Balanced Babe on WCIU – You & Me This Morning
It’s here! Warm weather f-i-n-a-l-l-y. That means shorts, summer dresses, bikinis, and rooftop fun. Seriously, when Chicago warms up finally, the whole city goes a little bananas. We are so sun deprived here after 4 months of frigid cold, that once the temperature teases us with 60 degrees, we are all pretty much running around half naked.
Jokes aside, it’s that time of year when we are coming out of our caves we call home to enjoy warm weathered activities outdoors and embracing the welcoming arms of Summer. I always like to do seasonal detoxes four times a year (nothing crazy, just basic techniques to reset my digestive system and regain clarity), and I shared some of my tips on WCIU You and Me This Morning.
As each season shifts I like to do a 30 day no booze detox (yes that may sound a bit extreme to some of you wino’s) which really helps me drop a good amount of water weight as well as clear and center my mental well being. For those of you that want to reset your mind and body but like your glass of wine, try saving your sipping for the weekends only during a 30 day period and see how you feel.
Besides the lack of booze and the general focus on eating more plant-based whole foods, I spoke about these fun beauty detoxing tips on WCIU:
Balanced Babe’s Spring Detoxing Tricks
– Dry body brushing: Is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that is said to improve circulation, and even *gasp* *clap* *fist pump* is rumored to reduce cellulite. Don’t get all brush crazy and start rubbing your skin raw, brisk and gentle strokes starting from your feet towards your heart is said to do the trick.
– Epsom bath soak: Soaking in some epsom salts next time you take a bath could draw out toxins from your skin and help you absorb magnesium into your system. A lot of athletes also soak in epsom salts to help with muscle soreness. I like adding drops of lavender oil to my soak for some calming aromatherapy, and all you need is 1/2 cup of the salts to do the trick!
– Facial acupressure: I love doing this in the morning before my beauty routine! I take a chilled spoon that I placed in the fridge for a couple hours and use it to perk up my face and depuff any water retention on my cheeks or under my eyes that has been lurking from overnight. I make adding my moisturizer an indulgent ritual by slathering my face cream on the back of the spoon and then using upward strokes near my hairline to apply the cream. By doing facial acupressure, you are allowing energy to flow freely throughout your meridiens, plus improving the blood flow of lymphs. Get your spoons out people!
– Coffee scrub: I mix two tablespoons of finely grounded coffee with a couple drops of lemon essential oils, and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. I then use this as an exfoliating scrub to slough of dead skin before washing in the shower. The caffeine in the coffee is stimulating which can tighten your skin (which is good before you prance around in a bikini).
So, what do you do to reset your mind and body during the shifting seasons? Share your tips with me!