Happy Spring!

Since its Spring and according to Traditional Oriental Medicine- it's the time of renewal and rebirth- I wanted to offer you some lifestyle tweaks for you to renew and revitalize your health,  clean up your diet and let go of any emotional burdens that may be weighing you down.  It's time to hit the refresh button, you definitely deserve it!

Take a few minutes and watch my latest video on my top 3 tips for Spring!  Read the rest of this blog for even more tips!

• Get your butt outside, each and every day, for at least 30 minutes.  Breathe in that fresh, clean invigorating air and let your body fill up with the energy of this season.
• Chill Out & Let Go.  If this is the season to begin anew, then you need to really let go of any of that emotional baggage you've been carrying around.  Let go and set yourself free.  How? Well, one helpful tool is to write a letter to your ‘baggage' stating all the reasons you should let go, being sure to clarify in the letter how damn good you will feel once you let this baggage go.  Another great way is to meditate daily, with your mantra being: I am letting go. I deserve to be free of X.
• Eat Lightly.  Not just because beach weather is creeping in but because it is Spring! Spring is a light and airy season and its time to leave behind the heavier foods of winter, especially dairy products, sugar, processed foods (always to be avoided!), soy and wheat, can help you move into spring feeling lighter and lean you up for the coming summer months!  Personally, this is when I really cut down my dairy and wheat intake.
• Detox.  Not just in mind, but in body.  Spring is a great time to cleanse your liver.  Consider cutting down on your liver’s workload by eliminating alcohol, refined sugar, and anything artificial like fake sugar, alcohol, pesticides and herbicides. Even if you don’t want to do this forever, consider giving your liver a week or two off from known toxins — a spring vacation from toxins. Your health and your figure will greatly benefit!
• Eat green foods.  In accordance with the season of Spring, as green shoots are sprouting from the ground, so should we be consuming green foods that are rich in chlorophyll like wheat grass or barley grass juice, spirulina, blue-green algea, and chlorella, parsley, kale, swiss chard, broccoli rabe, bean sprouts, dandelion and collard greens in order to accelerate liver rejuvenation. Personally, I love taking a daily dose of spirulina to help assist my liver in detoxing this time of year.
• If you suffer from seasonal allergies add 1-2 diced cloves of garlic to a cup of dandelion or peppermint tea and be sure to avoid dairy, wheat and added sugar in your diet.  And, check out my blog on fighting seasonal allergies.  Don't forget to use your neti pot daily!
• Drink hot water with lemon first thing in the morning. A little bit of the sour taste helps to gently help the liver slough off toxins. Or try 1 teaspoon each of apple cider vinegar and raw honey in one cup of water. However, too much sour will not be good for the liver, so think moderation so do one of these only once per day.
• And… never forgot to BE KIND TO YOURSELF.  If that's the only renewal you accomplish this spring, you will feel so much better for it!  You are a loving, beautiful and precious soul that we all need in this world, so be kind to you!