Daily Detoxing – Lifestyle Tips
It’s not just what you eat and drink that can affect your body’s organs of elimination and detoxification. How you live, how you move, the products you use and your environment can all play a part. Here are some tips for cleaning up your life. See also the blog on Daily Detoxing – Dietary Tips.
Oil pulling – to cleanse the mouth try swishing a tbsp of oil (eg: coconut oil, olive oil, sesame oil) around the mouth for 10-20 minutes first thing in the morning. When the oil feels thinner it’s time to spit it out. Follow this by gargling with water or a natural mouth wash and brushing your teeth. Your mouth will feel sparklingly clean.
Tongue scraping – Ayurveda recommends tongue scraping every morning to remove any build up on the tongue. Use a tongue scraper made from silver or stainless steel.
Breathe – taking full inhalations and exhalations helps to oxygenate the blood and is the quickest way to destress and become present in the moment. Bring your attention to your breath whenever you remember, especially when the pressure is on.
Meditation – proven to reduce cortisol and reduce inflammation. Meditation can help with many aspects of physical and emotional health.
Move your body – physical activity benefits all body systems and many aspects of physical and mental health. Include strength training, aerobic activity, balance and flexibility. However, if you are on a cleanse that involves cutting back on food intake take care not to over do it as this will deplete the body at a time when it needs nutrients and energy for the cleansing process.
Hot and cold showers – when you have a shower alternate between hot and cold water 2-3 times and finish on cold. This helps get the circulation and lymph moving and will leave you feeling refreshed and invigorated.
Get outside – being out in nature carries many benefits, not least exposure to daylight which stimulates the pineal gland and suprachiasmatic nucleus which reset the circadian rhythms. In the warmer months daylight also provides vitamin D needed for many aspects of health.
Reduce electro-stress – mobile phones, wi-fi and smart metres may all create electo-magnetic fields that can affect the nervous system. Be sure to sleep in an EMF free zone and switch off technology in the home or office when it’s not in use.
Use natural skin and household products – it’s not only what we eat that is absorbed or inhaled into the body. Use natural cosmetics and skin and hair care products on your body and cleaning products around the home.
Bathe – create a spa at home by bathing in Epsom salts or Dead Sea Mineral salts. Add essential oils such as lavender for its calming effects or rosemary or citrus oils for their enlivening effects.
Dry skin brush – use a natural bristle brush to brush your skin in long firm strokes towards the heart before your bath or shower. This stimulates the lymph, gets the circulation going and removes dead skin cells.
Castor oil packs – a naturopathic technique used to support many aspects of health castor oil packs can be applied to any part of the body that needs support. Soak a cotton cloth in castor oil and apply it to the body. Cover it to avoid getting oil on your clothes and hold a hot water bottle against it.
Massage – gets the lymph and circulation moving. It is through these systems that waste products and toxins are transported to the liver and kidneys for elimination from the body. To make an aromatic massage oil combine a carrier oil such as almond or sesame oil with a few drops of essential oil such as grapefruit, lavender, lemon, rose or rosemary.
Saunas and Steam Baths – heat has long been used to induce sweating and cleansing. Following the heat treatment with a cold shower or a dip in the plunge pool can also be beneficial. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
Always check with your doctor or medical specialist before embarking on any dietary or lifestyle changes, especially if you have a medical condition, are on medications or are pregnant or breast feeding.