detox

We're happily anticipating Thanksgiving and all the epicurean celebrations that come with it, but we also are being realistic about it — on Thanksgiving, most people are prone to eating too much or indulging more than they meant to. But the day after the big meal is a chance to start fresh, so read on for our tips on how to detox after your Thanksgiving feast.

1. Yoga for digestion: You don't even have to wait for the next day to get a start on detoxing. Do these yoga poses for digestion after you wake up from your food coma or the next morning to keep everything running smoothly. Even better, go for a run the morning after Thanksgiving: cardio is a great way to detox.
2. Start with a green juice: Many Thanksgiving feasts are full of fat, salt, or sugar, so resetting your taste buds is a good thing to do once Thanksgiving is over. Blend a batch of this detoxifying green juice to naturally flush toxins from your body while also training your taste buds from craving sugar and fat.
3. Don't redo the feast: Thanksgiving day's decadent tablescape is Friday's overstuffed fridge. Just because you have a kitchen full of leftovers doesn't mean you should redo that heaping plate of food you made yesterday. Stick to small, reasonable meals instead, and go back to your normal healthy-eating schedule as much as possible (i.e., not going for your second piece of pie) to make detoxing a reality.
4. Stock up on detox foods: Fridge space may be lacking, but make some room for foods like dark leafy greens, beets, and whole grains to help aid in detoxing. Get our list of 10 detoxing foods you should eat here.
5. Eat soup: Don't relive that overly stuffed feeling from Thanksgiving. Keep yourself satiated without the bloat with a brothy low-sodium soup. This carrot detox soup recipe should be first on your list.

Keeping sodium levels in check will help keep the body healthy in the long haul, but even a minor slipup can have you feeling uncomfortable. If you're feeling bloated after a salty binge, each of these tips can have you feeling lighter.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: Drinking water helps your body in so many ways, but it should be your new best friend after consuming too much salt. It may sound counterintuitive to drink a lot when feeling bloated, but it will help you feel better and move the salt out of your system sooner.

Load up on potassium: You can reach for supplements, but eating fruits and vegetables that are rich in potassium lowers sodium levels naturally. Chow down on a banana, potatoes, or some leafy greens to load up on this electrolyte.

Keep reading for two more tips after you've eaten too much salt.

The leftover Halloween candy is calling your name, and your weekend is packed with dinners and drinks. Keep this list in mind for any morning-after detoxing requirements.

1. Start your day with a cup of hot lemon water or green tea.
2. Wake up your body with this detoxing yoga sequence full of twists and forward bends.
3. Follow our meal plan for detoxifying recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The meals are heavy on the whole grains and veggies!
4. Bust out your juicer and make one of these detoxifying green juice and smoothie recipes.
5. Make sure you fit in a heart-pumping workout today to reenergize your body and mind. Sweat out the bad with these quick Tabata interval workouts.
6. Give your digestive system a cleansing boost with kale; here are three detoxing kale recipes to try.

The only real way to prevent a hangover is by watching your alcohol intake, but if you've already passed the point of no return then you'll need some sort of relief. Hangovers have been around since the invention of wine, so there are a lot of theories out there on how to rid yourself of one. If sleep isn't an option, try one of these aids to see what works best with your system. They work better than their myth-based counterparts and won't make you feel like hugging the toilet.

• Myth: painkillers. Taking painkillers either the night of drinking or the morning after can cause damage to your liver, among other serious health issues. Your body can only absorb approximately 1.5 ounces of hard liquor per hour (the equivalent to one beer or one glass of wine) and unless you stick to that drink-per-hour rate, you'll likely still have alcohol in your system upon waking up.

  Fact: Alcohol depletes a number of vital minerals including potassium, vitamin B, and vitamin C. Try eating a banana, taking a B-complex vitamin, or drinking Emergen-C instead of taking pills like Tylenol or ibuprofen. If you really must take these, make sure you leave enough hours in between drinking and don't take them while experiencing abdominal pain or nausea, since they might irritate hangover symptoms further.

• Myth: hair of the dog. Although another drink the morning after a binge may seem like the road to recovery, it offers only temporary relief and prolongs the process.

  Fact: Try water and electrolytes instead to fill your body with fluids that will balance out your system. Coconut water is a great source of rehydrating electrolytes and potassium, which can speed up relief. Pedialyte is also a great way to get electrolytes without the sugar found in sports drinks like Gatorade.

More myths and facts after the break.