Feeling below par? This gentle program of herbs, exercise, and bathing will cleanse your system and boost your vitality. It makes a lot of sense – especially after any kind of over-indulgence or stress – to give your body a rest.
Another bonus: Cleansing diets help boost metabolism, and might help you lose a few kilos!
DO YOU NEED TO DETOX?
If you answer “yes” to three or more questions, you probably do:
Do you often feel tired?
Are you unable to concentrate?
Do you use coffee, cigarettes or sweets to perk you up?
Are you constipated?
Do you exercise only rarely?
Do you often get yeast infections?
Is your home near air and water pollution?
Are you exposed to chemicals or drugs in your work?
Do you have food allergies or bad skin?
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Friday Evening
Enjoy this Epsom Salts Detoxifying Soak:
2 cups Epsom salts
10 drops juniper essential oil
Epsom salts are rich in magnesium, which eases sore muscles and induces relaxation. As you empty the bathwater, imagine any problems swirling down the drain, too.
Practise Deep Breathing just before bed:
Most of us breathe too shallowly. This exercise encourages breathing into the whole of the lungs, oxygenating your whole body.
Lie on your back. Place a book over your navel. Inhale, pushing your abdomen towards the ceiling; exhale, pulling your abdominal muscles in towards your spine. The book should rise and fall with your breathing. Continue for several minutes, then relax.
Go to bed before 10pm.
Saturday
Start the day with this Cleansing Tonic to strengthen your liver and encourage elimination:
200 ml spring water
juice of 1 lemon
pinch of powdered ginger
1 tablespoon flaxseeds
1 teaspoon psyllium powder
Stir thoroughly and drink immediately.
Perform Dry Brush Massage before showering to stimulate lymphatic flow and circulation, and remove dead skin cells; finish your shower with a cold rinse:
You’ll need a soft bristle brush with a long detachable handle, so you can reach your back. Begin with the soles of your feet, then brush up your calves, knees, thighs, and over your hips to your lower back. Brush your hands, up your arms, across your shoulders, gently over your breasts, and down the back of your neck and upper back. Avoid genitals or any irritated skin.
Prepare this Purifying Herb Tea, and drink 3 cups throughout the day.
1 teaspoon each nettle, peppermint, dandelion root, and red clover
Combine in a saucepan with 3 cups of cold water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain. Sweeten with apple juice.
For the next two days, you’ll eat only fresh fruits, steamed vegetables, cooked millet (a nutritious and alkalising grain), and at least 2 litres of liquids each day: herb teas, the Herbal Cleansing Tonic, fresh juices and water.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol, oils (except for a spoonful of olive or flaxseed oil on your vegies), refined sugar, or salt. Season your food with lemon juice, garlic, ginger or cayenne, all of which support the detox process while adding flavour.
Also on the “no” list: television and any other stress-producing habits, like reading the newspaper. Relax – call a friend, or write in your diary instead.
Take a teaspoon of herbal bitters before each meal, to improve your digestion.
Go for a 15-minute walk in the morning, afternoon and evening. Fresh air and sunshine are very important on a detox diet. If it’s cold, rug up.
Enjoy the Epsom Salts Detoxifying Bath, practise the Deep Breathing Exercises and go to bed before 10pm.
Sunday
Follow same plan as for Saturday, plus these two extra activities:
Following your Dry Brush Massage, treat yourself to this all-over Body Cleansing Scrub, followed by a warm shower and cold rinse:
½ cup fine sea salt
1 tablespoon almond oil
5 drops grapefruit essential oil
Using approx 1 tbsp of the mixture at a time, massage with a gentle circular motion into damp skin, starting with calves, working up thighs and stomach, then up each arm and over shoulders and back.
Practise 15 minutes of Energising Stretches, whenever you choose:
Swinging Twists: Stand with feet hip-width apart and, with a gentle twisting motion from your hips, twist from side to side, letting your arms swing naturally.
Chest Expander: Stand and interlock your fingers behind your lower back. Inhale, raising your arms as far as you comfortably can, keeping shoulders relaxed. Exhale, and lower arms to buttocks. Repeat.
Shoulder Rolls: Stand or sit, and rotate shoulders backwards 5 times, then forwards 5 times. Inhale as your shoulders come up, exhale as they go down.
Monday
Call the florist and order a big, beautiful bunch of flowers to be delivered to your home or office – and start celebrating the new you!
Note: Almost everyone can safely undertake this program, but there are a few exceptions: People who are severely underweight or anaemic, those who have hyperthyroidism, pregnant or lactating women, anyone with a chronic degenerative disease, such as cancer, should consult their health care practitioner.
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