Pushing the Spring Reset Button – it’s detox time!
One of the weekend rituals my hubby and I treasure involves one of us reading aloud to the other a wacky “Seinfeld-like” column from our local Sunday paper. The columnist is James Lileks, and he is a nut. This guy has the most wacky, goofball way of seeing the world and examining the quirkiest of human behavior.
His columns CRACKS US UP to the point that we’re usually wiping laughter tears from our cheeks and holding our sides as one of us struggles to finish reading the column out loud to the other.
Last week, James’ column was about spring in Minnesota. Here’s an excerpt: “April is irritable and moody; it has a reputation for being the start of the good warm times, and it really resents it. April’s attitude is more or less a sullen teen who just doesn’t feel like it, OK? Gah! Leave me alone (slammed door, loud music)! Then the month offers a sheepish apology: Here’s some 60s. We’re good?”
Mike and I went for a walk later that day in the rain and laughed repeatedly over the teenager analogy, occasionally bursting out with, “Gah!” as we felt ourselves pushed around by violent wind gusts and did our best to dodge the hundreds of sidewalk worms who had come up for air.
Yes. Spring is indeed a moody and irritable teenager.
Every year I write a newsletter about spring because it’s that magical time for resetting our health. It’s all too easy to ignore seasonal transitions in our modern world where we tend to live, work and drive in temperature controlled environments and only get outside if we’re super intentional about it. But spring asks us for some loving attention and intention around foods, behaviors, and activity level. Spring asks us to wake up again.
Spring is our time to shake off the heaviness of winter, both literally and figuratively. Most of us have put on a few pounds over the winter, which is normal, and spring is the time to let them go. Some of you get hit with congestion and spring allergies, which means it’s time to focus on clearing the congestion. Spring brings a renewed energy and enthusiasm for the months ahead – it asks us to move our arses again and act on the ideas that brewed forth out of winter’s darkness.
Here are my top 3 tips for a healthy spring this year:
- Get outside. Even if it’s raining. Strive to spend at least 30 minutes outside every day. Most of our homes are filled with all sorts of things that aren’t great for us – carpet, out-gassing furniture, paint, etc. In fact, multiple studies claim our home interiors hold more pollution than the busiest street corner in Manhattan. If our homes hold this much toxicity, we can only imagine what our offices are like. Get outside, inhale the fresh air, move your body, and connect with nature. Every day.
- Ease up on meat, dairy, and grains and ease into more beans, greens, and sprouts. Winter calls for heavier, heartier foods to keep us warm and protect us from the harsh elements. Spring is the exact opposite. It demands foods that are light, energizing, clearing, and “drying” – in other words, foods that won’t contribute to congestion in the body, which, when combined with spring rains, contribute to spring colds and allergies. Every spring I let go of grains and dairy completely for about six weeks and end up doubling my vegetable intake as a result. Broccoli or alfalfa sprouts become a staple on my grocery list. Basically, I look down into my grocery cart and see a sea of green for a couple of months.
- Consider a gentle liver detox, which sounds way more complicated than it is. Cleansing one’s liver can take shape in many different ways: Simply by adding in lots of leafy green vegetables (like kale, collards, and Swiss chard) and sprouts, you’d be giving your liver a boost. You could also take a break from alcohol for a few weeks or start sipping warm lemon water in the morning. Milk thistle is an herb that loves up the liver – it can be taken in the form of tea or supplements. One of my favorite spring supplements is called Hepatocleanse, which is a blend of milk thistle and other herbs that support liver health. Heck, even something as easy as an Epsom Salt bath helps reduce one’s toxic load. (Interested in doing a formal cleanse? Check out the details of our upcoming cleanse beginning April 30 here.
- Bonus tip for allergy sufferers: I know spring can be brutal for some of you. Load up on antioxidants like grapeseed extract and vitamin C, and for the love of all things sacred, get dairy and sugar out of your diet. You might also want to consider getting a neti pot, which you use to clean your nasal passages out with a saline solution. While running salt water through your nasal passages doesn’t exactly feel awesome, neither do allergies, and it’s a surprisingly effective remedy.
If you’re confused about detoxing, consider joining my friend Suzy and me for our annual Spring Reset Cleanse. Don’t be scared, we’re gentle and loving, and our cleanses are NEVER about perfection or deprivation. They are only about supporting one another to eat clean and take great, intentional care of ourselves for a couple of weeks.
What is the Reset Cleanse?
It’s a 10-day whole foods cleanse designed to jumpstart a healthy spring. The cleanse will run from Sunday, April 30 – Wednesday May 10.
We’ll meet 3 times over the course of 10 days: once for a cooking social and twice for cleanse discussions and gentle exercise sessions like yoga and foam rolling.
It’s not about perfection or about dying of starvation. It’s about eating plenty of “clean” food and getting daily support to make changes you’ve been wanting to make for your health and well-being.
The cost is $229.
Follow this link to read more and register. :)
As spring rains arrive and wash away winter, let’s do our best to make some conscious, subtle shifts to support our health. What will you try? I’d love it if you’d leave a comment below.
Much love,
Claudine
