Feeling Sluggish?

Oh my goodness. I was feeling so sluggish yesterday and for a better part of today until I took a dead sea salt and essential oil bath.

For my bath, I added a handful of dead sea salts, 5 drops of lavender oil, 1 drop of peppermint oil and 1 drop of lemon oil. I soaked for about 20 minutes and as I type, I feel so good. No longer sluggish.

I also took into the bath 2 cups of water to enjoy. Back in my massage and spa therapist days, I would suggest to clients to drink plenty of water when enjoying a bath with therapeutic bath salts. I typically enjoy a warm to hot bath which for me equals some sweating which may encourage some detoxing. I keep in my mind it is a good idea to be well hydrated to keep from feeling woozy. I'm guessing my feeling sluggish has come from the extra cake, sugar and protein {meats} I've enjoyed over the holidays. To help eliminate the sugars and any other toxins from my body {I'm counting the salts from the ham, tryptophan from the turkey, etc.} I'm increasing my water intake from 6 to 8 glasses per day to 10. To gently help with the detox process I will have a cup of warm water with 1 to 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice each night before bed. I'm also cutting back my 1 to 2 cups of daily coffee, to just one cup every other day. My goal is eventually to enjoy only 1 cup of coffee per week.

And I read somewhere, once upon a time, that the enzymes in pineapple helps to digest protein. So I will have 1/2 cup daily of pineapples. Other foods that I have experienced to be great for detoxing and just in general are onion and garlic. I add bell pepper to the mix because it was shared with me that my bladder channel was weak and after researching, bell pepper was one of the power foods good for strengthening my bladder channel. I learned this by going to my acupuncturist. I try to go twice a year, at the beginning and then within 6 months or around the September. I call them tune ups. Another tune up practice that helps my body feel better is the Ardens Garden 2 Day juice detox. However, I do not dare do it until I've gently detoxed by doing the aforementioned and getting back on track from the holidays. Getting back on track for me equals at least 2 weeks of following a meal plan I found on MyPlate.gov that suggests I have 6 ounces of protein, 2 1/2 cups vegetables, 2 cups fruit, 6 ounces grain and 3 cups of dairy.

I'm a work in progress and aim to get to the point where I eat less for the holidays and perhaps even encourage my family to not cook with so much meat and sugar. Although it's only twice a year that we eat such an extravagant spread with lots of sweet treats, it is still ways that we can enjoy the treats in a healthier way.

I myself have gone from eating two plates at one house only to go to another to have another full plate, to now eating the way I would on a typical day, which is 3 to 4 hours apart, grabbing more vegetables and only 2 ounces of meat/protein per meal. However I do enjoy a slither of cake at each relatives house. I got laughs when I asked for a slither of cake. LOL "We don't do slithers around here" my relative shared. So I opted for the full piece of cake, enjoyed my slither and wrapped the rest to go since I could not find anyone to enjoy half the cake with me.

{Note: Before trying any detox or special diet it may be a good idea to check with your doctor. Consider seeing your doctor also before doing any type of detox baths or using any type of essential oils or therapeutic salts or other such health related products.}