I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! My family and I enjoyed slowing down and spending some extra time together over winter break. The last couple of months leading up to New Years for me are always the busiest time of year- we have holidays, birthdays, and of course the spa is extra busy, so it was nice to have a little break. Just like me, I know the holidays are the busiest time of year for so many of you. We love so much about this time of year but by the end of it, I think we all could use some rejuvenation from indulging in lots of holiday sweets and comfort foods, missed work outs, and the stress of being overly busy.
That is why I like to start the New Year off with a good, cleansing mind body detox- making it easier to stay in a healthy state of mind that is motivated to get back on track with my wellness practice. It’s a way of getting rid of the old, negative mind body waste, to make space for the new nourishing thoughts and activities.
Are you ready?! I know I am!
Mind Detox
Declutter Your Home
Do you notice how much better you FEEL when you have a clean, organized home environment? How you can focus and think more clearly? As they say, “A cluttered space, creates a cluttered mind.”. That’s also why we can sleep better in a clean, organized bedroom. Block some space in your calendar over the next couple of weeks for each room in your house and get prepared with a few bins to declutter your home:
Donate
Donate clothes that don’t fit or that you haven’t worn and toys your children no longer play with.
Trash/ Recycle
Toss or recycle anything you no longer use or need.
Store
Store away anything that you do not use on a regular basis but are not ready to part with.
Social Media Detox
Social media can create a sense of belonging and has the benefit of providing communities of like-minded people with similar interests. However, rarely do I hear, “My mental health was improved by social media.”. If you feel your self-esteem is being affected by constantly seeing the highlighted reels of others’ lives and comparing them to your real life, or simply not being present in-person with family and friends, it could be refreshing to take a break from social media and unfollow anyone who doesn’t add to your life in a healthy way. You could try to start with one social media free day per week or certain time frames that you commit to getting offline.
Do a Brain Dump
At any given time our minds can become overwhelmed and consumed with our worries and to-do lists. Take a moment and write down anything that comes to mind that you're worried about, things that bother you, emotions that are bottled up, and things you know you need to get done both in the present and future. Getting everything going on in your mind down on paper not only takes the pressure off of ourselves to remember it all, it also gives us a chance to go through the list and see what we can find solutions to, schedule in our calendar, or choose to simply let go of. You could even make this a nightly “junk journal” exercise to release worries before bed.
Go for Walks with a Friend or Partner
Going for walks has so many benefits: getting fresh air and spending time outdoors, getting exercise, practicing mindfulness, and you can use the time to have a healthy venting session with a friend or partner. I find that walking and talking makes any problem seem less serious and also gives me a chance to hash it out and come up with a positive solution or simplya more positive outlook.
Meditation/ Yoga
I love the saying, “What we pay attention to, we become.”. The wonderful benefit gained from a meditation practice is that it trains us to experience a thought or emotion, and then, pretty much instantly, LET IT GO. Focusing our attention back on the present moment, smiling, and on our breath instead of the bothersome thoughts that arise, is a practice that can serve our wellbeing all throughout the day.
Gratitude
Spending time thinking about what you are grateful for helps to train your brains to crowd out the negative thoughts with positive ones. For some gratitude exercise ideas, check out our blog, “5 Gratitude Exercises for Wellbeing".
Therapy
Therapy can really help provide support in sorting out your struggles. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a common method used by mental health practitioners that helps change unhealthy ways of thinking and develop healthy thinking habits.
Spa Therapies
Spa therapies can help with both mind and body detoxing. A 60-90 minute facial, massage, or body treatment activates the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing the mind and the body to relax. When our breath slows down, so do our thoughts. Having an hour or ninety minutes of deep relaxation and stress relief, free of the a flow of worries, to-do lists, and bothersome thoughts can help give us a rejuvenating mental detox.
Body Detox
Clean Eating
Eating clean can help improve your gut health and serve as the fuel we need for healthy living. I am a mom of 9-year-old twin girls and a busy business owner, so my approach to my diet is focused on “realistic and sustainable”. I take a 90/10 approach to my diet which means 90 % of the time I try to eat healthy, 10 % of the time I allow myself to eat what I want. It is also what I suggest for my clients but if you can achieve 100%, go for it!
Here are some simple clean eating tips:
Avoid or limit refined sugar
Avoid or limit processed foods
Eat organic/ Avoid the “Dirty Dozen”
Stay hydrated with “Spa Water” (water infused with fruits, vegetables, and herbs)
Avoid or limit alcohol and caffeine
Eat more whole foods: whole grains, fruits, and vegetables
Eat healthy protein that is grass fed and free of antibiotics and growth hormones
Infrared Sauna
Our private infrared sauna has a “Detoxification” wellness program that starts at a high intensity to increase the body's core temperature then reduces to a low comfortable intensity level. The infrared combination improves vascular access flow to reach toxins at the cellular level and creates a deep detoxifying sweat. We offer packages and unlimited sauna memberships to increase results.
Facial and Body Treatment
Our facials and body treatments are designed to deeply cleanse, exfoliate dead skin cells, rid your skin of dirt, debris, and impurities, and replenish hydration and vital nutrients. We also focus heavily on relaxation and stress relief during our facials. We activate the nervous system through rejuvenating massage, aroma, and hot and cold therapies. We start your treatment off with a complimentary infrared sauna session- taking an inner and outer approach to our facials and body treatments truly delivers a whole mind body wellness experience.
Exercise
Exercise not only helps the body produce feel good endorphins that will help with both mental and emotional health, the act of sweating is an effective way to detox your body. Exercise also helps increase blood and circulation through the body, which improves the function of the liver and the lymph nodes.
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