Guest Author - Linda Steele
We tend to feel balanced physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, when our bodies are working optimally. In order for a body to feel good, it must be properly nourished through air, food and water as well as detoxified.
Something as simple as breathing creates waste by-products that must be flushed from the body. Combine this with a whole host of other activities - stress, exercise, eating food, drink, medicines and other chemical products - and our toxic load increases. So it makes sense to keep as many toxins out of our bodies as we can.
Try These Body Detoxifiers
1. Drink plenty of water. I’m sure you have heard this before from various sources. One source suggests drinking 32 ounces the other 64 ounces. So what is the correct amount? A good rule of thumb is to drink half you weight in ounces (i.e. if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be drinking 75 ounces of water a day). This makes sense when we think that our bodies are 70-80% water which is constantly evaporating throughout the day and needs to be replenished. The good news is that herbal teas and vegetables juices count as water.
2. Reduce your caffeine in-take. Caffeine has been linked to stress, anxiety, insomnia, heart disease, heart palpitations, fibromyalgia, and a host of other problems. Not to mention, it leeches the calcium out of your teeth. Be aware that if you go cold turkey eliminating caffeine, you could get a withdrawal headache which can last for 2-5 days and be quite severe depending on your level of caffeine consumption. It would be better to gradually scale-back the amount of caffeine you consume by switching from coffee to black tea, to green tea to herbal tea. After a couple of weeks, your stress hormone levels will return to normal.
3. Drink alcohol in moderation. For women, moderate alcohol consumption means one beer, one glass of wine, or a shot of liquor each day. The effects of alcohol are far-reaching: liver inflammation, which can lead to cirrhosis, a serious, irreversible liver condition; increased risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer; stomach problems and nutritional deficiencies; neurological problems such as confusion, numbness and trouble with memory; and birth defects -- all excellent reasons to give up the stuff.
4. Sweat out the toxins. I know, here comes that dreaded word - exercise. When we exercise, we tend to sweat. Sweating is an excellent way to detoxify. So get moving. Other methods of sweating are use of saunas and steam baths.
5. Dry brush your skin everyday. Our skin is our largest organ and more than a pound of waste is expelled through it every day. Since our skin is responsible for protecting the body from the environment, particularly the sun; preventing excessive water loss from the body; protecting the body from infection shouldn’t we do our best to keep it rosy and functioning properly. Use a natural bristle-brush available at a health’s food store before you shower. Begin at your feet and brush up towards your heart using quick but light strokes. Continue working up your legs, arms, and back. When you get to your stomach go in a clockwise direction following the path of the colon. Dry brushing will remove dead skin cells, and promote circulation for the lymphatic and circulatory systems. You may even see that your cellulite (if you have any) is improving.
6. Get a massage. Some people say that having a massage is a luxury and very expensive. Sure you might say that getting relaxed is very luxurious, but a massage actually improves circulation, improves immune function and moves the lymphatic fluids (our body’s garbage dump). Regarding the expense, I say aren’t you worth it?
There are other ways to detoxify your body but try some of these to get started. Before you know it, your body will feel balanced on all levels.
