5 Ways To Cleanse and Re-energise Your Body

As we’re coming up to the mid year mark, this is the perfect time to check in with your body physically and emotionally. If you find yourself falling off the bandwagon in any aspect of life, this is as good a time as any to cleanse yourself of what is no longer serving you and to get back to looking after and nourishing yourself to look and feel you best.

Now we’re not talking about drinking juices for 10 days straight, we’re talking about holistically cleansing your mind, body and surroundings to recharge the batteries and keep you on track to living the life you love.

1. Start from the inside out.

Meditation is a fantastic way to regain balance in your life and calm the mind. Put simply, meditation involves focusing your mind on your breath or one single thought or phrase, and the best thing about it is, it’s free! Just 20 minutes a day helps to manage stress and anxiety, clear the mind, improve focus and help you sleep better. If 20 minutes sounds too daunting, try doing five minutes twice a day and work your way up from there. There are many different types of meditation so experiment and find what works best for you. Cindy - our founder loves to walk early in the morning (when her little ones are still asleep) and uses her 'stretch time' in a pretty spot to focus on her breathing. Journaling is also another great way to check-in with your self by getting all the thoughts on to paper where you can organise them. Use journaling to remind yourself of what you’re grateful for, goal setting, recording memories that bring joy to you and to help you recognise what in your life you want to improve and how to achieve that.

2. Add more nutrient rich foods into your diet.

Ever heard the saying †œfood is fuel†? Without eating the right foods, how can you get enough energy and the right nutrients to reach your full potential each and every day? The easiest way to do this is to detoxify your body, start fresh and then nourish it with nutrient dense foods in a combination of energy boosting and energy sustaining foods. For a mini detox, try cutting out caffeine, sugar, refined foods and alcohol for three days and eating plenty of cleansing foods such as beetroot, leafy greens, lemon, green tea, water, coconut, sprouts, berries and dandelion tea. Have a look at our beauty detox here. To incorporate more nutrient dense foods into your everyday life you can make simple swaps such as: - Your morning coffee for a go + glow smoothie - Regular dairy milk for almond milk - Refined sugars and flavourings for antioxidants rich herbs and spices - Refined gluten grains for millet, quinoa, brown or black rice - Trans fats with omega 3 and essentail fatty acid rich foods like avocado, nuts, oils, salmon and sardines Click here for nourishing, simple recipe ideas! Or click here for more information on the best 30 ways to eat better daily.

3. Get clean.

Constant fatigue, weight gain, headaches, skin conditions and muscular aches are all signs that there are too many toxins in your life. Toxins interrupt normal physiological processes and reduce the function of our organ and gland systems, basically preventing you from looking and feeling your best. According to a 2009 study in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, the average home may contain as many as 400 chemicals, some of them toxic and many untested. Detox your home and work environment by swapping harsh chemical-laden cleaning products to natural alternatives, keeping windows open for fresh air, leaving your shoes at the door, ensure you’re not using plastics containing BPA, using unscented microfiber cloths instead of sprays to clean and always buying organic when possible.

4. Heal your gut

Our digestion determines the health of every cell in our body, when your gut health is suffering, so does your entire body. To achieve and maintain a healthy gut, we need to support the good bacteria in our digestive system because too many bad bacteria significantly contributes to skin problems such as acne, premature aging and rosacea as well as depleted energy levels and tummy troubles like IBS. So to get the glow back in your skin and the spring back in your step, take these simple steps to heal and maintain a healthy gut - Take a probiotic to encourage the growth of good bacteria - Eat more fibre rich foods that contain soluble and insoluble fibre to help remove waste - Stress less - Eat your meals slowly and chew each mouthful - Cut down on alcohol, processed foods and sugar - Eat skin loving foods rich in zinc, chlorophyll, antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids as well as probiotic rich fermented foods like miso, sauerkraut and yoghurt. - drink more water and herbal teas

5. Detox from the outside in.

As we mentioned before, the build up of toxins reduces our body’s ability to function at it’s best. Now think about this: your skin is your body’s largest organ and absorbs up to 60% of what you put on it. If you’re applying make-up and skin care products daily that are filled with artificial fragrances, parabens, sulphates and mineral oil daily, think about what is then being absorbed into your blood stream. More info here in our Hazardous Beauty Ingredients Guide In fact, an Australian report published in the International Journal of Chemistry compared natural beauty products to chemical-based ones and determined †œthat natural beauty products are better for your skin and have far less side effects.† Now detoxing your entire bathroom cabinet and make-up bag sounds extremely daunting so just take one step at a time. As you run out of one product, say your foundation, simply replace it with a natural, toxin free version. Plus, watch this space for information on Luk's upcoming detox your make-up bag workshops where we can start you off on your toxic-free journey and hold your hand the whole way through. In the meantime have a look at our step by step guide on how to Make Over Your Beauty Routine Featured image via lovethispic.com and breaky bowl image via breakfastcriminals.com