It’s been a long time coming, but it looks like spring is finally here. The first snowdrops have poked their heads out, the crocuses and daffodils are starting to bloom, the buds on the trees have appeared, and the grass is starting to grow!
This year’s spring is especially welcome after such a long, hard, and cold winter, accompanied, as it was, by a constant diet of bad news, recession, cover-ups, and strikes that did nothing to cheer us up. Something positive at last!
This part of the year means it’s time for spring cleaning: decluttering, cleaning out those cupboards, washing, cleaning, recycling what we don’t need, and throwing away anything that is past its sell by date. Spring cleaning may be hard work, but there is no denying that sense of pleasure, contentment, and positivity that we feel when it is all done, and we look back at a sparkling, clean, house.
We can also spring clean our bodies. Many of these suggestions are common sense, and are things I have recommended before. But how many times do we choose to forget or find any excuse not to go there? If some of these spring cleaning suggestions were used more regularly, then our bodies would thank us and reward us with better energy, more mobility, and greater positivity. So try the following and feel the benefits in your life:
Drink at least eight glasses of water: we need water to flush out toxins and dead cells from our bodies. If toxins build up, we may feel tired and sluggish. Acidic tissue is one of the basic causes of disease, especially arthritic and rheumatic conditions. Water helps our bodies to neutralise the acid and flush out the toxic build up of dead cells. We produce dead cells as we build up new tissue. If the dead cells exceed the healthy new tissue, then “dis-ease” can occur. So drink more water and feel the benefits of more energy and greater vitality.
Eat a healthy diet: our bodies are like the soil of the earth. If a farmer keeps growing the same vegetables in the same patch year in year out, the crop’s nutritional value will eventually fall. Our bodies are no different: they function much better when we rotate our foods. We have lost touch with foods in season, we eat processed foods with no vitality ... and then we wonder why we have no energy! Remember, food IS energy!
Balance your diet: Ideally we need to eat a diet which contains 80 per cent alkaline and 20 per cent acidic foods. Broadly speaking, alkaline foods are most vegetables and fruits, while acidic foods are meats, fish, grains, cheese, chocolate, eggs, coffee, tea, alcohol, and sugars. The most common allergies are to dairy and wheat, which are often over-consumed on a daily basis. If they were eaten more sparingly and rotated with other dairy products like goats/oat milk, or grains like spelt, rye, and oats, then our bodies would benefit. When intolerances build up, malabsorption may occur, leading to skin disorders, digestive problems, lack of energy, and so on.
Watch the sugar: sugar is like a drug and can be highly addictive. If you eat too much sugar, it can lead to weight problems, rotten teeth, acid build up, or blood sugar imbalances which can create diabetes. If you cannot cut it out, at least cut it down (one spoonful not two in your tea! ).
So eat natural, pure, whole, and fresh foods as much as possible. “Eat to live, not live to eat” as the saying goes, and most especially enjoy your food. These are all common sense, practical, steps we can each take to spring clean our bodies. Next week I’ll write about spring cleaning our minds: decluttering them, ditching things that no longer serve us, and regaining that spring feeling of positivity.
