Spring is in the air and it has me all sorts of giddy, walking around the neighborhood stopping at every pretty flower I see starting to bloom! Yes, my phone camera roll is filled with endless photos of blooms and that makes me happy!

Today, I am jumping into March’s theme of Spring Cleaning, and I am not just talking cleaning out your closets here—we are going to go deep into toxins, hormones, stress and of course a little pantry re-refresher!

Flowers aren’t the only things that deserve to bloom this Spring season—you do too!  The changing of the seasons is always the perfect time to do a little spring cleaning in your own life and focus on “cleaning up” your heart, mind and body!

So, come cozy up and let’s bloom together into this new season!!

Be sure you are on my newsletter list as I will be sending my “15 Ways to Detox & Spring Clean Your Health, Home and Heart.” This FREE newsletter download will go a bit deeper into things like liver and hormone detox, all very important aspects of your daily health!

7 Ways to Spring Clean Your Health, Home and Heart

Stop & Smell the Roses

Fitting for this time of year, but truly take the time to “stop & smell the roses!”  In this busy, constant hustle world we live in, taking the time to slow down, to say NO, to reprioritize and to stop and enjoy the little things is one of the best things you can do for your health.  Stress is your number one enemy and no matter how healthy you eat, if you don’t eliminate the stress, your health and contentment in life will never quite peak.

Take the time to go for a long walk and leave your phone at home.  Just enjoy the sounds, sights and colors around you.  You might find moments of clarity, peace and inspiration by just getting outside away from the “noise” of life.  Take the time to make dinner and sit and rest at the table.  Open a bottle of wine or make an after dinner pot of tea to truly rest.  Take the time to turn off the TV and open up a book.  Turning the pages of an actual book is quite therapeutic.

When you start taking the time to “stop and smell the roses” you might learn something about yourself and your health.  The more in-tune you are with your own body, the easier it will be to discover what makes you feel good and what makes you feel not so good, and ultimately your body will begin to heal.

Switch to Safe Deodorant

One of the best ways to do some “spring cleaning” both inside and out is ditching the conventional deodorant, especially the antiperspirant.  Toxins leave your body in the form of sweat, so making sure that you have a clear pathway for this form of detox is very important.  Yes, both ladies and men should listen up to this one, but for women especially it is very important as your arm pits are full of lymph nodes and very important to keep clear, especially because of breast tissue.

Something to note: when we first switch from conventional to natural deodorant, we may smell for a few days.  This is GOOD, yes good! This means your body is releasing toxins, cleansing and going back to the way it should truly function.  Once your body normalizes, only 2-3 days, you may actually find that you sweat less! Truth be told, often toxins in your body make your sweat actually smell worse, so over time natural deodorant is good on so many levels!

My tried and true favorite and even husband approved, because it ACTUALLY works is Primally Pure’s Deodorant!

*I personally use sensitive in lavender.

Soak Up the Sunshine

Sunshine truly is one of the best (and free) vitamins!  Your body needs sunlight to produce Vitamin D, the natural, non-synthetic kind that doesn’t come in a pill.  Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption, keeping our bones healthy and warding off things like osteoporosis and even type 2 diabetes.

Plus sunlight makes you happy! Honestly, that is a fact.  So instead of reaching for that afternoon cup of coffee to get you through the day.  Take 10 minutes to go for a walk or even sit outside and respond to emails if you must.

Remember, if you are eating a diet high in healthy fats, the sun in small amounts will actually do you a lot of good!  The sun in the spring time is going to be less intense than in the summer months, so start slowly pealing off the layers and letting your skin get some sun!

If you are going to be outside for longer than about 20-25 minutes, I recommend applying a bit of this SAFE sunscreen face stick under your eyes and on your nose as well as this SAFE liquid sunscreen on your shoulders and neck.

Clean Out Your Insides

Besides decreasing inflammatory foods like gluten, refined dairy and refined sugars it is very important to feed the good bacteria in your gut!

My favorite probiotics sources are coconut kefir, sauerkraut, good quality whole milk yogurt, beet kvass, fermented pickles, and of course these trusted probiotics (no refrigeration necessary!).

A good, pure source of Vitamin C is also very important for gut health!

Remember, digestion starts with the mouth, so always remember to sit down and relax while eating as well as chew, chew, chew! Digestion can’t actually happen when we are stressed, so try to slow down and sit down when you can.

Choose Fresh

Colorful foods are healthy foods—yes it is true, and different colors represent different nutrients! So making sure you eat different colors with each meal will help you get a broad array of nutrients!

Spring time at the farmers market opens up a world of colors  and lighter textures than the dense foods of winter.  Look for the delicate lettuces (my favorite), asparagus, new potatoes, green onions, radishes, spring peas, rhubarb, arugula, strawberries and foraged items like mushrooms.

Take a trip to your local farmer’s market this weekend and pick up your favorite fresh fruits and veggies, but don’t be afraid to branch out and try some different items!  Remember, anything local and fresh is going to have SO much more flavor that fruits and veggies that have spent most of their life being transported half way around the world.  A simple drizzle of olive oil, pinch of sea salt and sprinkle of fresh herbs is probably all you will need to season and make your dish come alive.

Nutrients are at their peak when produce is ripe and freshly picked, so you will actually be getting a whole lot more nutrients by shopping at the farmer’s market!

Be Confident with Your Shape

As the weather starts to warm and the thick layers of sweaters and coats are slowly pealed off, body image can be a sensitive issue for many.  Know that you are not alone my friend, but also know that you are not a sum of your body parts or your dress size.  You are you and you are what you bring to this world—your smile, your talents, your work effort and your laugh are far more important than the size of your jeans!

When you have inner confidence with who you are as a human, issues like weight and shape will not be at the forefront of your mind.  Often we we obsess over something, our body goes into emergency mode and will actually fight to keep that weight on despite your best efforts.

So the first step is finding confidence in your own skin.  And the next step is ditching processed foods, gluten, sugars and even alcohol (eek, yes I said that!) and toxins.  Keep in mind, ditching the sweets, even the healthy grain-free ones, can be a huge aspect of weight loss, even if it is only 2 pounds!

Detoxing your makeup, skincare and deodorant routine can also help eliminate toxins from your body and often is something that helps people loose weight.  Toxins are mostly stored in the fatty tissues of your cells, so taking a look at your household cleaners and makeup can be a step in the right direction.

Choose Organic Cotton Sheets

Conventional cotton is sadly one of the most dirty crops on this planet accounting for about 16% of insecticides and 7% of pesticides.  The World Bank estimates that over 20% of water pollution around the world comes from the textile industry, not to mention that the textile industry often employs slave and child labor.

Sheets are something that your body, both your skin and the air you breath, come into contact with for a long period of time, especially if you love snuggling up in bed like me!  Choosing organic cotton sheets is one of the best steps towards creating a more toxic free home.

Remember, I always recommend people start removing things that they come into contact with for the most amount of hours per day.  Sheets and bedding for sure fit that description!

Ethically, my bed is a place I find rest, and knowing that my bed linens were ethically made and fair-trade creates a more, restful atmosphere for me.  Sleep is one of the most important aspects of our overall health, so the environment and emotion associate with sleep is just as important as the hours you sleep!

You can read more about my favorite ethical, fair-trade brands HERE.

I love the organic cotton line’s from West Elm as well as my favorite organic cotton sheets from Coyuchi and their amazing organic down pillows.