My six “HECK YEA” detox steps

It has been four tough months.

Α new job, new colleagues, new apartment.

And off course my life came upside down.
Some brief background about me.
I was never the kind of person that wakes up in the morning before leaving for work and makes a spinach smoothie…
I totally admire those folks who do that (youtube is a paradise for all those morning-smoothie lovers out there) but in order my eyes to be opened, I just need my black coffee.
Because if I don’t get my shot, my dog walks me instead of me walking her…And she weighs only 9 kilos…So you get my point…
Despite that coffee “weakness” of mine, I am following a healthy plant based diet with plenty organic fruits and veggies. And as a normal human being I also have another “weakness”…her name is “chocolate”
(YES…I am a chocoholic… oh yes I am ?….).

I deeply admire people who have completely banished sugar from their diet

But unfortunately I am not one of them.
And off course I am obsessed with green beauty products (whatever we put ON our skin goes IN our bloodstream), I am IN LOVE with all Living Libations products (from head to toe!!!) and all other products that come in my house- like cleaning products- are non toxic and cruelty free.
I also exercise daily while walking my dog, working in my garden or biking. So I can say that I live an OK healthy lifestyle. I should also point that my lunch bag always has a fruit inside and healthy snacks….

At least that was the case till the day I met her…

Problem number one
Maria+ her delicious chocolate goodies

Her name is Maria and she is one of my new colleagues. A happy woman with three kids who loves cooking for them (that is not my problem).
She also loves sharing what she cooks with her colleagues (which automatically became my problem). Maria brings brownies, chocolate cup-cakes and choco-chips cookies in our office….you smell her arrival right from the moment she steps her foot in the building…and when she opens that box with all her delicious goodies, you just say “bye-bye” to your banana and baby-spinach with quinoa lunch and you just dive in this pleasure..
And when you kindly say “no…I am on a diet” her sweet round-face gets so disappointed that in a way forces you to try this dreamy cupcake…
(Problem number one: Maria+ her delicious chocolate goodies).

Problem number two
Elena+ irresistible Italian foods

My best friend is Italian.
And as a proud Italian woman she loves cooking all these amazing Italian foods (that is not my problem). 
When Elena broke up with her partner who was lucky enough to enjoy all her amazing meals, that became my problem.
If you are not crying together with your heart-broken Italian friend over a home-made mozzarella pizza or a delicious cannoli you are not a real friend.
(Problem number two: Elena+ irresistible Italian foods).

Problem number three
bad-influence “philosopher” colleague + margaritas

In my job we have happy hours.
Which means plenty of margaritas in a cozy bar with colleagues.
I know that alcohol gives toxins to your body…who doesn’t…So you stick to one margarita.
But when you don’t drive a car and your new colleague who has a PhD in Philosophy (philosophers ALWAYS know better) encourages you to drink a second shot telling you “Come one…enjoy your life…we won’t be on this planet forever” you just have to obey…
Come on…This guy has a PhD in Cynic Philosophers after all.. you just cannot dispute his call…
(Problem number three: bad-influence “philosopher” colleague + margaritas).

Well…after four months dealing with all the above + unbalanced diet + high stress levels + lack of exercise (I was running like crazy the whole day!!) + new projects in both job and new apartment, MY BODY COLLAPSED…the result??

DISASTER….Bloating and digestion problems (+bad breath), skin issues (breakouts), more weight and more cellulite (in my case they always go together)…puffiness around the eye area…All signs of a body full of toxins…

So it was time all these to come to an end and allow myself to flourish again.
I came back to my old healthy diet habits.
However, I needed some more detox steps…
I will share with you my 6 “HECK YEA” detox steps as I love calling them that helped my body finding its’ biorhythm again…
So…here we go:

HECK YEA DETOX STEP NUMBER 1
Probiotics

Probiotics support our immune system and help us with healthy digestion which leads to beautiful skin and clean body.
I have tried many probiotics through the years but my favorite is the “Probiotic Power” from Dutch Health Store.
This stuff is a powerful concentrate of friendly bacteria that help your gut. I love it and cannot stay without it. It helped my body, my energy levels and my skin so much.
And the most important is that that amazing supplement helped me lose some weight.

“75% of your immune system actually lives in your gut” well…that says a lot about the importance of probiotics for good health and general well-being.
“Probiotics may also help with weight loss… In one study, dieting women who took Lactobacillus rhamnosus for 3 months lost 50% more weight than women who didn’t take a probiotic” (from Dutch Health Store page).

HECK YEA DETOX STEP NUMBER 2
Regular dry brushing

Running all day with job and moving responsibilities I was not dry brushing daily as I used to do.
Regular brushing is very effective to cleanse your whole body and plays a significant role to reduce cellulite. Especially morning body brushing awakens the body and makes you feel full of energy.
My favorite dry brushing brush is the Body and Breast Brush from Living Libations.
I have tried various brushes (different shapes, textures and materials) but most of them were either big in size (thus uncomfortable to carry them with while travelling) or they had bristles that were painful on skin.
While most body brushes are made with course, rough bristles, the Body and Breast Brush is powerful yet gentle enough for my skin.
When dry brushing is combined with an essential oil, the whole process jumps to a higher level. I was in the hunt for a strong and effective essential oil for body detoxification.
And the idea to try the cypress essential oil from Living Libations (OFF COURSE…the purest essential oils out there!!!!!) came to me while hiking in the mountains.
Greek tradition is strongly connected to this majestic tree. It is connected to death (I had no idea why till I read the Living Libations description of the oil) and we also use an expression for someone who dies that can be translated to English like : “he will see the cypress trees upside down” (referring to the dead person..yep…those crazy Greeks….?).
Cypress oil is healing and used to bring comfort in times of sorrow for thousands of years. It also helps with depression and stress levels.

“Cypress heals the body and mind, protects the spirit, and guards against the demons of grief.
The Ancient Egyptians used the wood of the Cypress tree to construct caskets, while the Tibetans added cypress to their incense to purify their internal and external environments.
Today, cypress is planted in cemeteries and graveyards in order to bring peace to the living and the dead” (from Living Libations site). So this is an oil that contains ENORMOUS medicinal and healing properties.

However, my main concern was body detoxification.
And I read that this oil is excellent for keeping things moving in the lymphatic system while strengthens a weak pancreas. It also improves circulation and reduces the appearance of cellulite.
Helps to detox your body while being excellent for varicose veins which I also have on both of my legs. After one month of regular dry brushing with this powerful oil (I also mix it with cold-pressed organic almond oil or jojoba oil for skin hydration after showering) I have noticed a big difference in my skin’s appearance.
Firmer skin and reduced veins (for the veins you can apply the essential oil neat in small amounts over veins or you can dilute it with some basic oil).

HECK YEA DETOX STEP NUMBER 3
Detox your body via the mouth

In the morning I use the oil pulling method (with coconut oil) to remove toxins from my body.
However, I have to be completely honest here and admit that this full coconut-buttery taste in my mouth so early in the morning is not my cup of tea…plus all the mess around it…(where to spit the coconut because it clogs the house’s pipes!!!! ).
So, when I used the Mint + Myrrh Oil Swishing Serum from Living Libations I knew that problem was solved. Powerful botanicals including frankincense, myrrh, oregano, thyme, tea tree, and healing CoQ10, draw toxins from the mouth, refresh the oral cavity, and help with various oral conditions.

Twice per day (morning-night) I am also using the new LL Wintergreen Clean – Activated Charcoal Toothpaste that helped me much through this detoxification process.
This charcoal toothpaste acts like a magnet for plaque, stains and oral toxins.
Activated charcoal, coconut oil, baking soda, rose petals, rosemary, spearmint and wintergreen essential oil, all combined create this amazing paste. In order to remove more harmful bacteria from my tongue- which by the way happens to be one of the most neglected organs in the human body- I also use the LL Copper Tongue Scrapping.
Tongue scraping is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that helps with bad breath, cavities, improves internal organ function and hepls digestion. The benefits of tongue scraping are endless, and include significant improvements to oral and overall health.

“The tongue is the mirror to all the organs of the body.”
~ Deepak Chopra

Detoxify your mouth and tongue means detoxify your whole body.

HECK YEA DETOX STEP NUMBER 4
The power of salt…

Salt cleanses and balances energy. Epsom salt can be an important part of improving overall health and detoxifying your body.
I love soaking my feet in warm water with some Epsom salts and I enjoy its renowned therapeutic and healing properties, inside and out. Epsom foot soaks improve circulation and detoxify the body.
Another MAGICAL product is the Jentschura MeineBase bath salts. AlkaBath salts with a pH value of pH 8.0 – 8.5 and ingredients such as Natural Minerals, Agate, Carneol, Citrine, Chrysoprase, Chalcedony, Sapphire, Rock Crystal, Onyx (how cool is that???) make this product PHENOMENAL for body care.

HECK YEA DETOX STEP NUMBER 5
Face massage

I feel blessed because studying some years ago in an international and multi-cultural environment such as the Netherlands, gave me the chance to meet beautiful women from around the world and learning their beauty routines.
One of these was the Gua Sha face massage, an ancient Chinese technique that involves massaging your skin with a massage tool like the Gua Sha stone that I regularly use.
Facial massages with stones or rollers improve circulation, increase blood flow and detoxify your face. Especially when you feel stressed massaging your face helps so much.
Your face will get rid of toxins, the facial lymph will keep going and you will look well rested. My Gua Sha stone is made of jade (however be aware that the cheap stones or rollers that you can find on the market or on ebay are not made from real stones…just common marble or even plastic).
So I was more than happy when Living Libations launched a beautiful healing roller made of REAL rose quartz the Rose Quartz Roller.
This gorgeous gemstone massage tool encourages elasticity, supports lymph drainage, flushes out toxins and helps much with the puffiness around eyes.
Try this and you won’t regret it.

HECK YEA DETOX STEP NUMBER 6
No regrets

We are all human beings. And we cannot be perfect. There will be times where life, family, job demands and responsibilities will keep you away from your healthy diet, regular exercise and healthy habits.
There will be mornings that you will substitute your green smoothie with an unhealthy double cappuccino because you have a train to catch, a child that is late for school or because you slept late last night and you are late for work..there will be times that you will be watching a great movie with your dog or cat in the sofa eating potato instead of kale chips…
Times that you will crave chocolate while having your PMS..or just because you simply crave it..
You will go out with friends or lovers/husbands and you will grab some pizza and beer rather than some fruit salad and matcha tea.
There will be times that you cannot drink much water because you are driving for hours in the crazy city and you don’t have the luxury to use clean toilets.
Well…You don’t have to walk the “walk of shame” of Game of thrones for your “sins” ?…Because THIS IS LIFE…. The most important detox step is enjoying life without counting calories or accusing yourself for ordering two balls of chocolate ice cream instead of one.
Laugh with your heart, have fun, love, share and try to live a healthy life doing the best you can every day.
Even baby steps are better than no steps at all. Because sometimes while in the hunt for the perfect lifestyle, we actually forget how to live.
Enjoy every single moment of your precious existence. Because after all happiness and inner peace have the most healing powers of all…;)

Love,

〰Eva