Benefits of Dry Brushing

I started Dry Brushing about two weeks ago and have to admit that it’s pretty cool.  My skin feels so much softer now. And some how it has helped me sleep a lot better at night.

So what is Dry Brushing?  Dry brushing is a technique you can use to exfoliate dead skin cells from your body.

Why do we want to do this? The largest organ is our skin. Our skin is made up several different components which include water, protein, lipids, and many different chemicals and minerals. Here is a fun fact. The average person’s skin weighs around 6 lbs. I know, right? And your skin regenerates every 27 days. We eliminate toxins from our skin to prevent illness and disease. If our largest organ, the skin, is clogged then the toxins will eventually build up in our bodies. Here is another fun fact I stumbled upon. It is estimated that the skin eliminates over a pound of waste every day.

What do we use to dry brush? You can use a natural bristle brush with a handle or if you have super sensitive skin start with a wash cloth and work your way up to a loofah. It is important to use natural bristles not synthetic.

Here is a photo of the dry brush that I use. I purchased one with a long handle so I can reach the whole back. My back can sometimes break out in acne, having a long handle was important to me. Some people prefer smaller brushes so they have better control of the movement of the brush over the skin. It is totally up to you.

Dry Brushing

If I haven’t convinced you yet that you should add dry brushing to your daily routine then look at all these amazing benefits.

*Improves muscle tone

*Rejuvenates the nervous system

*Improves circulation (preventing varicose veins and spider veins) Very important for people who have desk jobs, who travel often, or do lots of sitting)

*Helps with lymphatic drainage (without proper lymph drainage we can have weakened immune systems and possibly cancer)

*eliminates cellulite (cellulite is toxic buildup in the fat cells)

*Better nutrient absorption

*Decreased cortisol (less stress and possibly even a better nights sleep)

*Strengthens the Immune System

How do you dry brush? It is important that you dry brush only on dry skin. I dry brush before I shower. You can also dry brush before exercising or using a sauna or steam room. You start from your feet and work your way up to the head. Now I have read different kinds of techniques and I will tell you that all of them mentioned brushing towards the heart. I use long strokes and do each part of my skin five times. Some people prefer a circular motion. I prefer the longer straight stroke towards the heart.

This is the order I brush my body parts. I start with the feet, work my way up the legs, then I will brush upward on my abdomen towards the heart. Next I start from the hands and work up my arm to the shoulders. I lightly exfoliate the chest area because my skin is sensitive there. Then I will start at the lower back and finish the dry brushing on my upper back and shoulders and neck. You should never dry brush over irritated skin or sun burn. After dry brushing I get into the shower and rinse off the dead skin cells and toxins. Again, you can use a sauna or exercise to eliminate even more toxins before showering. If I have time in the shower I do the hot/cold detox water technique. This improves the circulation, closes the pores and helps with the lymph drainage.

You must take care of your brush and wash it at least once a week and dry it in a sunny place to avoid mildew.

After you are done in the shower it is important to moisturize the skin. You can use coconut oil or a botanically based lotion. You should avoid cheap lotions with petroleum and other chemicals and fillers in them including fragrance. This can clog your skin and put more toxins back into your body. One of my favorite companies for skin care is Arbonne. You can find their products here.

I also read that it can take up to two months to see an improvement in the lymph system so be patient. Like I mentioned above, I have only been dry brushing for two weeks. But my skin has never been so soft and smooth!!! And sleeping at night couldn’t be better! I hope you found this helpful.

Related articles

• Dry Brushing: Improve Your Health in Just a Few Minutes a Day (healthextremist.com)
• The Amazing Benefits of Dry Body Brushing (conqueringfearspiritually.com)

How I recovered from a lower back injury

A few weeks back I injured my lower back during warm ups at a kick boxing class. It sucked.

I am not writing this blog post to complain about the injury. I am writing this entry to tell you how I healed myself.

I went to a Chiropractor and a Massage Therapist to help with the discomfort. I also took care of myself by taking natural supplements and stretching at home.

The Chiropractor told me I had inflammation and that my lower vertebrae were jammed. This was causing a nerve to be pinched between the vertebrae. Ouch! And My Pelvic bone is slightly tilted. (Thank you childbirth)We had to unjam them and get my spine moving fluidly again.

Photo credit.                  White Tiger Natural Medicine

The Massage Therapist I went to was also taking Kick boxing classes. So I asked him to work on the areas of my body that he thought he would need worked on himself. First we focused on where my pain was, the lower back. He also worked on my upper legs, upper back and neck, ankles and knees. I had a tight T-Band?

He told me that all professional athletes get injured but you don’t always here about it. And when you are exercising as much as I do, you should get a massage at least once a week. But if you couldn’t do it that often then to try to get a massage once a month.

Good point. Never really thought about Massage being that important except for relaxation, right?

So I decided to look a little bit more into the whole thing via google search. LOL

This is what I found and totally agree with.

The oldest form of medicine can date back to 2,700 B.C. in Chinese Medical Literature. Massage.

Massage can lower heart rate, lower blood pressure, increase lymph flow and circulation. Massage also helps with the elimination of toxins that build up in our bodies from exercise and every day life. Massage will also help with exercise related injuries and help prevent future injuries. Let’s not forget how relaxed we feel after a great massage. It also helps with anxiety, mood, stress, depression, headaches and digestion. And who doesn’t want to recover faster after an injury?  Resource – www.bodybuilding.com

I did not find a whole lot on Chiropractic while web surfing. But just from my experience I do believe that if I did not go, I would still be in pain and not exercising. Remember my fitness addiction? Chiropractic care just makes sense. All of your bones are connected and they support your muscles and organs. That is a lot of work for the poor skeletal system! If your joints aren’t moving like they should then our bodies aren’t doing as good as they should.

What I found out that helped with a quick recovery was  stretching on a large exercise ball at home. I started in a squat position with my arms over my head and my back against the ball. Slowly, I rolled backwards with my back still making contact on the ball until my hands were touching the ground behind me. I did this three times in a row. Then I draped myself over the ball and just hung there. The technical term for that move would be The Wheel with ball support. If you can’t reach the floor with your hands, go as far as you think is comfortable.

Demonstration of The Wheel on an exercise ball

What also helped stretch out the spine was The Cobra Pose. If you lay on your stomach with your palms on the ground next to your shoulders, push yourself up and arch your chest up. Crack! Stretch! If your neck is tight you can roll your head in a circle from side to side.

Demonstration of The Cobra Stretch

Last but not least! Natural home remedies!

I took Organic Sulfur. I also took Noni and Mangosteen juice. And I drank 8 ounces of water with apple cider vinegar and half of a lemon squeezed into it for the pain and the inflammation.

The next time you are in pain, don’t finish the class. Don’t be a hero. It is ok. We all get injured at some point in life. It means “Slow down” Take the time to heal. Take care of yourself so you do not get injured more the next time.

For more information on products mentioned in this blog please inbox me. I prefer Organic Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar. If you click on the products above, it will also take you to where you can purchase them.

There are many other great exercises and stretching techniques not mentioned in my blog post. These are the two that were most effective for my particular injury and helped with my speedy recovery. Please feel free to comment and ask for any fitness advice. Namaste.

Related articles

• The Many Unexpected Benefits of Massage (underpressuretherapeutics.com)
• Fantastic Information For Getting The Best Benefits From Massage (klayoxyoung.wordpress.com)