Fancy Spa Water: Better Than You Think

Water, as you know is one of the fundamental elements of life. Whether you realize it or not, at least 70 percent of the human body is made up of water. In fact, most of your brain is water. When your body gets sick what are you told to do? You are told to drink water.

Let’s fast forward to today. You walk into a fancy spa anywhere and find water. In fact something to hotels even have it. You know those fancy pitchers of water with fruit and cucumbers floating around? Sure you think of it as just another amenity to the spot you’re in, but it’s more than that.

Fresh fruit not only adds hydration, but benefits your health as well. Berries are bursting with antioxidants that fight the free radicals in your body. They also add a great boost in energy if your feeling sluggish. Cucumbers are made up mostly of water, and add them to water not only increases it effectiveness but gives your body that oomph it’s always looking for.

So next time you find a nice pitcher of fancy spa water, don’t pass it up!

For a recipe to make it yourself, check my recipe category!

Why and How to Detox

If you’re a dummy when it comes to naturopathy, it’s important to start at the beginning. If you’re not a dummy when it comes to this subject, it’s still vital to go back to the basics occasionally.

When beginning any lifestyle change, even the most minute change is made more effective after a good detox. To detox, essentially, is to remove built up toxins from the body, either internally or externally. There are a few different ways of doing this, as I will outline below. For now, let’s get to the why.

Over time, the human (and every other living) body accumulates toxins. This can be from food, environment,  chemicals, and stress. Yes, stress is a toxin! Even if you are living naturally, toxins are unavoidable. It’s quite unfortunate, really.

The benefits of detoxing are numerous! The benefit I appreciate the most is energy! With all those yucky toxins gone, your body doesn’t have to worry about breaking them down! Other benefits are: a boost to the immune system, improved skin (think hydration and texture), healthier hair (the hair begins at the root), clearer thinking, feeling lighter, and an overall feeling of well-being. Sounds nice, right?

Now for the good stuff, the different methods of detoxing. If you’re a newbie, I’d start small.

External Detox Methods:
-Bath with Epsom Salts (2 cups). To this, you can add *baking soda to remove chlorine from the water (1/3 cup). *apple cider vinegar to get your body alkaline (1 cup) *ground ginger to raise the sweat factor (2 tablespoons). Use warm water and soak at least 40 minutes (20 to detox and 20 to alkaline). Optional essential oils, I recommend Tea Tree for cleansing, or Lavender for relaxing (5-7 drops). Make sure you drink lots of water!
-If you have access to a sauna, sweating is also a great way to detox. But remember to drink water!

Internal Detox Methods:
-Tea. Many tea brands offer a variety of detox tea bags ready to use! Make sure to read instructions carefully.
-Juice cleanse. I personally haven’t tried this method but there are plenty of testimonials! All you need is a blender and fresh ingredients! The length of this method is up to you, but three days is generally a good median.
-Full body/Colon cleanse. Make sure if it’s your first time doing this method, you choose one that’s designed for first time users or specifically states “gentle”. My advice for choosing the right brand/product is to do lots of research to find what works for you and what you wish to achieve. It’s very imperative to do as the directions say for the full benefits. This method should only be done 2 or 3 times a year.

You can interchange the methods above as you see fit, but the most important thing to remember while doing a detox is to drink, drink, drink! Water, of course. For added benefits adding sliced fruits or cucumber to the water is always a refreshing idea! Hint hint: there will be a post coming up about why fruit/cucumber water is so great! Let me know in the comments if you have a different way to detox, or your results! Testimonials are always welcome here, (me being a southern Baptist and all)!