Cleaning the House

Somewhere in a small corner of my everyday world I'm starting to feel hints of Spring. There's something in the air, and here in the cold northeast, no matter how subtle it rarely goes unnoticed. There's a bit of happy anticipation mixed with cabin fever and a few who perhaps feeling a little stir crazy, jumped the gun and have bravely donned a pair of long shorts a bit too early in the season. The feelings ebb and recede. Here today, gone tomorrow back again sometime next week, but this time of year, with each passing day a little giggle of excitement comes over us as hope springs eternal!

Each year as Spring comes closer many of us begin to feel the heaviness of Winter. General vitality can be weak and there's a sluggish feeling in the body. This is a great time of year to begin a detoxifying regime to cleanse the system and ready it for warmer weather. One of my yoga teachers Clair has been speaking a lot about the body feeling lackluster this time of year partly due to extra mucus in the abdomen that builds up from the long cold months. In reality a lot of stuff we don't want in our system can get stuck there and may need a little help to be sent on it's way.

This is a great time of year to begin to clear the kidneys, spleen and liver and refresh the system. Each year around this time I do a small lemon cleanse to help the system clear out the junk that may have accumulated during the winter months. The lemon cleanse includes the use of paprika which is an excellent tonic for the kidneys and spleen. A good cleansing of the liver is always beneficial. Adding fresh parsley to the daily diets helps cleanse the system and has beneficial qualities for the liver. I have also been juicing in the morning with grapefruits. Grapefruits boost liver enzymes that clear out carcinogens. It also significantly increases the production and activity of liver detoxification enzymes responsible for preparing toxic compounds for elimination from the body. I don't have time to juice every day, so once a week I juice enough for two large containers and leave them in the fridge. I have one glass in the morning and another in the evening. Fresh juice is a hit with everyone in the house, and juicing at home is a quarter the price of buying fresh squeezed at the store, so it's a win win all the way round. Water is hugely important in helping to flush out the system and revitalize the body. Water is plentiful, free and should be the easiest part of a health regime, except for the fact it isn't. Few of us drink as much as we should and only a rare few drink the recommended eight glasses a day. Tap water in many areas is disgusting and I personally think it should be boiled or filtered before drinking. My solution is to buy huge cases of bottled water and always carry a bottle with me. My personal philosophy is that Rome was not built in a day. If you haven't been drinking water regularly start with one glass or small bottle a day as a goal. Last, incorporate yoga twists into your practice. Twists squeeze and massage your organs moving toxins and other undesirable stuff out of the body. Twists also provide a blood rush to organs in the abdomen taking out the old and revitalizing with fresh oxygenated blood which helps the system preform more efficiently.

Spring cleaning now so I have more time and energy to play later!

Wishing everyone good health and a very merry March.