Drybrushing: Joseph Pilates "Spartan-Like" treatment!

Joseph Pilates was an eccentric man with STRONG opinions! In his book, "Return to Life" he speaks about few people ever achieving "thorough cleanliness" and goes on to talk about the effectiveness of dry-brushing.

He stated it "stimulates circulation, thoroughly cleans out the pores of the skin and removes dead skin too. The pores of your skin must "breathe" - they cannot do so unless they are kept open and freed from clogging. Your skin will soon respond most gratifyingly to this perhaps seemingly "Spartan-like" treatment and acquire in the process a new, fresh, glowing appearance, and develop a texture smooth and soft to the touch. So brush away merrily, and heartily too!"

Mr. Pilates was correct. There are many benefits to dry-brushing:

- First, it promotes skin renewal and exfoliation. Did you know you shed 40,000 skin cells per minute?! As we age this natural shedding process is slowed. Dry-brushing can sweep off those dead skin cells and in fact allow the skin to breathe

- It promotes circulation and detoxification. Did you know the skin helps eliminate up to 1/3 of our bodies toxins?! Getting rid of those dead skin cells lets oxygen get into the skin and other organs encouraging the elimination of metabolic waste and toxins.

- It stimulates the lymphatic system! Did you know your body has more lymph fluid than blood? And we need to keep those fluids moving! Lymphatic congestion is a major factor leading to inflammation and disease into todays society. Eliminating these toxins can actually boost your immunity!

- Bloating an issue? Some naturopathic doctor encourage dry brushing to help with bloating as the massaging of lymph nodes helps shed excess water and toxins. As well, it

reduces the appearance of cellulite and improves muscle tone!

And it is a very simple (but invigorating) technique!

It's recommended that you incorporate dry-brushing into your morning routine before you jump into the shower. Starting at the bottoms of your feet you want to work in circular or upward sweeping motions (as firm as is comfortable for you) up the legs to the hips. Next focus on the abdominal area working in a clockwise rotation (your view looking down) moving next to the back and finally the arms. Pay special attention to the areas of the inner thighs and armpits that are full of lymph nodes. Your skin will feel a slight tingle and look rosy when you are all done!

Next, apply coconut oil or a toxin free moisturizer to hydrate the skin and then jump into a warm shower which will open the pores to absorb the moisture. If you need a safe moisturizer I love this body butter.  Finish with a cool rinse. Be careful to avoid sensitive areas or broken skin and wash your brush periodically.

With winter on our doorstep who doesn't want to improve their energy levels and get glowing skin! I started dry-brushing about two years ago and love it! Its the perfect way to start your day.