Spring Cleaning, it’s that itch you get to overhaul the house: cleaning out the closet, sweeping under the rug, and wiping down the windowsills. But there is one place you may forget to clean, or perhaps never thought to add to your spring-cleaning list—yourself. Refinery29 has come up with an easy how-to “Spring-Clean Your Body—Inside And Out!”
Here are our favorite tips, but you can check out the entire list here.
1. You are what you eat, so you might as well know what you’re eating. Learn when to buy organic and how to reduce your exposure to pesticides in fruits and vegetables with EWG’s Dirty Dozen, a list of the 12 most contaminated produce items. Find the freshest produce available, with Eat Local, a new app that’s like a homing device for the nearest farmers market.
3. If you can’t stand another minute on a treadmill, take your workout to the open air. “Performing your training practice outdoors, whether it is yoga or strength training, is super beneficial for the mind-body connection,” says Brandon Sewall, a wellness coach and founder of Primitive Movement. “Adapting to your environment and Mother Nature’s elements creates a smarter, more adaptive, and a much more able body.”
6. Even if you aren’t ready to swing a multiple-day juice cleanse, a small one can make a big impact on how you feel, according to Erica Huss and Zoe Sakoutis, founders of juice juggernautBluePrint. “Giving your body a rest for even one day will allow it to catch up, and if you bookend one day of juice with a diet of only raw fruits, veggies, and nuts, it’s a great way to get accustomed and ready for a longer cleanse next time.”
11. Massage is great for your circulation — and, according to celebrity fitness instructor Kristin McGee, yoga twists can give you one from the inside. “Twists are great for slimming and sculpting the waist and mid-section,” she says. “They give our internal organs a gentle massage, which helps with digestion and elimination.”
12. Dry-brushing your skin not only improves circulation, it also encourages the circulation of lymph fluid, which eliminates cellular waste. “It only takes about three minutes to dry-brush your whole body,” says Kristy Cimesa, founder of Elemental Herbology. “It is best done in the morning before bathing. Apply enough pressure to stimulate circulation, but not so much that it hurts.”
