Spring officially hit the Northern Hemisphere on March 23. Now we’re into May, and summer will be here before you know it! If you haven’t spent some time detoxing this spring, it’s time to flush out all those toxins (physical and emotional!) out of our lives.
Luckily, my work at one of the oldest natural healing colleges gives me lots of resources and tips to share! Some may be obvious (drink more water!), and others less so (get off social media!). Here are my top 10 ways to detox this spring. Pick one or all to get your spring detox going:
1. Kick the Dirty Dozen! Switch out the dirty dozen for organic in your shopping list. The “Dirty Dozen” is a list of fruits and vegetables most likely to contain pesticide residues put together by the Environmental Working Group. If you can only find or afford some organic, these are the items to make sure you buy organic (or grow yourself!). There’s also the “Clean Fifteen”—fruits and vegetables that are least likely to be contaminated. If you can only find conventional or can’t afford all organic produce, these are the fifteen best choices. Find the full list here: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/
2. Clean GREEN this spring! Go GREEN with your spring cleaning! Clean naturally and effectively with essential oils and safe, natural products you can find at home. Need some help? Download our free eBook on Green Spring Cleaning with Essential Oils! Or you can always become an essential oil expert—maybe experimenting with an online aromatherapy class or an aromatherapy online certification from ACHS.
3. Breathe. Get outside at least twice a day—preferably somewhere without pollution—and take ten deep breaths. Visualize that you’re replacing the stale winter air in your lungs with fresh spring air, and imagine all that lovely vitamin D soaking into your skin from the sun! Then detox the air in your home with a blend of pure essential oils in an aromatherapy diffuser. Try tea tree Australia Melaleuca alternifolia, eucalyptus Eucalyptus globulus, rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis, geranium Pelargonium graveolens, or citrus oils. We offer organic and wildcrafted therapeutic essential oils to the public from our College store.
4. Drink more clean water. Try drinking one ounce of water per pound of body weight if you’re active, or 1/2 an ounce per pound if it’s a slow day for you. There are many simple purifiers available or you can go all out and get a whole house model! I also recommend getting a shower filter that removes chlorine and fluoride from your shower water. We absorb large quantities of both chemicals through our skin, and the hot steamy environment opens up our pores.
5. Eat your greens! Rather than a hard-core fast (although many of my colleagues swear by them), eat at least one pound of organic greens a day for one week. Try them juiced or in a smoothie or cooked or in salad. Not only will you boost your holistic nutrition score (essential for eliminating the toxins from your life), you’ll also be displacing less nutritious choices. Getting your dose of chlorophyll and phytonutrients will support your body’s own natural detox. Want to know which greens you should be eating? Check out our list: Top 10 Green Superfoods Your Holistic Nutritionist Eats.
6. Drink kale smoothies. Replace your usual breakfast with a kale smoothie. I can give you some great recipes to get started: Holistic Nutrition: Top 5 Kale Smoothies for Spring.
7. Consider a juice regime or fast. One of the best ways to detox and eliminate toxins from the body is by fasting from certain foods—usually solids. All that energy needed to digest food can be used to flush out toxins, essentially spring cleaning the body! We spring clean our homes, but how often do we really spring clean our bodies? You can add fresh vegetable and fruit juices to your healthy diet or try an exclusive juice fast. However, be very conscientious when fasting, and always consult your doctor or naturopathic doctor before undertaking a fast. Need some help? One of my favorite books on fasting is Detox and Revitalize: The Holistic Guide for Renewing Your Body by Susana Belen.
8. EMF: Turn off electricity. EMFs are electro magnetic frequencies. No, you don’t need to make a tinfoil hat, but why not make an effort to unplug everything in your bedroom before going to bed? See if you can live without an alarm clock. Consider going back to corded telephones, and use a headpiece for your cellphone—don’t your hold it to your head. We’re still not sure about the long-term effects of EMFs on our bodies and cycles.
9. Social detox. Get off Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for a week. A social media fast gives you perspective on how much time you spend on technology and lets you evaluate whether these tools add to your happiness and life. When you feel the pull to check your smart phone or post a witty status update, try replacing with one of these activities: take a 10 minute walk, play with your kids, breathe, meditate, read a good book, start a face-to-face conversation, or journal for 10 minutes. Want to go all out – turn off the television too and limit computer time to the absolute essentials (like your online courses at ACHS!).
10. Gentle exercise: Try taking a 30-minute walk each day. Maybe add a yoga class or something relaxing each week to your regular workout routine. Exercise is one of the simplest and most effective forms of natural healing and detoxing. Find something you like to do, and mix it up to keep things interesting!I hope this 10 ways to detox list gives you some ideas to help you feel refreshed and rejuvenated this spring. Feel free to leave a comment and tell me how you plan to detox this year!
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent disease. This article has not been reviewed by the FDA. Always consult with your primary care physician or naturopathic doctor before making any significant changes to your health and wellness routine.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I am the CIO of American College of Healthcare Sciences, the Institution that publishes this blog. However, all opinions are my own and I only recommend products and services that I personally have reviewed and believe will be good for my readers. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I may receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
