5 Easy & Free Spring Home Detoxes

When it comes to this time of year, we always focus on spring-cleaning our house. 

We clean out cupboards, get rid of old clothes, de clutter the kitchen, and maybe even tackle the garage. 

But it’s also a great time of year to put some extra time and love into your health and focus on cleansing your body physically and mentally. 

As the winter is now far behind us and summer is approaching, set yourself up for the fresh season ahead by engaging in some of these spring cleaning activities:

• Cleanse your digestive system – The digestive system works hard – every day, all of the time – and every once in a while we need to give it a break and let it have a rest. This is important so it can rest physically as well as so it has a chance to do repairs.  A cleanse does not have to involve several days of juice fasting or drinking only water, rather, you can simply nourish it with easily digestible foods.  Start the night before by eating your last meal at 7 pm and then fasting until at least 7 am the next day.  Have a green juice for breakfast, as well as warm lemon water, and continue to drink lots of water throughout the day.  Eliminate coffee, opting for tea instead, and for lunch have a green smoothie.  Mid afternoon, you can have another juice, high in veggies, low in fruit and then opt for a green soup or smoothie bowl for dinner.  These soft, liquid like foods are already partially digested, limiting the work required by the digestive system.
• Work out your lymphatics – The lymphatic system is responsible for moving through cellular waste to be eliminated through the lymph nodes. This system does not have a pump that moves the waste, like your heart does, so we must do it manually.  Take some time each day over the next week to devote extra effort to cleansing your lymphatic system.  This might mean simply a few minutes of deep breathing, increasing your daily exercise and movement, taking an Epsom salt bath, or going into a steam room.  All of these things encourage cellular movement, which helps the waste move along to be eliminated.
• Detox your liver – The liver is the seat of anger. An unhealthy liver, which is muddled with toxins, can be at the root of pent up anger or hostility to an individual.  If you feel this is you, take some time to journal about your anger and frustration, where it has stemmed from and what you can do to curb it from building up further.  Then, adopt a liver healthy diet: eat bitter foods, like radicchio and endive, drink milk thistle tea, drink lots of water and reduce your intake of fatty foods, high sugar foods and processed foods.  Finally consume anti-inflammatory rich foods like turmeric and licorice root.
• Cut off a relationship that is not serving you – You don’t have to be harsh about it, or make it difficult, but we all have those people in our life who get us down more than bring us up. They are a burden on us, or perhaps make us feel bad about ourselves, and regardless, we don’t need them in our life.  Over the next few weeks, work on weaning this relationship out of your life, or make changes to minimize your interaction with said person.  You will feel a sense of relief and pride for having the guts to do it, and you will likely find your mental wellbeing and state of mind improves as well.
• Forgive someone – It does not do you or anybody else any good to hold grudges, have negative feelings towards someone, or to let past interactions get in the way of present and future ones. If you have an ongoing issue with an individual, be the bigger person and forgive, apologize if necessary, and make amends in whatever way you have to.  This may involve the other person, whereby you need to actually have a conversation with them, or it may be just something you need to do in your own head and heart.  Move forward.