Blissful Babe: 7 day detox formula and why you should try it

“Big life changes can crack open our heart and unleash higher levels of growth and love, if we open ourselves up to it” - Kimberly Snyder

One thing I know for sure… when you make the decision to elevate your life and reach for your highest potential, it requires you to shed a layer of your self, let go of old ways of doing things. In order to see big changes, we must be willing to make bigger changes. A new, stronger, more empowered version of you will arise as you release old, out dated habits.

During my recent life reinvention, I noticed I was feeling a little disconnected from my self and my intuitive senses. I needed some clarity in several different areas. While I usually feel very capable of making confident decisions, something just felt off. When I’m feeling disconnected from myself and the world around me, I always know that a sluggish system is likely the culprit so a wellness cleanse is a must. So, I instantly felt like “I need a whole body cleanse, stat!” It’s like a re-boot to your whole life system and something that can actually be more fulfilling and nurturing than a shopping spree or weekend getaway with the girls. If you are feeling the need for a pick me up or just a shift, a good week detox is your ticket.

I’m a big Kimberly Snyder fan and I love her approach to wellness, health and spirituality. “A week long detox is an effective and highly efficient way to cleanse our systems of toxins, practice self-care from the inside out, and de-clutter our lives from all of the habits that weigh us down”. This is about progress, not perfection. It’s about slowing down, paying attention to exactly what we are putting into our bodies and observing how it makes us feel so that we can reconnect with ourselves. So, if you are feeling disconnected from yourself, others or the world around you, I highly suggest de-cluttering and detoxing your system, it will help to not only release any pent up emotions but it will also give you a lighter sense of self and bring you clarity where you really need it.

As a mama, I am always trying to fill our home with healthy, nutrient rich foods that satisfy and make our bodies feel good. So a detox is a good way to step it up and help give your kitchen a good de-cluttering and cleanse it of all heavy, dense energy. When you curate a kitchen of beautiful foods, a beautiful feeling body will follow. I try not to focus on what is eliminated but on getting creative with how I can fill up my body with beautiful, fresh, nourishing foods.

In our home, we are slowly trying to cut way back on sugar. Not only because its incredibly bad for you but also because we want to make sure we feed our baby fresh, healthy foods and all natural sugars only. It’s too bad most everything you find at a grocery store has an obscene amount of sugar. Forget calories, sugar is a killer. Make sure you pay attention to everything and I mean everything (even siracha).

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BENEFITS of a 7-DAY DETOX

• Improved skin and complexion

• Clear mind for less stress and more peaceful thinking

• Reduces inflammation in the body and its triggers

• Increased energy levels

• Improved Mental and Emotional Health

• Lessen allergic reactions like eczema, psoriasis, etc.

• Speeds up metabolism and flushes out digestion system

• Increases happiness

• Resolved headaches, muscle aches and fatigue

• Increases the bodies absorption of vitamins and nutrients

• Increases fertility

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HOW TO DETOX PROPERLY:

On the days when I detox, I really like to do intermittent fasting. Which is basically giving your digestion system a break for a long period of time. I allow myself to eat between the hours of 11am-8pm and thats it. You can do what works best for you. However, sometimes I am hungry when I first wake up, especially if I am not having coffee, so a healthy breakfast is required. P.S. I highly suggest grabbing yourself some beautiful dishes like these pink bowls to eat on, it makes eating mindfully easy, fun and glamorous.

BREAKFAST IDEAS:
– Green smoothie (banana, spinach, almond milk, fresh nut butter, strawberries)
– Berries on Greek Yogurt and granola
– Gluten-free steel cut oats with blueberries and cinnamon
– Avocado toast on grain-free crackers
– Avocado and tomato salad with balsamic vinegar
– Breakfast bowl (smoothie topped with unseated coconut flakes, hemp seeds, fresh fruit)
– Macrobiotic rice cereal breakfast (did you know brown rice for breakfast is a fat burner?)

LUNCH/DINNER IDEAS:
– Steamed veggies over brown rice
– Hummus and vegetables
– Baked sweet potato
– Roasted cauliflower (bite sized pieces, toss with olive oil + sea salt, roast 30 min on 375
– Veggie stir fry
– Tomatoes and avocado and black beans
– Mixed green salad with avocado. (tofu, chickpeas or other beans are great addition for protein)
– Pho soup with tofu & veggies

SNACK IDEAS:
– Vegan protein shake
– Veggie chips and hummus
– Apple and peanut butter

HABITS & RITUALS:

– Journal every morning and/or night. Reflect and check in with how you are feeling.
– Find an accountability partner to check in with, it’s so helpful to do this with someone else.
– Create a Pinterest board with healthy recipes and ideas to inspire your wellness week.
– Do hair masks, face masks and take all of your vitamins.
– Dry brush your skin & take warm baths with epsom salt soaks.
– Meditate and rest.
– Get moving. Exercise and do workouts at home.
– Hydrate yourself by drinking over 64 oz of water a day.

A SIMPLE REMINDER.

In addition to filling up your body with nourishing foods, I want to remind you how important it is to nourish your mind at the same time. The relationship with have with ourselves and the way that we eat stems from our emotional state. The more we give grace to ourselves and love our body as it is, the easier the detox will be for you. Remember that you are wonderful, beautiful, special and deserving of a luxurious detox experience. Treat yourself like you are at a 5 star resort. Take your time to prepare foods so that the experience of eating feels like an Italian adventure. Eat slowly and connect with your food. Treat yourself by spending the extra money on organic, fresh foods. When you tell your body and the universe that you are worthy of the best, you become it. You begin to feed yourself with foods that enhance and uplift your life, not weigh you down.

Speak to yourself in beautiful words. Here are a few affirmations I suggest you say during your detox (especially when you’re feeling the need for cheese or wine) :

I am smart and capable of doing incredible things.
Life is a wonderful playground filled with opportunities.

I have clarity and know exactly what I want.
I love taking care of my body.
Money is fun and easy.
I can do hard things, I am made for this.
My future is bigger than my past.
I am rising to my full potential.
Each day is amazing.
It’s okay to fail.
I love learning and growing.

PREPARATION FOR A BLISSFUL 7-DAY DETOX:

1. Remove any and all temptations from your fridge or pantry. We removed cereals and chips.

2. Prepare for your Detox week by meal planning and shopping: brown rice, fresh and/or frozen veggies (especially kale, spinach, avocados, sweet potato, cauliflower, zucchini, frozen fruit, black beans, lemon, herbal tea, mixed raw nuts, veggie stock for soups, apples, nut butters, gluten-free whole grains, hummus.) I also like to keep apple cider vinegar, a Master Cleanse mix (lemon juice, cayenne pepper, maple syrup mixed in water) and Braggs aminos for flavoring up all of your veggies.

3. Plan for a coffee replacement. I am addicted to coffee, so I need a bit of energy so I keep my morning pink drink on hand. I also keep an endless supply of LaCroix or Topo Chico on hand.

4. Upgrade your blender to ensure you can make as many meals as possible. Green smoothies and juices are so helpful. You will want to make sure all of your means include vegetables and/or lots of the color green.

5. To help curb cravings, keep nuts and nut butters readily available.

6. Schedule your self-care: journal, tongue scraper, bath supplies, facial routine, dry skin brush, exercise, massage.

7. Prepare to hydrate yourself. I have become obsessed with my hydroflask. It is always full and ready to go.

8. Make sure your baths and showers are very hot to help release toxins from the body. Just be sure to hydrate.

9. See if you can find a friend to do it with you, its’s always more fun with a partner.

10. Wash your sheets and make your bedroom cozy. You will need to get plenty of sleep.

Be sure to download the PDF below so you can have a quick reference to your Detox Formula.

Good luck, beauty! Love, Ashlina

3 mindset tips to help you practice living in the NOW

This week, I am heading off to Los Angeles to take some meetings for my jewelry biz. As exciting of a time as this is, I have felt even more exhausted and overwhelmed at the idea of leaving town with a to-do list that feels like its 3 miles long.

What I know for sure, is that this overwhelmed feeling is typically a sign that a burnout is around the corner. It’s when things happen like eating easy, unhealthy, take out food. Not taking out the time to meditate and journal. Clutter begins to pile up. Mail goes unopened and I find myself wanting to lose my mind in trash tv. It’s almost like a stress hangover and it never feels blissful.

I have been here enough times to know that this state of being is incredibly draining and doesn’t serve me or my cute little family. Thank goodness, I have learned the wisdom and practical tools to know just when to course correct before I go down the burnout path.

TIPS FOR LIVING IN THE NOW

1. Stop resisting and embrace what is. They say “what you resist, persists” and it couldn’t be more true. It’s the law of energy, whatever you put your energy and attention towards, grows. So, if you can’t help but feel like you’re broke and you need more money….you’ll never have enough. If you constantly talk about how overweight you are…the scale numbers will grow and grow. If you hate the relationship you’re in….your partner will get more and more disconnected from it. If you instead turn things around and embrace where you are now, you’ll find life gets a little bit better everyday. Instead of feeling broke, go spend money on something (it puts you in the frequency of having money). If you feel like your clothes are getting too tight, go shop for clothes to fit where you are now (this puts you in the energy of feeling FANTASTIC about your body right now, exactly as it is ). If your signifiant other sucks, find a way to appreciate them more or exit the relationship. Just stop resisting what is and find a way to embrace it, this practice will change your life majorly. I highly recommend trying this.

2. Own your quirks. I have gray hair and I mean, my gray hair likes to come with a vengeance. The other day, I had to speak at an event in front of over 50 women. All these women were going to be able to see very clearly all of my gray hairs. I kept complaining about it to my friends and of course, they claimed to not even see them. However, for me, It was just bothering me all day long. I can see them, I know they are there and it was annoying to not be able to do anything about it. Focusing on it just kept building up my anxiety before I had to speak. When you are needing to show up in a way that serves others, you can’t be feeling anxious about yourself. Perfectionism is a trap and if you just accept and own the things that make you, you…your vibe lightens up. So at the end of day, I just had to own it and rock my gray hairs like they were made by Coco Chanel herself. I didn’t let my gray hair hold me back from getting all glammed up and walking in like I own the place. I was able to nail my talk and give the women all of me, not anxious, stressed, low vibe me. Sometimes, it’s the small, quirky things that get in the way of you fully showing up as your best self. Don’t let them. Let yourself off the perfection hook and just be YOU.

3. Check in with your feelings. I find that a lot of the time, we get so busy that we blast right past any of those intuitive hits or emotional warning signs that life brings. If we don’t slow down and listen to what our inner world is signaling to us, we allow our life to be run by external circumstances. Our life isn’t mean to run us, we are the ones in charge of creating our life, our lives are meant to be designed! Your life is a masterpiece and the way to create it is to get attuned to your inner self. At any point in time throughout your day, be sure to check in on yourself ( like you would a sick child or an elderly relative). “How does this conversation feel?” “How do I feel about what I am about to do?” “How do I feel when I walk into my home?”. When you take the time to observe and examine your moment to moment feelings, this is when big things begin to open up for you and you can start to see a new way. For example… Ask yourself ”how do I feel washing my face this morning?” Your answer could be, I love washing my face. It feels so good and clean, it helps me to feel like I am really taking care of my skin and my beauty regime. It makes me feel confident and beautiful. (Do you see the high vibrational tapping into the now and how that could change the whole experience of your day) So instead of rushing through an ordinary, everyday activity, you get to use it to pull you up to an elevated vibration. If you tap into something that doesn’t make you feel good, you give yourself to opportunity to course correct and create something new for yourself. Checking in with your feelings is sort of like a GPS map of creating and building a beautiful life…..NOW.

Living in the present is something we can always get better at. So I hope you find these tips practical and helpful. Don’t forget to check out the Bliss Vibes Only podcast where I go deeper into topics like this and more.

Love you, Ashlina