Spring is almost upon us! Time to start thinking about easing ourselves into gently detoxing the winter stodge away. Your body will thank you for taking some time now to start feeding it vitamin and mineral-packed greens and moving it a bit more.
At this time of year, I feel like my body is as ready for a spring clean as my house and I’m champing at the bit to get going. THIS is the feeling that I wait for to begin any gentle detox because any earlier than this in the year and I am NOT interested. So why make things harder for ourselves?
There are some key areas to focus on to make this a success and within those areas, you can go do as much or as little as suits your body at this moment. This is not a race, there are no winners and oftentimes less IS more.
Ready?
Key Focus Areas
Inner body
- Reduce toxins
- Hydrate
- 10hr eating window
- Simple meals
Outer body
- Dry brushing
- Salt scrubs
- Castor oil packs
- Moisturising
Movement
- Increased physical effort
- More time in nature
Reflection
- Observing thoughts
- Attending to feelings
For me a typical day will look like this:
- 10-hour eating window means not eating until later in the morning
- breaking my fast with a cup of hot water and lemon
- soup for lunch and a simple meal (no sauce, plenty of veg and protein) for dinner
- 2 litres of herb tea during the day including herbs like fennel, nettle, dandelion root, and leaf to support the detox processes
- daily dry skin brushing and ensuring my skin is well moisturised and I include two castor oil packs during the week.
- increasing my daily walks and time outside where possible
- time out to journal at the beginning and end of each day
I always plan to follow this routine for a week at a time – by the end of the first week I check in with my body to see how I’m feeling and whether I need to continue. Often, by the end of the first week, I’m starting to feel the benefits and am happy to carry on. I’ll usually stay in this mode for 2 – 3 weeks before becoming less stringent on diet first of all. However, because we’re not drastically pushing ourselves into a huge detox, it is quite safe to continue if feel it is right for you to do that.
Tune into your body and just see how you get on – let go of any expectation. Just harness the new spring energy and do as little or as much as you like.
Also – if the weather is still freezing where you are – it’s ok to start this in a couple of weeks’ time. Let nature, and your body, be your guides!