Previously, we shared our top tips for outer cleansing. Now, we want to share our best practices for promoting optimal health on the inside. 

In such a short month, February packs a lot of significant meaning. We’re recovering from the holidays, transitioning to a new season, and this month holds many things of importance, such as Black History Month, President’s Day, Susan B. Anthony’s birthday, Chinese New Year, Flag Day, and Valentine’s Day.

Historically, February was added to the Roman calendar as a month to rejuvenate. The sole purpose of this month was to renew oneself by undoing any unhealthy habits or routines and change them so that you can make the most out of the Spring season. Purify, if you will.

Cleansing and purification happen on both the inside and the outside.

Our body detoxes itself naturally, but there are plenty of ways we can help it do what it’s designed to do naturally. One of these ways is through the food we eat. Through proper nutrition, we can reduce inflammation, enhance the appearance of our complexion, maintain healthy circulation and ensure we are getting the right amounts of the vitamins and nutrients that we need. If we look at food by color, there are specific beneficial properties that each color carries.

Here is how each color category of food is helping your health:

• Red: improved heart health, soaks up free radicals from the body, boosts your blood circulation, and helps support your joints
• Orange: stimulates cell turnover and collagen production, improves eye health, boosts circulation, helps reduce inflammation, and boosts the health of your immune system
• Yellow: great for your skin, eyes, and heart, improves immune system function, reduces inflammation, and aids digestion
• Green: supports the body’s natural detoxification process, can improve your mood, strengthens immune health, fights off free radicals, and are overall great for bone health
• Blue/Purple: packed with powerful antioxidants and phytonutrients that fight off disease, helps with mineral absorption, improves memory function, and can have anti-aging properties
• White/Brown: helps to balance hormones, helps to keep cholesterol at a healthy level, keeps bones strong, can help prevent certain diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, reduces inflammation, supports the immune system, and offers anti-fungal properties

In addition to incorporating more of the rainbow in your life, make sure you know where your food comes from and try to buy organic if you can. Studies have shown that even after washing our fruits and vegetables, some pesticide residue remains or has already been absorbed into the produce.

Our bodies are mostly made up of water. Since we require so much water to function, it’s important that we not only eat the right foods that contain water, but make sure we’re drinking enough water, as well. This ensures that your body has enough fuel to keep motoring on. Water is going to help your body flush out unwanted toxins, keep your skin happy, help nutrients dissolve so our bodies can absorb them, and aid with organ function.

The quality of water is also important to consider. If you aren’t fully confident that you’re in the know about what exactly is in your water supply, it’s worth looking into. Especially since we intake so much water daily. Some of our water sources can be contaminated with bacteria, parasites, and even toxins, such as lead. So, before you fill your cup up from the sink, make sure it’s safe enough for you to drink.

If you’ve ever found yourself near a yoga studio or a gym as a class is letting out, you’ll notice that everyone leaving has an undeniable glow. This is because exercise boosts your circulation and kickstarts the body’s natural detoxification process. During the pandemic, we’ve not been able to keep up with our normal routines because gyms and classes were closed, but there are other great ways to get our bodies moving.

Depending on what you’re looking for, there’s probably a recorded class or virtual workout group you can join on social media. A lot of athletes post high-intensity routines on their profiles or channels, and those can be a fun alternative to a stair climber or a treadmill.

Getting outside and running or walking is another great way to reap the benefits of exercise. Start by setting aside 20 minutes a day and going for a walk around the neighborhood. Over time, increase that duration to an hour or more and turn it into a hike. You’ll get your exercise, and you’ll clear your head in nature.

Arguably one of the best ways to maintain a clear head, high energy levels, and ward off getting sick is by getting a full night’s sleep. When we don’t get enough sleep, we experience a lot of downfalls. Our body undergoes unnecessary stress, our immune system weakens, we are more susceptible to diseases, we become more irritable, and our focus and memory suffer. We say spring forward into the new season with a healthy sleep schedule. You should aim for 7-8 hours per night.

If you’re having trouble catching some z’s, try scheduling your sleep ahead of time and aim to wake up at the same time every morning for at least 21 days until your body naturally adopts that schedule. Alternatively, you can try introducing CBD or an adaptogen to your nightly routine for more sound sleep.

It’s best to avoid commercial sleeping pills if you can because they interfere with your natural REM cycle, which is why most people feel groggy in the morning after taking them. Other unpleasant side effects can accompany sleeping pills like dizziness, nausea, and drowsiness during the daytime.

Our mental health affects how we respond to things, the height of our emotions, and how we perceive things. The state of our mental health can be put on the back burner because stress has become normalized as an inevitable part of our everyday lives.

We all know it’s important to maintain a healthy mindset, but sometimes that can be hard if we’re going through a rough patch. To get past that, try reaching out to someone in your circle of support and talking about how you’re feeling. Don’t be afraid to take breaks when you need them to prevent burnout. To boost your confidence, spend more time doing things you’re good at.

Another impact that is incredibly overlooked is hormone health. Hormone imbalances are quite common, especially as we age, but we don’t often associate what we might be feeling or experiencing with a potential imbalance. If your hormones are out of whack, this could be the cause for your low moods, fatigue, recent bouts of acne, hair thinning, and even changes in appetite.

Some things you can do to help rebalance your hormones naturally is to reduce sugar consumption as much as possible, exercise regularly, eat a balanced, nutrient-rich diet and get enough sleep every night. Adaptogens, which are the herbal version of pharmaceuticals, are also worth looking into. There are many types and each serves a different purpose, but they can help counter stress, rebalance hormones, increase sleep health, and keep cortisol in check.

We hope these tips were helpful and inspire you to try out some of these changes for a healthy Spring season! Let us know your favorite ways to promote good inner health!