Healing Lifestyles & Spas

The Ultimate 3-day Detox

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By on Healing Blog

by Debra Bokur

Ready for a Fresh Start? Set aside a long weekend to rejuvenate your body, mind, and spirit.

Within the course of a single day, we’re exposed to countless toxins that can take a toll on our health and well-being. Unfortunately, not all toxins are easy to detect: they’re hiding in the skin of that shiny, non-organic apple you snacked on, in the flower-scented soap and shampoo you might have showered with this morning, and in the plastic container you used to pack your salad in for lunch. Add to that all the chemicals in the cleaning products and fabrics, plus the dyes and perfumes we come into contact with on a regular basis, and it’s easy to see why detoxification programs have become such an important component of spa offerings. While the intensity and duration of these programs vary considerably, you can take a gentle, at-home approach.

“If you’ve been tempted to detox, but were afraid it might involve extreme water or juice fasting, take heart,” says Deborah L. Cole, RD, nutritionist at The Greenhouse Spa in Arlington, Texas. “By eliminating processed foods, artificial sweeteners, food additives, and hydrogenated fats, and replacing them with organic whole foods found in nature, you can reap numerous rewards and rid your body of metabolic and hormone disrupting toxins that rob you of your most precious asset – your health.”

The staff at The Greenhouse – including Cole, fitness manager and yoga specialist Angel Perez, and massage department manager Shelli Davis-Redford, LMT – have helped us put together an effective and easy-to-follow three-day alternative you can carry out in the comfort of your own home. We’ve also included spa advice from Sharron Hopley, spa director at Maroma Resort & Spa in Mexico.

Day One

MORNING

Wake-Up Lemon Water: Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into an 8-ounce cup of very warm water. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to stimulate digestion, and sip slowly.

Morning Ritual: Mirror Practice. Stand in front of a large mirror and observe yourself, without judgment. Smile as you regard your reflection. Afterward, write down whatever thoughts come up as you regard your reflection. “When people look at themselves in the mirror,” says Perez, “they may see negative things they don’t like about themselves, especially if they are overweight, or have other body issues. Allow the person in the mirror to simply be someone who is smiling back at you, and you will begin to see yourself as others see you.”

Breakfast: Have 2 eggs (1 whole egg plus 1 egg white, scrambled or in an omelet), with 1/2 cup chopped vegetables such as spinach, mushrooms, and peppers. You can prepare eggs in 1 teaspoon of extra virgin coconut oil (optional). Sip a cup of dandelion tea in place of coffee or other caffeinated drinks.

Movement Practice: Walking Meditation. Go for a 30 – 60 minute walk outdoors, paying attention as you move along your path to the sounds, colors, scents, and sensations you experience. Allow your arms to swing softly at your sides, and feel yourself connect with the earth beneath your feet with each deliberate step you take.

Snack: 1 serving of a low glycemic fruit, such as 10 large cherries, 6 large strawberries; 1 small peach, nectarine, apple or orange; or 1/2 a grapefruit.

NOON

Lunch: 4 ounces of a lean protein, such as fish, beef or poultry. Poach, broil, grill or lightly sauté. Have a large green salad, choosing rainbow-hued ingredients such as spinach, romaine lettuce, red cabbage, peppers, and shredded carrots. If you need dressing, use one tablespoon of flax seed oil or a drizzle of apple cider vinegar. Or, mix 1 teaspoon of olive oil with 2 teaspoons of flaxseed oil.

Snack: 8 – 10 ounces of Detox Vegetable Soup (see recipe in sidebar).

EVENING

Pre-Dinner: 1 cup of Lenita’s Greenhouse Detox Tea (see recipe in sidebar).

Dinner: 4 ounces of turkey breast, baked, roasted or grilled. Serve with 1 cup spinach, sautéed with minced garlic and onion, and one-quarter to one-half baked acorn squash, sprinkled with lots of cinnamon. Drizzle squash with 2 teaspoons of flax oil.

Evening Spa Ritual: Shower Exfoliation. “On this first day,” recommends Hopley, “do a full-body scrub-exfoliation in the shower.” Use an all-natural product containing sea salts and honey to slough off dead skin and moisturize.

Day One Tip:

Before you begin a detox regimen, spend some time preparing your living and working spaces by removing toxic materials, fabrics, chemical products and non-organic foods from your environment.

Day Two

MORNING

Wake-Up Lemon Water

Morning Ritual: Written Release. Harboring negative emotions, including anger, jealousy and bitterness, can create a toxic inner environment and sap energy, lower immunity, and lead to illness. Total detoxification includes getting rid of negative thoughts and emotions. Find a quiet place to sit, and contemplate the negative thoughts that recur in your daily life – old resentments, anger, jealousy, or injustices. One by one, write them down on a piece of paper, accompanied by a conscious intention to release them. Light a candle, voicing your intention. Once you’ve finished, place the list into the candle’s flame, allowing any negative thoughts to disappear with the paper as it turns to ash and floats away.

Breakfast: Blueberry smoothie. Place 1 cup of fresh or frozen berries, 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 teaspoon flax oil, and 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed into a blender. Add a few drops of Stevia or other sweetener, and cinnamon to taste. Blend till smooth, adding purified water to create the consistency you like.

Movement Practice: Full Body Breathing. Lay on the floor, or on the ground outdoors if you prefer. Connect with your breath by breathing from your toes to your head, allowing your breath to travel in ripples like a wave, moving up and down your body. Spend 5 minutes doing this while centering and focusing on the present. “Full body breathing engages the diaphragm, massaging the heart and organs,” explains Perez. “On the inhale, breath flows from root to crown; on the exhale, open your mouth and bellow the air out, all the way from the back and base of the spine. Throughout the day, check in on your breathing, pausing to reconnect, and allowing yourself to be totally present.”

Snack: Raw veggie plate of 1/2 cup of each of the following: jicama, carrot, celery, and cucumber slices. Drizzle with juice from half a lime, and sprinkle with a little cayenne pepper.

NOON

Lunch: Egg salad on 1 slice of gluten-free bread (toasted if desired). To prepare salad: Mix 2 hardboiled eggs, chopped, with 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon flax oil, and 1 tablespoon each of chopped onion and celery. Spice as desired with dried or fresh parsley, pinch of cayenne, or just a small pinch of fresh minced garlic to taste. Serve with a large mixed green salad with a variety of greens, and dressing if desired (see Day One).

Snack: A cup of hot dandelion tea; and 1 pear, sliced and sprinkled with cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of slivered almonds.

EVENING

Pre-Dinner: 1 cup of Lenita’s Greenhouse Detox Tea.

Dinner: Cabbage Soup and Mixed Salad. Begin with 1 to 11/2 cups cabbage soup (recipe yields 6 servings). Sauté 1/2 cup chopped onions in 1/2 teaspoon olive oil till tender. Place in pot and add 1/2 to 1 cup shredded cabbage, 1/2 cup shredded carrots, 11/2 cups low sodium chicken broth, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon of ground white pepper (optional). Simmer till cabbage is tender, about 16 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon fresh parsley just before serving. Following soup, have 4 ounces of fish, such as wild sea bass, Mahi Mahi, snapper, salmon, or wild-caught canned tuna (sautéed, broiled or baked.) Serve with 1/2 cup sautéed yellow and red peppers, and 1 cup steamed asparagus spears.

Evening Spa Ritual: Dry Brushing. Using a medium-soft bristled bath brush, brush your body in long strokes, beginning with your feet. Brush vigorously upward on your legs, including the backs of your thighs and buttocks. Proceed to your hands and arms, always brushing in the direction of your heart. Brush your lower back, then shoulders. Use circular, counter-clockwise strokes on abdomen. Lightly brush your breasts and neck, brushing down from the neck. Incorporate this practice into your daily skincare routine, dry brushing before your bath or shower to exfoliate skin, stimulate lymph glands, and remove surface impurities.

Day Two Tip:

“With breakfast each day, take a multivitamin-mineral supplement. Good choices include either a 1,000 mg capsule of borage oil, or two 90-mg (or roughly 200 mg) of blackcurrant seed oil. After dinner, take 1,000 mg of omega-3 fish oil, preferably an organic brand,” says Cole.

Healing Lifestyles & Spas Team
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