is also challenging to do if you're just starting doing this but once you get the hang of it, it will come naturally.

Remember that Ketut, Elizabeth Gilbert's medicine man/mentor from Indonesia, advised that she meditate as well. A serious, focused meditation in the morning and a light one in the afternoon where she should learn to smile with her whole body including her liver.

Since we can't really Eat Pray Love our way through a busy schedule, perhaps take it from us as well. Meditate in the morning when you wake up. Clear your mind of any worries of the previous day and open yourself to taking in the experiences and thoughts of today. 

Exercise

Honestly, we're not big fans of hitting the gym either because sometimes, if not most of the time, we become too busy with work and personal life that we barely have time to go. So our best form of exercise? Walking.

If your destination is just a few blocks away, walk it out. It's good exercise especially if you spend your days sitting in front of a computer for several hours. Walking to a close destination instead of taking a cab not only makes for good exercise but helps you save as well. Heading up a few levels on your building? Take the stairs. It's good cardio for you. 

Practice slow eating

This may sound a bit odd to some but this is also definitely effective in detoxifying your body into eating too much. See, the stomach is a muscle that can be also trained. Eat more and your stomach will be accustomed to you having a full stretched tummy. Eat less and your stomach will be used to you having just the right amount of food to keep you going.

When eating, we do not only consume food, we also get to intake air while putting food in our mouths and chewing. If you eat slow, your body will feel like it's already been eating for hours that eventually it will be conditioned to tell you that it's full. Also, when you eat fast, you tend to eat more because you feel like you haven't eaten enough.

So take time and enjoy food like a gourmet!

Stay away from stress

There's a reason why words such as stress-eating and stress-drinking exist. Stress is one of the major killers of this age but it's not difficult to stay away from it. The key to this is to always psych yourself about the good side of things. Always look on the bright side - there's always one anyway regardless of how stressful a circumstance may seem to you.

When you feel tired or burned out, step back, breathe, relax but don't quit. Taking a break will help you go faster towards whatever your goal may be without you being so worried or stressed about it.

Pick your circle and try to go with people who you feel have good vibes. In this way, you will always stay motivated and inspired instead of being so negative, sucking out the happiness of every other thing you encounter.

Remember that you are in control of yourself. All the external factors are difficult to change, but it's easier to change yourself. So do that. Change the way you view and react to what happens to the world around you and slowly see how beautiful things unfold. This is the best way to detoxify.

Now it's really time to welcome another awesome year.