5 Self Care Tips for Springtime plus Green Juice Recipe

Spring is the perfect time to give the mind, body, and spirit a reset. A time to allow ourselves more space to grow, strengthen and heal from the inside out in preparation for the months to come. This can be done through better eating habits, organizing our environment, mindful movement, and in some cases, dipping our toes into the unknown so we can emerge from the winter months with balanced energy and resilience.

1. Nourish yourself with wholesome foods.

   Fruits are detoxifying and veggies are replenishing so why not combine them in a nutritionally dense beverage to rev up energy, reduce sugar cravings, and detoxify the body.? Veggies and fruits contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and polyphenols that are supportive for every system of the body. This recipe is for a smoothie, but feel free to press into a juice.

My Favorite Green Juice Recipe

2 handfuls organic spinach

1 inch piece ginger

2-3 mint leaves

1 cup chopped parsley

½ cucumber diced

2 celery stalks chopped

½ chopped apple

1 chopped kiwi

juice of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lime

Coconut water to liquefy

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

2. Do a whole-house detox

Spring is the perfect time to make healthy changes not just with the foods we eat but the products we put on our bodies as well as what we clean our houses with. Just like my daily rant about tossing processed foods (those with ingredients we can’t pronounce) the same goes for medicine cabinets and bathroom counters since ingredients like “parabens” and “fragrances” are everywhere. You can clean your entire house with baking soda, vinegar and essential oils or fresh citrus! I also love Branch Basics, and Zum Cleaning products for their clean, eco-friendly ingredients.

Plastics (BPA/phthalates)- 2 chemicals added to plastics

BPA (bisphenol A) is a chemical used to make plastic clear and hard. They’re found in baby bottles, beverage containers, dental fillings, electronic items, and sports equipment.

Phthalates- (pronounced THAL-ates) a family of industrial chemicals used to make plastic softer and act as solvents in cosmetics and other products.

These chemicals are linked to infertility and can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive system according to animal studies.

When plastics are heated, these chemicals leak into your food. To lessen your exposure to these chemicals use glass containers, (I love these pyrex ones) and avoid having plastic wrap come in contact with your food (or use beeswax to cover). To take it a step further, bring reusable bags to the grocery store and eliminate plastic cups and bottles all together. We’ve done this in our house and it’s been wonderful. Silicone, ceramic, bamboo and glass are great options! We love these bamboo cups for the kids from Weesprout and these cups and bowls from Bobo and Boo.

Parabens are found in many of our skin, make-up, and beauty products and used as preservatives to prevent mold, fungus, and other microbial overgrowth. If the product you’re using ends in the word “paraben”, ie methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and isobutylparaben, it has parabens.

Why are they a problem? Parabens bind to estrogen-receptors on cells thereby disrupting hormone function. This estrogen-mimicking compound is linked to breast cancer, reproductive issues, and a cascade of side effects caused by hormone imbalance.  

*Perfumes/fragrance.

Seeing the word fragrance on a label sounds so innocent and sweet yet it’s anything but. It turns out the word fragrance can mean a number of different  toxic ingredients were added to provide a more “pleasant scent” to the products. Yikes, what kind of chemicals are they masking? Well according the Environmental Working Group, The word "fragrance" or "parfum" on the product label represents an undisclosed mixture of various scent chemicals and ingredients used as fragrance dispersants such as diethyl phthalate.

They’re linked to headaches, allergies, asthma, reproductive issues, skin issues, and even cancer.  Look for the words fragrance, perfume, parfum, eau do toilette, and cologne.

How do your products stack up? Check out the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database base where it gives products ratings from 1-10.

Pesticides

These are hazardous chemicals to humans, animals and the environment as a whole. They are in fact meant to kill things, right? Yet unfortunately it doesn’t stop at the intended target. Pesticides (including herbicides, disinfectants, fungicides, insecticides, repellants, rodenticides) should be avoided. They’re linked to cancer, Parkinsons, birth defects, asthma, reproductive issues, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. Be very suspicious of gardens, playgrounds, golf courses, and anyplace that looks overwhelmingly green and beautiful. Oh and you know those non-organic strawberries that were a dollar less? They’re so pretty though.

For this, be sure to check out EWGs dirty dozen for the most heavily contaminated foods.  

 3.  Buy some indoor plants

Plants are incredibly detoxifying and act as natural air purifiers. My 2 favorites are Peace Lillys and Aloe Vera. Others known to benefit indoor air are Snake Plants, English Ivy, Weeping Fig, Chinese Evergreen, Mass cane, Chrysanthemums, and Florist’s Daisy (pot mum). Plants have been known to filter out toxins like formaldehyde, benzene, carbon monoxide, and xylene.  If you have a pet, be sure to ask which are non-toxic to animals or keep out of their reach.

So toss out those Glade plug- ins and ditch the Fabreze. You now have a way to freshen up your home the natural way!

You may also get the benefit of a huge mood boost!

My pretty little Peace Lily ;)

4.  Manage anxiety, and depression, and overall stress

This may seem like the icing on the cake but it’s really the foundation of everything. I say to my clients at least 3 times daily, “the mind and body are connected”. This means, in order to feel safe and refreshed from an environmental standpoint, we need to set up some ground work for the brain. Here are my top 4 tips:

Research has shown that those with a strong sense of community and close relationships actually live longer! Springtime gives us a bit more freedom to jump out of our shells and connect. It can be as simple as picking up the phone (no texting) to call a friend or turning off devices after a certain time to connect with a spouse or family member.

Herbs like ashwagandha, astragalus, ginseng, rhodiola, and cordycep mushrooms (to name a few) are excellent at lowering cortisol levels in the body and reducing stress and anxiety. I use ashwagandha and mushroom powder in my morning coffee every day! I also love Moon juice (straight out of LA;) for their adaptagen powders and beauty products. The Spirit Dust is my favorite! And this Hibiscus Adaptogen latte from Abra’s kitchen is a must try!

Who doesn’t feel good after they exercise? I always tell my clients to get outside when possible. Forget about the calorie burn and just move your body. See how refreshed you feel when you come inside. Exercise has been shown to improve mood, sleep, and overall stamina. It also increases mental alertness and emotional endurance.

Begin your day with 5 minutes of breathing. Pay attention to the physical sensations in your body and when the mind wanders, bring it back to the breath. Keep a journal of how you feel after practicing consistently.

5. Pamper yourself

Now that you’ve gotten some physical nourishment, organized and detoxified your home, worked on tranquility, it’s time for even more self-care. I know it’s crazy!

You must get some “me-time” on that calendar. No one else is going to do this for you. Schedule a massage, have lunch with a friend, or curl up with a cup of tea and read a book. It’s funny how days and even months can go by without us actually taking any time for ourselves. Let the change of season sweep in and help you make a change for the better.

One of my favorite things is to do a mom “at home spa hour” using…..



And this…

For more info on the benefits of meditation and self-care, check out these great posts!

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Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links and products sold on this site including but not limited to nutritional supplements, ebooks, programs etc. which generate a tiny profit as the primary income of my blog at no additional cost to you. The greatest wealth is health so thanks for contributing!

https://noharm-uscanada.org/issues/us-canada/phthalates-and-dehp

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/microwaving-food-in-plastic-dangerous-or-not

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/sya-bpa/index.cfm

https://rootandrevel.com/dangers-of-fragrance-perfume/

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/cosmetics.html

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/702512/FRAGRANCE/

https://wiki.cancer.org.au/policy/Position_statement_-_Pesticides_and_cancer

https://www.beyondpesticides.org/resources/pesticide-induced-diseases-database/overview

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/221205.php

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/12/longer-life

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470658/