Self-care is kinda number one around here, so I’m always looking for ways to help inspire you to slow down, connect with your best self & feel pretty damn good while doing it. If you know me, I’m not the queen of clean eats or mindful perfection. That’s why I rely on natural, healthy and holistic detox protocols to bring a little balance to my routine. Let's do this.  1) Dry Brushing Like a massage for your detox organs, dry brushing helps to keep your lymphatic system moving and working effectively to remove cell waste, environmental toxins, and pathogens more efficiently. On skin-level, dry brushing is also a super effective way to exfoliate, boost circulation and encourage cell renewal (hi smooth, glowing skin!) Self-Care Ritual -  Before a bath or shower, brush your body in upward, circular strokes starting from the soles of your feet. Brush in the direction of your heart. Shower, then finish with a rich moisturizer or body oil while your body is still damp. You're practically radiating!   2) Body Scrubs In addition to leaving your skin dewy soft and smelling like a sweet sugary breeze, body scrubs are a dream when it comes to exfoliating and sloughing off dead skin cells.  For added detox benefits, use them in the shower and allow steam help open up the pores, flushing out impurities. Self-Care Ritual -  Begin in the shower, letting skin dampen and soften with warm water for a few minutes to prepare for exfoliation. Pause running water while you apply body scrub in a (gentle!) circular motion. Rinse off with warm water.  Tip: There are plenty of all-natural, cruelty-free and clean body scrubs on the market - look for ones with a sugar, salt or coffee base and a short ingredient list.  I’m pretty partial to Shelby Natural’s exfoliating scrub. It smells amazing (like coffee and coconuts!) and manages to make me feel smooth-as-butta every time.  3) Tea Herbs and hydration, baby! I may be a tad biased, but tea is one of my favourite ways to show my digestive system and little lovin' and self-care. Staying hydrated is number one for detoxification because our bodies need fluid to transport and remove waste through breathing, sweating or pee. While you’re sipping, why not get a little help from power-herbs burdock root, dandelion root and lemongrass to cleanse the blood and liver. Enjoy daily first thing in the morning or after dinner to reap the happy belly benefits. Self-Care Ritual -  In your very largest mug, add 1 tbsp of Gut Love Tea and fill to the brim with boiling water. Steep for at least 5 minutes to extract all of the goodness. While you’re waiting, light a candle, put on your favourite feel-good playlist and give yourself a mental high five because you’re pretty amazing :)    4) Exercise Greaaat, another reason to make time for the gym! Exercise pumps up your body’s detox process by boosting circulation of the blood and lymph, encouraging them to do their thing and remove toxins and other materials.  What’s more, when you break out into a sweat while cycling, you’re releasing toxins through your skin.  Self-Care Ritual -  What exercise makes you feel your best? For me, I dread running but feel pretty satisfied taking a speed walk around the city while listening to a podcast. If I treat it less like a chore and more like a gift to myself, I’m less likely to check my phone every 3.8 min to see how many calories I’ve burnt.    5) Journaling More of a mental detox, but just as important for your well-being. Thoughts that swirl around in your head all day need somewhere to go!  If you’re a perma-worrier like me, journalling can be a really helpful way to get those thoughts and feelings out in a healthy way, or at least make sense of them on paper.  Self-Care Ritual - It doesn’t have to be a novel. Set aside 5-10 minutes before bed to chicken scratch some of your nagging thoughts, dreams, goals... Now put the pen down and drift off with a lighter mind.  Love,  Meredith Founder & Nutritionist