Welcome to the Fortitude Health and Wellness Body Bistro Regimen. Here are nine simple tips that will have you glowing through summer and the rest of your life.  You will notice a wonderful improvement in your skin, body, and you will feel great! This regimen is a daily commitment that will yield your body rewards over your lifetime. It is my daily routine and has served me well for many years. I hope you also enjoy the benefits!

One of the most important things to remember is that the (early) hours in the morning are “magic hours.” You can accomplish much before starting the day. Oil pulling, drinking water, dry brushing, meditation/praying and squeezing in a quick work out are examples of how to start healthy and set your tone for the rest of the day. According to the Japanese, we should add one more very healthy habit, Japanese Water Therapy. The Japanese have been drinking water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach for decades because of its natural benefits. Water is a great source of life and it is a necessary element for every cell and function in our body, especially building muscle. Which brings us to our 9 simple tips:

1. Start your day with water, water, and water before you eat one piece of food. I drink 24oz of water before eating one morsel. Drinking water in the morning is simple to put into practice. The more water you consume, the better your results.

Here are some important rules to remember:

• As soon as you wake-up in the morning, drink 1.50 liters of warm water, which is equivalent to 5-6 glasses of water, add ½ squeezed lemon
• Do not eat or drink 1 hour prior to and after drinking the water
• Do not consume alcoholic beverages the night before

Also try infused water – water infused with vitamins and minerals from its content, which can be fruit, cucumbers, mint, lavender, rosemary, and citrus fruit. The nutrients from the ingredients marry the water creating extra benefits. It is one of the best ways to detox your body. Infused water is refreshing and the whole family can enjoy.

2. Dry brush your body before you step into a shower or bath; its benefits are quick and rewarding. Use a body brush and start with your feet brushing upward until you have brushed your entire body up to your neck. Make it a morning ritual, just like brushing your teeth! It is important that you brush BEFORE you shower, before you wet skin, or apply lotions. You can also brush at the end of the day before bed. You will feel more relaxed and ready for sleep. You will love the results.

Benefits:

• Stimulates blood and lymph flow
• Eliminates body toxins
• Removes dead skin cells
• Encourages cell regeneration
• Helps your body combat cellulite
• Rewards you with smooth glowing skin
• Anti-aging through cell regeneration-removes brown age spots on the body
• Strengthens immune system
• Stimulates nervous system, tones muscles, and tightens skin
• Stimulates sweat/sebaceous glands (contributes to restoration of moist and supple skin)

3. Ginger and Epsom Salt baths with drops of lavender will relax you and leave your skin feeling soft and supple. This bath after dry brushing is perfect. This bath taken before bedtime will help you sleep.

4. Oil Pulling is used in Ayurvedic medicine. It is a wonderful detoxification procedure for oral hygiene before brushing your teeth and very simple for you to do by just swishing a tablespoon of oil (typically coconut oil) in your mouth for 10-20 minutes. As oil flows through teeth and gums, microbes are picked up as though drawn to a powerful magnet. Bacteria hiding in gum’s crevices, pores, and tubules within teeth are pulled out and held firmly in the solution.

5. Sugar facial scrubs exfoliate your skin. I cannot stress enough the importance of removing dead skin cells from your face and body, and ensuring you remove all make-up before bed. I exfoliate my entire body every day to remove dead skin cells because I have oily skin. Depending on your skin type, you should exfoliate accordingly. I use natural sugar every morning. Once I have cleaned my face, I use a gentle astringent, spray my face with cold rose water from the refrigerator, and add a deep penetrating moisturizer before the rose water dries. I use coconut oil on my body to condition it and then add my favorite lotion to seal in the moisture. Check out this article for some more healthy skin tips.

6. Hair Care is important and your hair will love you for giving it tender loving care. Add hot oil treatments twice a month, use coconut, Jojoba, and olive oils. Try and stay away from perms and heat that can damage your hair. Get a great cut and go with the natural texture of your hair for easier maintenance. There is no such thing as good hair, just a diversity of textures that God saw fit to bless each one of us uniquely.

7. Meditate allows a set time to think and compose and spend time with yourself and God. You can even do your oil pulling during this time. Think on positive things and relish in the joy that you are blessed to be able to sit and mediate. Every day you awake is a blessing, someone did not. 

8. Clean Eating a planned diet of unprocessed, whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, wild caught fish, grass-fed lean meats will help your health from the inside out. Removing artificial ingredients, preservatives, “chemically charged foods,” sugars, saturated and trans fats, and high sodium will help drastically improve your health and help you to feel better each and every day.
9. Exercise! Focus on strength training. As we age, strength training and aerobics is important to maintain agility and muscle. We lose an average of 5 percent of our muscle mass every 10 years after the age of 35 if we don’t exercise. So, hit the floor each morning by putting in 20 push-ups, 50 sit-ups, planks, lunges and squats, and weight lifting. You can do it!