Spring cleanse anyone? – The winter months have finally passed, and it is officially spring! At this time of year, I feel like my body is as ready for a spring clean as well 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.
Pamela Spence
Medical Herbalist
Pamela is a medical herbalist and runs an online community for busy women who do too much. Doors open again in March and kick off with a week of free content from the 18th designed to help you reset your stress levels naturally. To find out more and sign up for the waitlist go here: