Are you someone who has an innate drive to spring cleanse?

You may have found that the last few weeks you are craving lighter foods, clearing out your cupboards or even wanting to move in a different way. When you think about it, Spring is the perfect time to cleanse as it is nature’s new year – the trees are back in bloom, the sun is shining, we are in a period of transition not only seasonally but globally at the moment. It’s an opportunity to re-energise your routine and mindset, and assess what in your life is working – and what isn’t. It can help you let go of any habits or beliefs that are no longer serving you to make space for what is new and fresh.

The goal of spring cleaning/cleansing is to take your foot off the pedal and nourish your detox organs to allow them to reset and heal. Your main detoxification organs are the liver, kidney, bowels, skin and lungs.

So today I am going to go through my top tips for spring cleansing. These tips much like the Chiropractic principles are all about bringing the body back to baseline naturally through food, movement and mindset.

Cleansing can occur on whatever level that you want it to, you can go as superficial or deep as you like. So with that in mind let’s break down some simple tips that you can begin today to spring clean mind, body and soul.

  • Start from the outside in

    The only time as a Chiropractor I will talk about starting on the outside is when it comes to spring cleaning. Cleaning up your environment which for most of us revolves around our houses at the moment has been shown to improve immunity, reduce stress and anxiety by up to 20%, impact sleep quality, drive you to make healthier exercise and food choices. My FAVE cleaning routine is as most of you may have seen or read is that of Marie Kondo –  does it spark joy? How incredible does it feel after clearing out all the crap from your cupboards when you are left only surrounded by things that spark joy? When spring cleaning your household it may also be worth stopping and pondering what you are cleaning with – some of the cleaning products we use day to day may be full of chemicals and when used release volatile organic compounds which can overload our already stressed nervous systems and may have an impact on our reproductive hormones, allergies and even contribute to chronic respiratory problems.

    Here is a quick and easy recipe for at home DIY cleaner:

    What you’ll need:

    • 1 spray bottle
    • 3 parts distilled water
    • 1 part vinegar
    • 1 tbsp bicarbonate soda
    • 15-20 drops of essential oils (my fave are tea tree, lemon and grapefruit for their smell and also their antibacterial properties)

    How you make it:

    1. Put bicarbonate with vinegar waiting for the foaming to stop
    2. Add in water
    3. Add in essential oils

  • Sleep 

    Spring cleaning sleep is the next step. Getting good quality sleep is going to impact your mood, activity and food choices the next day. Spring cleaning sleep starts with timing – 10-2 are important hours for your brain to cleanse. This is a topic that we could talk about for hours so we are holding a free sleep workshop next Tuesday for anyone that is interested.

    Do you find that you wake between 1-3? This may indicate that your liver needs cleansing which takes us into our next pillar…

  • Food

    When we move from winter to spring we are coming out of “hibernation” to assist our body in detoxifying the natural toxins that build over winter. In winter we feel stagnant like we are holding onto things – in spring we want to start to move and detoxify. It is important to remember that during a cleanse we are nourishing our detox organs. Most of the food cleansing tips focuses around taking pressure off the liver and kidneys to create a space for healing as it is our liver that is our filtration system.

    • Eat a predominantly plant based diet for the length of your cleanse 7-28 days whatever suits you. If this is not something that resonates with you then I make sure you are getting good quality protein sources from a local butcher or fishmonger – this means organic, free range and hormone free. And steering clear of processed, fried, pre-packaged meats/meals.
    • Eat lots of bitter greens – endives, radicchio, bitter melon, radish, dandelion greens. Try this delicious  blood orange, rocket, spring onion, feta and pomegranate salad from Paul Coonan, The Urban Canteen:
    1. Zest the blood orange and put to the side
    2. Segment blood orange, prepare pomegranates, chop spring onions, crumble feta.
    3. Add radiccio, endives and rocket to supercharge the cleansing greens
    4. Add into bowl and mix together with a little olive oil and balsamic.
    5. Enjoy!