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Simple, Immune Boosting & Skin Nourishing Detox Tip

Rommy Kirby — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 15:05:58 +0000

You know how when the weather changes, and your skin gets drab, ashy and flaky?

Do you know why that happens?

General wisdom says it’s because that air forced through the vents is dry. Dry air moving across the skin dries it in the same way that air moving across a lake causes evaporation.

Makes sense, right? It did to me until I started studying alternative health care like Ayurveda and nutrition. The explanation is true, at least partially.

There is a more colorful story than that…

According to Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga, our bodies move in concert with nature. Like it or not, our bodies experience weather changes, changes with the moon and sun cycles and changes of the seasons.

Take a moment, think about how stiff you felt last time there was a dramatic change in temperature or the restless energy you had on that sleepless full moon night.

That was your body responding to the cycles and shifts of nature. Your body is it’s own ecosystem within the greater ecosystem of nature.

To get a better idea of what is happening, let’s take a basic look at what nature does as she swings, shifts and slides from season to season. (science geek warning – this is a major over simplification!)

As summer becomes autumn, nature begins to let go of her green. The leaves dry and fall away.

Autumn’s wind blows the leaves until they blanket the ground spreading future nourishment.

Winter’s cold, damp days break down the leaves creating new soil.

Spring pulls the nutrients up to create buds, flowers, and seeds.

Spring blossoms float away to reveal summer’s supple bounty of fruits and vegetables.

Start to think of your body as an ecosystem with rhythms that flow in harmony with nature.

Think of it this way, if the atmosphere is the biggest organ of nature, then your skin is the largest organ of your personal ecosystem.

The big difference is that we tend to protect ourselves, our skin, from the elements of blowing wind, bitter cold and intense heat. The trick, then, is for us to stay in harmony with the cycles of nature so we can enjoy optimal health or even regain lost health.

The flaky, dry, and ashy skin needs to be sloughed off. The longer we experience life, the less we our skin naturally releases the dried dead skin cells.

This one, simple, and ancient tip will help your skin look more radiant, luscious. It will boost your immunity and cellular turnover, perhaps even help get rid of cellulite.

Dry (Skin) Brushing

Skin brush for supple healthy skin.

Your lymph system lives under the surface of your skin. It is responsible for cleaning the body of toxins and transporting white blood cells. You have more lymph fluid in your body than blood, but it doesn’t have a pump.

Because your lymph channels are thinner than a hair, to manipulate your lymph system, use a gentle touch and a soft brush.

Though it may sound weird, skin brushing is an ancient technique, used in many cultures for hygiene and optimal health.

Here’s how…

First, get a skin brush. I use the brushes in the picture. I took the handles off the softest back brushes I could find. You don’t need two brushes, I just like having one in each hand, one brush is all you need.

Remember that your lymph channels are very thin, use a light, soft touch.
Using a dry brush on dry skin, start at the top of your body, the neck.
Brush the palms of your hands, the inside and outside of your arms.
Be sure to brush your arm pits as well, (lots of luscious lymph nodes there).
You can gently brush your breasts in circular direction, but be sure to avoid the nipples.
Always brush towards your heart. Brush every bit of skin you can reach, remembering to move towards the heart.
When you get below the heart, move the brush in an upwards direction.
On your belly, move in a clockwise direction.
Spend a little extra time on those areas that look stagnate or have a bit more cellulite.
Then take a wonderful shower or detox bath.
Drink lots of water!

How often and when to Dry Brush?

At the minimum, with every change of season.

At the beginning, middle, and end of every cleanse or detox.

If you want to boost your immunity, at least once a month. Choose to do it around the moon cycles, like every full or new moon.

If you want more radiant, supple skin, once a week.

Benefits my clients see…

Increased immunity. (oo-la-la! healthy is the new sexy!)
Decreased appearance of cellulite. (who doesn’t want that)
Increase appreciation for your body beautiful, your soul house. (what you appreciate, appreciates)
Decreased stress. (you can be radically radiant)
Supple younger looking skin. (without toxic chemical creams)

My personal tip…

I learned from Nadine Artemis, holistic natural skin guru, to put a drop of essential oil in the palm of my hand and run the brush through it before starting.

This takes the dry skin brushing in the realms of an artful self care ritual.

I like to use, Lavender and Frankincense primarily, but will sometimes use Sandalwood, Bergomot or Ylang Ylang depending on my mood.

Tell me…

What is your favorite skin care ritual?

The post Simple, Immune Boosting & Skin Nourishing Detox Tip first appeared on Manage Stress | Increase Energy |Simple Solutions | Rommy Kirby, Holistic Health Coach, Yoga Personal Trainer, Essential Oil Educator.

The Smart Person’s Guide to Water – Stop The Every 20 Minute Pee Break Cycle

Rommy Kirby — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 14:43:44 +0000

Stop the “Every 20 Minute Pee Breaks”

courtesy of signicturesdotnet

You know irritating it is…

…you get ready to leave your house and you think ‘oops, what if traffic is bad’. So you stop, turn around and head to the toilet just to be sure.

…or how about when you’re on that deadline, and , you’ve been sipping water all day to keep you brain functioning at optimal…but…grrr…have to pee AGAIN!

…you’ve been on hold for 30 minutes and finally reached a real, live person…and bummer, you have to ring off to use the loo

…and most irritating…you’re just about to drop into the land of nod and, suddenly…‘no, surely not, no, I’ll make it through the night, oh yeah, I better get up and go pee’…you throw the covers back, leave your comfy spot and stumble to the toilet with half closed eyes hoping you will be able to fall back to sleep.

It happens to all of us. Especially, when we are focused on health, cleansing, weight release, optimal brain function or anti-aging.

All the experts tell us, drink water. Drink half your weight in ounces as a maintenance level. It’s so easy to give up on ever being well hydrated because all those pee breaks seem to eat away time.

Try this trick for staying optimally hydrated for optimal brain function, high productivity and H2-Obviously Better Skin.

Chunk It

Just like you chunk together errands and tasks, drink your water in chunks throughout the day.

Sipping water all day will make you need to pee every 20 – 30 minutes. Your hard working kidneys will feel like they are running a marathon every single day because they don’t get a chance to recover.

Instead, drink your room temp or warmer water in 16-24 ounce chunks 3-4 times a day.

Drink 16-24 ounces of water in 3 – 10 minutes for optimal results.

Benefits

kidneys will begin to flush out sediment
digestion will be stronger
increased productivity because of fewer pee breaks
better brain function because its easier to stay hydrated
boosts immunity
decreases inflammation
speeds recovery and healing

Optimal times to drink

Upon rising ~ Drink 24 ounces of water within 10 minutes of waking because your body is dehydrated when you wake up.
1 hour before meals ~ This will help to stimulate peristalsis in the digestive system without diluting precious digestive juices.
2 hours before bed ~ No one wants to wake up to pee. Take control and plan to avoid it and you will be able to process water through by bedtime.
1 hour before workout ~ Do this and you may not have to carry water or stop for that water break…unless you are over exercising…in that case, consider working with your body instead of against it.

BONUS Daily Detox Tip
Add a drop of lemon essential oil for added detox support. If you’re using essential oils, be sure that you have the best quality. Send me an email and I’ll tell you the oils I trust.

Tell Me Beautiful…

How much water to you drink a day? What is your best hydration tip?

The post The Smart Person’s Guide to Water – Stop The Every 20 Minute Pee Break Cycle first appeared on Manage Stress | Increase Energy |Simple Solutions | Rommy Kirby, Holistic Health Coach, Yoga Personal Trainer, Essential Oil Educator.

Delicious Dijon Corn Salad

Rommy Kirby — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 15:41:34 +0000

Dijon Corn Salad

Because of garden bounty, summer is a really great time to clean up our diets, but let’s face it…summer is also a time we want quick, easy and scrumptious food.

Did you know that you can have both?

You can easily impress your family and friends…and sneak in something really healthy.

Dijon Corn Salad

Ingredients

2 Cups Baby Arugula, Spinach or other tender leafy green of your choice
2 Cups Raw or Cooked Corn (I have done it both ways and prefer cooked)
1/2 Cup Organic Cherry or Grape Tomatoes (go ahead and dice your Heirloom Tomatoes if that is what you have)
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1 Teaspoon Local Honey
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Cut corn from the cob.
Cut cherry tomatoes in half.
Place corn and tomatoes in large mixing bowl.
Combine mustard, honey, and lemon juice in medium mixing bowl.
Pour over corn and tomatoes and gently fold until dressing is evenly distributed.
Place arugula in large bowl.
Layer corn and tomatoes on top.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe notes…

Serves 2 as a main dish and serves many as a side dish and is best served room temperature. It can also be easily doubled.

I’ve shared this delightful dish at 1 cook out, 1 dinner party and 1 party I hosted myself in the last month. Each time, there were no left overs and no one, not one single person thought they were eating ‘healthy’ food.

I use local, organic corn from my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). I don’t always have local, organic cherry tomatoes, but I can pick up organic at the grocery and I get the triple washed, organic baby arugula to make things even easier.

You will find this recipe in the transition phase of my Summer Detox. Being healthy isn’t about deprivation…it is more about decadence and giving your body delicious and nourishing foods!

The post Delicious Dijon Corn Salad first appeared on Manage Stress | Increase Energy |Simple Solutions | Rommy Kirby, Holistic Health Coach, Yoga Personal Trainer, Essential Oil Educator.