Ten EASY cleansing tips for Spring
1) Add freshly squeezed lemon juice to your water. This simple addition will help your gall bladder release bile which will improve digestion, as well as helping flush the lymphatic system.
2) Buy a dry brush. Gently use daily and brush from the tips of your fingers and toes towards your heart.
3) On warm, brighter sunny days drink freshly pressed juices. My favorite is a blend of celery, cucumber, kale, lemon, broccoli stem and green apple. Your body will enjoy the refreshing natural alkalinity.
4) On cooler foggy, rainy days make a broth of celery, zucchini, and parsley - strain and drink. This contains natural electrolytes and is wonderfully alkaline.
5) If you suffer from dehydration drink room temperature glasses of water with a pinch of unrefined salt in each glass.
6) Pick a physical activity and do it for at least 20-30 mins everyday. Just commit to 20 days so you don't feel overwhelmed. You will be amazed that after those 10 days how easy it will be to continue as it only takes 10 days to create a habit.
7) Take cooler showers as this requires your thyroid to work more and become more effective. If the idea of doing so sounds awful to you, while in the shower turn the hot water completely off for a minute, then turn it back on, and again at the end of your shower, turn the water to cool. This also helps the lymphatic system move around and flush out.
8) Stretch your body after each shower/bath. Your circulation is moving and your body is somewhat warned up and it is a great time to move it around and clean out those joints.
9) Meditate. Cleansing is not only physical, but mental. Feeling mentally cleansed can greatly impact how you feel physically, emotionally, etc. I offer my patients a simple 5-5-5 meditation. Breathe in for 5 seconds, suspend the breath for 5 seconds, and exhale for 5 seconds. Very simple, and very effective. It can lower your heart rate, expand your lung capacity and increase your blood oxygen levels.
10) Fairly evaluate how you did at the end of each day. Would you like to eat better, behave better, exercise more, slow down more tomorrow? If so, make a mental checklist of your weaknesses and strengths of each day and according to my friend that studied happiness and got a PHD doing so (what a cool thing to study for several years!) always have one more strength than weakness. Even if you have to make up something such as I drove my car great, showed up to work on time, walked my dog, made my own dinner... etc. Make sure you always leave the day on a positive note as studies show you will sleep better and be happier overall.
