Last night the lovely husband and I entered into a heated debate over shoes. I argued that a girl could never have too many and stated my case for buying more. Foolishly, he took the opposite view you would have thought that after more than 14 years, I would have him better trained in this area. He even suggested I'd entered my shoes into a breeding programme… a perfect example of the male exaggeration employed when facing an argument the laws of nature determine they can not win.

Fortunately, before we got too huffy, my mother-in-law stepped in and pointed out that you can't wear a pair of brown lace-ups with everything. I would like to emphasize that I don't actually own anything that resembles a brown lace-up, but I certainly appreciated the sentiment. However my husband continued to look mystified. This is why the battle will wage on when it comes to women buying more clothes than their partners think they need. Men generally need just one of everything. We need multiples of everything. Different colours to go with different outfits, to go with different moods, to go with different impressions we want to make. We also often need different sizes, depending on how much we ate over Cup Match.

Now I'm not suggesting that eating too much fried chicken will give you fat feet. Of course, ultimately that could happen, but generally women complain of weight gain around their waist, hips and bum. What this means is that many of us have two wardrobes one 'fat', one 'thin'. This must infuriate the men in our lives to the point of distraction. Not only do we have 'too many shoes' (I am still not sure that is possible?) but we also have two wardrobes.

If, after Cup Match, your 'thin' wardrobe is feeling a little tight and you are hanging out in your comfies let me give you this action plan. I've given you general tips for detox and weight loss before, but if you need something more specific than 'eat more vegetables' then this one is for you. Here are specific tips of things that you can do to cleanse and shed some pounds after Cup Match. And you can do them today. So no excuses…get started!

1. Hot water and lemon in the morning

Try drinking hot water with the juice of quarter of a lemon first thing in the morning before breakfast. Lemon juice helps to convert toxins into water soluble components, meaning they can be flushed easily from the body. Just picture all those toxins from last weekend pouring out of your system! Make sure the water is hot but not boiling; boiling water will reduce the vitamin C content of the lemon juice.

2. Green Tea and Cranberry Juice

Green Tea is known to contain antioxidants called catechins that help to improve liver function. It does still contain some caffeine (unless you buy decaf) so take it easy, but less caffeine than a coffee-shop coffee. You can also sip water diluted with 100 percent cranberry juice (one part juice, seven parts water) throughout the day. Cranberry juice contains polyphenol antioxidants which are thought to have cardiovascular, immune and anti-cancer benefits.

Cranberry juice has also been linked to reduced urinary tract infections and is thought to reduce the oral bacteria that cause dental plaque. However, this is important: you must only use 100 percent, unsweetened cranberry juice, not the kind sweetened with sugar, artificial sweeteners, apple or grape concentrates. This means that it won't be a sweet ocean-spray type of drink, but it makes a change to water and is oh so good for you. You can get unsweetened cranberry juice from health food shops like Down to Earth and It's Only Natural. There's also a brand called Lakewood Organics sold in most of the major grocery stores.

3. Try Skin Brushing

Dry skin brushing helps to drain lymphatic tissue (detoxification sites in the body), which speeds up the efficient elimination of Cup Match toxins. Buy a skin brush (body brush) from The Body Shop or a spa and brush your body firmly but gently for five minutes daily. Start from the soles of the feet and work upwards up the legs, torso, along the arms towards the heart, and up your back. Avoid areas of broken skin, varicose veins or thread veins, and use long sweeping movements. This is particularly good for cellulite!

4. Exercise

Exercise is essential for supporting the body's natural detoxification pathways. Even gentle exercise helps to drain lymphatic tissue and will also help to keep you flexible. Works-outs in the gym are great, but tai chi, pilates, yoga, swimming, dancing and walking are just as good. Even if you only have time for a ten minute walk around the block, that's better than nothing.

5. Make a healthy choice at lunchtime

It's so easy to get lured to the hot section of the buffet at lunch time. But remember all those hot options the mac n' cheese, the fried rice, the sweet n' sour chicken are all laden with salt and saturated fat. None of these will help you get back into your thin wardrobe, and they will only stress out a liver that has been abused by one too many Swizzles. Instead, put your blinkers on and head to the salad bar. Choose spinach leaves as your base and add antioxidant-rich choices such as broccoli, kidney beans, peppers, artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Ask for the dressing on the side and then just use half.

6. Green your home

No detox or cleanse is complete without giving thought to the chemicals in your environment. It's not just what you eat and drink that's important, but what you breathe in too. By using mainstream bleaches and other household cleaners, you are exposing yourself and your family to a chemical cocktail. Green and chemical-free alternatives are now widely available in Bermuda and some are very competitively priced. Ecover, Seventh Generation and Clorox Green Works are all better options. Also, check out the Norwex products at www.norwexonline.com These are made from a special antibacterial fabric that replaces the need for a cleaning agent. Although they seem a little pricey initially, they last for ages making them an economical option in the long run. The local distributer is Marti Chiappa and she can be contacted at 292-6449.

7. Introduce flax seed to relieve constipation

As your bowel is the major exit route for toxins, constipation is a problem. Being bunged up can mean that toxins may be reabsorbed, triggering headaches, skin problems and even weight gain. Fatty food over Cup Match may well have slowed things up a little for you, and if so, consider adding flax seed to your diet to relieve constipation naturally. Add one tablespoon of flax seeds to cereal or yoghurt and make sure you drink 8oz water too. The water helps form a gel coat around the seed that facilitates the end result.

8. Steam your vegetables

Steaming veggies is so easy and helps to conserve the antioxidant nutrients that are so critical for supporting detoxification pathways. In contrast, after just three minutes of boiling, much of the nutrient content is lost, so if you don't have one, buy a stove top steamer. Just cook until the vegetables are tender for the best results.

9. Add blueberries to your cereal

Blueberries are jam-packed with antioxidants that help to detox, boost the immune system and improve skin health. They are great added to cereal or yoghurt for breakfast. If you have breakfast at work and can't keep fruit in the fridge, try the Eden Organic dried wild blueberries available from Supermart. Either way they will help accelerate your post Cup Match cleanse.

10. Switch to hormone-free, antibiotic free meat and poultry

After indulging in chicken wings of dubious origin over the holiday, try switching to hormone and antibiotic free meat and poultry. All organic brands are hormone and antibiotic free, as are some of the better non-organic brands such as Harvestland. Hormones and antibiotics used in farming are passed along the food chain and are best avoided. If you find the cost prohibitive (although Harvestland prices are very competitive) then balance out the cost by eating some cheaper bean-based vegetarian meals too.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist.

She can be contacted at clinicalnutrition@gmail.com