Ready for a simple holistic spring detox after the winter season?
On a yearly basis, around the coldest time of year, many tend to experience flu like symptoms, colds, weight gain, fatigue, joint stiffness, and even a very sedentary lifestyle.
As spring arrives, here are “7 Simple Holistic Spring Detox Tips” to help reenergize your routine and get into some good healthy habits for the body, mind and spirit!
1) Add daily greens to every meal!
To naturally detox gently and feel lighter, add green veggies to every meal. All greens have high levels of chlorophyll (a natural green pigment found in plants) this can help to cleanse the digestive and intestinal tract along with assisting the liver to function well in the detoxification process and prevent liver damage.
Greens are anti-inflammatory and a minimum of 4 cups of greens a day can provide a good amount of vitamins, minerals and fiber to nourish and support the gut and provide beneficial good bacteria for a stronger immunity.
Simply add daily greens to smoothies, salads or some cooked dishes. A variety of different greens like kale, spinach, broccoli, asparagus and herbs like mint or basil are important for giving the body different nutrients it deserves so that it can start a good healthy detox process.
2) Stay hydrated!
Start the day with drinking a glass of purified water to help start the digestive process and rehydrate after a night of sleep. Water is vital to every cell, organ, system and function that goes on in the body and is essential for detoxifying the liver to flush the body of toxins and unneeded substances.
Keep drinking water throughout the day aiming for at least 8 cups daily to keep hydrated, as it helps to increase energy levels and keep energized throughout the day.
Water also acts as a natural appetite suppressant taking up space in the stomach, which leads to a feeling of fullness and reducing hunger. Sometimes a person may feel hungry when actually they are thirsty. Drinking a glass of water before reaching for something to eat can help curb unnecessary snacking, which is helpful for weight loss and healthy weight management.
3) Move daily and break a sweat!
Staying active is essential for good digestion and circulation throughout the body. A great goal is to break a sweat so that the sweat glands filter out toxins through the skin, the body’s largest organ. The skin can remove toxic compounds from the body including heavy metals such as mercury, lead and cadmium.
Adding some fun daily movement routines like walking and jogging intervals, dancing, pilates, or even power walking to start sweating can be a great way to challenge yourself physically and reach some health and fitness goals!
As the body naturally perspires with movement, it is always important to remember to replenish and rehydrate the body with purified water.
4) Take a break from devices
A break from your smartphone or other devices is a an important way to spring detox the brain and rebalance mental health as it helps to reduce anxiety and depression and allows more valuable time to spend on yourself, with God, and some social interactions with family and friends.
A great way to set a goal to lower time spent on social media or other online usage is to choose a specific amount of time in a total day. For example, a good healthy goal to start with is a total of one hour a day which can be split in to 20 minutes at three times a day. To make it easier you can schedule the times that work best for you! Another good tip is to turn off all notifications so there is no temptation to check it.
Try out this mental health detox for a week or more and keep mindful on how you feel, the energy level, and how much more time is available to do what will help improve overall health.
5) Visit Mother Nature
Slowing down to visit the outdoors in mother nature can help to feel grounded, aligned and balanced. While enjoying a daily outdoor walk, one can activate their five senses by taking the time and naming things they see, hear, feel, smell, or touch.
By activating the senses in no specific order, one can help to observe the beautiful details in their surroundings and enjoy the present moment. This process helps to detoxify unnecessary thoughts and distractions and allows a simple way to naturally feel lighter and better mentally and physically.
6) Lower Caffeine Intake
Lower consumption of caffeinated drinks like coffee, black tea or energy drinks can help to give the digestive system a break that it deserves. A minimum amount of caffeine or no caffeine daily will improve the alkaline pH level in the body to promote better digestion allowing healthy foods and their nutrients to be properly absorbed.
Good absorption can help increase the good gut bacteria and help cleanse the stomach. As the stomach starts to function more optimally, so will the assisted organs like the pancreas, gall bladder, kidneys and other organs of the body. When the whole body is functioning a lot more efficient, a natural good daily bowel elimination will occur and this can lead to feeling lighter as each day passes and a healthy weight loss if necessary.
To start a coffee detox, lower the intake one day at a time and replace it with a herbal tea or chicory coffee which gives a similar taste to coffee and makes the substitution smoother and easier to follow.
7) Good Sleep
Ensure at least eight to nine hours of sleep daily to help all organs recover and detoxify in the body including the brain, heart, lungs, liver and stomach so they can function more optimal during the day.
To help unwind and sleep better after a day of working, cooking and doing other chores, add a minimum of ten minutes of stretching before bed and give yourself a well deserved foot massage as this can help promote feelings of relaxation and a deeper sleep at bedtime.
Choosing some or all of these natural ways to detoxify in the spring is necessary for improving and strengthening the body, mind and spirit. Instilling these good habits now and in the months ahead can help detox the way to a healthier you and a new way of healthy living for years ahead.
More from Floriana Urbisci
Floriana Urbisci R.N.C.P.
Floriana is a Registered Nutritional Health Practitioner, Herbalist and Certified Personal Trainer, as well as a member of the International Organization of Nutritional Consultants (IONC) and Registered Orthomolecular Health Practitioner (ROHP).
Floriana specializes in weight loss, digestive disorders, emotional and mental health disorders She is passionate and enjoys helping others to achieve and maintain their health goals.
She became interested in holistic health after overcoming her own personal health challenges with obesity and severe depression.
