You know it’s time to detox when you order a cocktail with your kids at the table. Normally, I limit my alcohol intake to one or two glasses of wine per week, and hard liquor is reserved for special events. The calorie and sugar content is high, alcohol provides no satiety, and it doesn’t promote a healthful glow. At the end of the meal, I was considering the cocktail menu and asked my ten year old son what cocktail I should order for dessert, the Velvet Hammer or the Black Russian. Without missing a beat, he replied, “The Black Russian, Mommy. Go Eurasian!” While I was impressed by his knowledge of geography, I had to stop and ask myself if perhaps I needed to scale back on the extra sugar and empty calories. (As a nod to Yul Brynner, I still enjoyed that cocktail. I went back to matcha green tea the following morning.)
I don’t know what it is about the winter months, maybe the lack of fresh colorful fruit, maybe the covering up of my whole body to protect myself from the extreme cold weather, but by the end of November this year I had completely abandoned my usual balanced and cautious approach to eating. Now that March is upon us, it is really time for me to return to a healthful eating regimen.
Luckily for me, the one amazing thing about my body is the resilience of my skin. Likely a combination of good genes and careful protection are what have enabled me to maintain a uniformly firm and even-textured skin, with barely a hint of cellulite. The telltale “mummy tummy” is not even as tragic as I would have expected it to be, and if I’m not sucking in, the skin is perfectly smooth. Even my legs don’t have the usual veins.
A big component of looking young and radiating an aspect of good health is the maintenance of elastic, glowing skin. However, snacking my way through the winter season is not going to provide my skin with the nutrients it needs to stay hydrated and properly nourished. A proper post-holiday detoxification requires some discipline and a positive attitude. Enter the power of crystals.
Youthful skin begins with proper rest. I find that going to bed early is key in achieving a radiant complexion all over my body. Most moms wake up early to prepare their kids for the day, so if I can go to sleep shortly after their bedtime, this shows up in my face the next day. If I can meditate for a few minutes before falling asleep, with a clear quartz crystal in my hands, I believe this can help to detoxify my energy field and assist my body in returning to a perfect state of harmony. Crystal quartz harmonizes all the chakras, with the result being a more balanced energy in the body. This state of calm will result in a higher quality of sleep.
In terms of nutrition, hydration is key. This means still water, matcha green tea for its antioxidant qualities, and limiting caffeine intake. The goal is to nourish your skin from the inside out, and to flush out excess toxins. The matcha is an essential component of this, as it detoxifies our body effectively and naturally, boosts your metabolism to burn more calories, and its antioxidant benefits have an anti-aging power when it comes to our bodies, allowing us to de-age from the inside out. The magic of green tea remains a mystery, but scientists believe that the antioxidants in green tea called catechins may trigger a preference within our bodies to burn fat instead of carbohydrates. Who knew?
Cynthia Sass, R.D., writes a lot about how we can conquer sugar cravings by eating cleaner, anti-inflammatory foods. Her work is inspiring, and has helped me throughout my own nutritional journey. Whenever my body needs a detox or a reset, I rely on Cynthia’s yogurt, spinach and raspberry detox. For four days, I eat only a combination of spinach, raspberries, eggs, plain organic yogurt and almonds. These foods are dense in nutrition and antioxidants, and are anti-inflammatory. The result of following this regimen is that it eliminates sugar cravings and enables my body to just relax and take a breath. For example, breakfast would be a smoothie with 6 oz. yogurt, 1 cup raspberries, 2 tbsp. almond butter, cinnamon and ice. Lunch might be 2 eggs scrambled with 1 cup spinach, and on the side 1 cup raspberries with 2 tbsp. chopped almonds and cinnamon. Dinner could be a salad with 2 cups spinach, 2 hard-boiled eggs, 1 cup raspberries, 2 tbsp. shaved almonds, and balsamic vinegar as dressing. Trust me, these meals are so simple to make, and your skin will be thanking you because you will de-age by ten years. The benefits of this high concentration of vitamins and antioxidants are palpable and visible within a day.
Finally, every day after a shower, I love to pamper the skin on my body with Crystal Hills Body Serum. If you were to ask me which scent is my favorite, I would have to say they are all my favorite. Currently, I have a bottle of Crystal Moon Goddess open that I am using. Its precious oils hydrate and soften my skin in the most luxurious way. The serum is infused with a quartz crystal, organic white tea seed oil, meadowfoam oil, evening primrose and coconut oil. The scents of jasmine, frankincense and neroli take me away to another place, and completely awaken the goddess within me. We must carefully nourish our bodies from the outside in, because the purity and quality of the ingredients that we apply topically to our skin matters as much as what we ingest. The pure and simple ingredients of the body serums, with the positive healing charges of crystals, will contribute to a healthier and more radiant aspect.
Now let’s get busy and glow!
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Nicole earned her Bachelor of Arts degree (with distinction) from the University of Alberta, with a major in French Language and Literature and a minor in Italian Language. She then continued her education at McGill University, earning her Bachelor of Common Law and Bachelor of Civil Law, where she was selected as class valedictorian. Nicole is a practicing lawyer and writes the Bella Vita Beauty Blog for Crystal Hills Organics. Nicole enjoys being active with her husband and three small children. She also enjoys traveling, playing tennis, ballet, cooking, baking, and experimenting with skin care and makeup. With too little sleep and a very exciting and hectic life as a mother of three young children, Nicole can appreciate the value and importance of implementing a skin care regimen composed of products containing quality ingredients. She also believes in the power of positive energy, and recognizes the benefits of using essential oils and other natural elements to create at-home beauty treatments.
