Maybe it’s not feeling like Spring in your neck of the woods yet, but keep the faith because we just entered the Spring Equinox so that means the nice weather is coming! And so is…summer!
Hi! I’m Katie.
I have been interested in health and nutrition for over fifteen years. I can remember exactly when I really started noticing how food affected me, and that what I put into my body made a difference in how I felt. I’m not talking about strictly from a “diet” perspective, like high calorie versus low calorie foods, but more of the types of foods and food groups that made me feel energized, or those that made me feel like crap.
(Don’t have time to read the whole post? No problem, we’re having a live class April 3rd at 12:30pm Eastern time. Click HERE to join us!)
I would love to share with you some of my top tips for preparing yourself this spring so that you are READY for the fun that summer has in store! We know that rocking life takes a lot out of you and dancing your butt off at shows can be tiring- so here’s my top herbal tips for getting your body primed and ready to ROCK YOUR SUMMER! The festivals and live music await you!
Spring is considered a time of renewal and naturally we feel drawn to shake off any excess or sluggishness that we developed over the winter. That is why this time of year you may hear a lot about cleansing or detoxing. A lot of people are still looking to shed a few pounds they put on during the holidays or after cold weather hibernation. Some people do juice fasts, some people buy cleanse kits from their local health food stores, and others follow extreme regimens from their nutritionists or doctors. Many people jump on the latest fad diet. I do not like using the word “diet” as I believe it sounds so restrictive and makes you feel like you are limiting yourself. One thing I learned in my years of study of holistic health, herbalism, and nutrition is that limiting yourself always leads to over-indulging later. And makes you feel like you’re coming from a place of lack! I think it’s best to determine what we can ADD to our diets to complement our health, rather than take away. Disclaimer: That being said– I do believe that if you suffer from food allergies, intolerances, or serious health conditions/disease, there are definitely benefits to removing certain foods from our diet to watch for improvements. But that’s best discussed with your doctor or nutritionist.
Spring is the best time to increase our activity, eat lighter, fresher foods and gently detox and support our liver, kidneys & lymphatic systems (also think massage, dry brushing, etc), which get stagnant and have less flow in the winter season. You can also do this by incorporating dark leafy greens to your diet (kale, mustard, collards, chard) or gentle herbal liver cleansers that support and strengthen. Two of my favorites for detoxifying and strengthening the body are Dandelion and Nettles.
Dandelion
- Dandelion Root
- Work as a bitter to help to detoxify the liver
- Also helps with digestion issues such as indigestion, heartburn, constipation
- You can decoct the root (as tea) or tincture
- Boil, bake and add to soup
- Dandelion Leaves
- High in sodium & potassium, the leaves act as a natural diuretic, helping shed water weight and retention
- Eat fresh in salad, steam and add to stir-fry or soup, or make a tea
Nettles
- Deeply nourishing AND good for spring allergies
- Natural antihistamine to relieve allergy symptoms
- Very accessible in the wild, but wear gloves while harvesting; they will sting!
- Steam and eat as a veggie; or make tea!
- Chock full of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins (magnesium, calcium, iron, and protein) for strong bones, nails, hair & teeth
- Restorative after stress, adrenal burnout, and illness
- Natural energy booster and a natural and reliable iron booster
- Regular ingestion of nettle infusions can restore mineral reserves and relieve menstrual or leg cramps
- Herbalist David Hoffman wisely recommends, “When in doubt, choose nettle.”
Now that we’ve done some cleansing and we’re feeling revived and nourished, let’s talk about other preparations we can take as we move past spring into summer and your favorite festival is right around the corner! I can hear the music now!
Pre-Show Vibes
- Supplements and Beverage Fuel!
- Vitamin C is a great one to prevent hangover, and keep your immune system boosted as you dance and party into the night!
- If you have time and access to a juicer; go crazy with your fruits and veggies, if not there are plenty of places you can get fresh juice these days. Some of my faves to add besides orange (the obvious vitamin C booster):
- Carrot/apple/ginger
- Greens like kale, spinach, celery, cucumber
- Adaptogens are another great way to keep your body energized and ward off traveling stress. Adaptogens help boost your body’s resistance to physical & emotional stress. Some of my faves are Ashwagandha, Astragalus, Ginseng, Holy Basil, Maca, and Rhodiola.
- Prepare Your Gut
- With summer fun and Festival season comes a lot of fried foods, greasy options and late night food choices you may not usually make. Here are two of my favorite herbal go-to’s for protecting or recovering my gut health:
- Digestive Bitters
- Bitters stimulate digestive secretions, enzymes and give your system and metabolism a jump start!
- Our favorite bitter herb, Dandelion comes back for a visit in this formula. I love these digestive bitter blends from Burlington’s very own Urban Moonshine! https://www.urbanmoonshine.com/collections/digestive-bitters
- Tummy Tamer
- This handcrafted, delicious, glycerin based formula is perfect for bloating, gas, and upset stomach after eating. Great for kiddos too!
- Lemon balm
- Chamomile
- Fennel
- Peppermint
- https://www.etsy.com/listing/260245713/organic-herbal-tummy-tamer-glycerite-new
- This handcrafted, delicious, glycerin based formula is perfect for bloating, gas, and upset stomach after eating. Great for kiddos too!
- Digestive Bitters
- With summer fun and Festival season comes a lot of fried foods, greasy options and late night food choices you may not usually make. Here are two of my favorite herbal go-to’s for protecting or recovering my gut health:
- Do you usually experience pre-show jitters? You’re not alone. There is a lot of plans to be made and a lot of buzz and excitement in the air. For this I would recommend a couple of things, in addition to the herbs above. One is my signature calming tea; which I call “Peace tea”! It is a blend of:
- Lemon Balm
- Chamomile
- Catnip
- Rosehips
- If you don’t have access to the herbs or don’t want to travel with them, you can also find many great anti-anxiety supplements at health foods stores. Here are a couple of my favorites that I never travel without:
- Gaba https://naturalfactors.com/product/gaba-100-mg/
- Magnesium: Try Natural Calm http://naturalvitality.com/natural-calm/
- Rescue Remedy http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-information/
- Hylands Nerve Tonic http://www.hylands.com/products/hylands-nerve-tonic%C2%AE
- Stretch your body! If you can make it to a yoga class before the shows; awesome! But remember don’t over-schedule. Doing some stretches in your room pre-show is just as good. Keep your body feeling limber, and your muscles relaxed and ready to go.
- I also highly recommend incorporating hiking and strength exercises into your “spring training” to prepare you for spending days walking and dancing. A weekly hike or some calf-muscle building exercises will get those legs ready to support you for anything ahead!
- Taking time to meditate, or even just some deep breaths to clear your head is also important before going to a show or crowded event. Being around lots of people can be hard for some, so I always take time to do some deep breathing and picture myself being rooted into the earth like a tree. If you’re particularly sensitive to crowds or energy; I also recommend visualizing white light or a bubble surrounding your whole body. Keep that bubble around you when you’re dancing the night away and ain’t nuthin going to break your stride!
Get into the Groove
- One of my favorites to take if you’re going to be imbibing is called Party-Smart! This is a single herbal pill you take with your first drink and helps prevent nasty hangovers! http://himalayausa.com/products/formulas/partysmart/
- Milk Thistle is another herb that helps protect and detoxifies the liver from the effects of alcohol. The seeds can be chewed or I like to take in a tincture or dried capsules as well.
- Turmeric– add to your food, smoothie, or take as a supplement to prevent overall pain and inflammation from dancing, standing, walking, and overindulgence of food or drink.
- What can you take if you don’t like to drink/are sober? Don’t worry! Your natural good vibes and those of others and the music will take you far. You know this! But here are a couple other fun herbs to try to make you feel good. And are great legal options. 😉
- Yerba Mate
- Reduces fatigue and uplifts your mood
- Many people find that Yerba Maté is a preferable stimulant to coffee or tea, with less jitters, and longer lasting buzz.
- Damiana
- This herb helps to lift the spirit, help with low self-esteem, and encourages a feeling of well-being. Damiana also has a slight aphrodisiac effect; making it a fun herb for lowering inhibitions and making you feel good! It will also make you giggly and happy.
- WishGarden Herbs makes one of my favorite formulas called “Liquid Bliss” that includes Damiana and other herbs. This is a description of their product and where to find it: “Enjoy a bit of liquid peace and tranquility. This formula contains herbs that nourish your nervous system and support an open heart and your body’s feel-good hormones, helping to lift your mood and increase your sense of connection. It can be used daily or for added support after emotional trauma. It’s also fun to share at parties and other social functions. So go ahead and practice a bit of mood yoga” https://www.wishgardenherbs.com/herbal-remedies/Liquid-Bliss-Peace-Tranquility-3470
- Lion’s Tail. This is an herb that I just learned about on a recent herb walk but haven’t gotten to try myself yet! So if you decide to try it…let me know how it goes. 🙂
- Yerba Mate
- I found this description of Lion’s Tail and where to buy it: “Lion’s Tail is best smoked with other people for the lively conviviality (laughter and loudness) that it brings. The root tea is also favoured for the hypnotic-like focus it give to fire light or, as some have found, television viewing! With its beautiful orange lion’s tail-like flowers, is now seen in many Australian suburban gardens and is more potent when grown in the dry tropics. Lion’s tail is a positive alternative to cannabis as a safe, uplifting and stimulating legal garden herbal high.The leaves and flowers are traditionally smoked or chewed on ceremonial occasions, to induce trance-like states along with drumming and dancing. The roots were also brewed as a tea for these occasions. Lion’s tail is now a popular smoking alternative to tobacco or cannabis, giving a mild euphoric and uplifting.effect.” http://happyherbcompany.com/lions-tail
- Show’s Over! Now what? Whether you’re headed straight to the sack or an after-party I suggest grabbing more of the following before you hit the hay and face the next day. These will help your body recover and be ready to take on the next night of fun!
- Magnesium- The same supplement I mentioned above is also awesome for sleep & muscle cramps
- I also love magnesium in an oil to spray straight on my legs and feet after dancing all night
- https://www.etsy.com/listing/497714469/magnesium-magic-magnesium-oil-spray
- Turmeric-load up on more before bed in place of ibuprofen, aspirin, etc.
- Electrolytes! I prefer these amazing natural electrolyte powders to power up your water, instead of Gatorade which is loaded with sugar and who knows what else.
- Ultima http://www.ultimareplenisher.com/
- Liquid IV https://liquid-iv.com/pages/shop-all
- Magnesium- The same supplement I mentioned above is also awesome for sleep & muscle cramps
Post Show/Next Day Recovery
- If you’re nursing a hangover, fuel up on more of what you’ve been doing!
- Vitamin C
- Hydrate with tons of water, coconut water or electrolyte powders. My favorite coconut water is Harmless Harvest. It takes so good! http://www.harmlessharvest.com/ I can’t stress enough the benefits of proper hydration. Especially during those summer days spending tons of time outside and in the heat!
- Make a delicious juice shot to soothe your stomach!
- 1 inch of fresh turmeric or ½-1 tsp of turmeric powder
- 1 inch of fresh ginger
- The juice of one large lemon
- A small dash of cayenne pepper
- Sip Peppermint tea
- Eat Bananas to restore potassium
The After-after-party Letdown
- So the festival is over- you’ve said your goodbyes, you’ve boarded your plane, got in your car, or already made it back to your bed and under the covers. How do you feel??
- If you’re still suffering physically; keep doing what you’re doing. Stretching your body post show really helps. If you have a foam roller; I really suggest that for rolling out sore muscles and back.
- Take a bath with epsom salts or dead sea salts and essential oils to pull toxins from your body and continue relaxing your body and mind.
- Arnica cream or gel is also amazing for sore muscles and aches and pains.
- Besides the obvious of drinking all the water you can, juicing and prepping some superfood smoothies, If you did consume alcohol, I would load up on more milk thistle. Alcohol is not only hard on the liver, but can interfere with dopamine production and regulation which affects your mood. Milk Thistle can ward off post-show depression and cleanse your liver of toxins in your body.
- This is one of my favorite nourishing tea blends! I call it “Nourish Tea.” Each of these herbs are full of vitamins and minerals to help restore your body to tip-top shape.
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- Nettles
- Oatstraw
- Rose hips
- Alfalfa
- The show has to end- but your good vibes don’t! If you’re feeling a little let down and bummed, just put on some music, start reminiscing and be grateful for what you’ve just experienced!
- In addition to the adaptogens I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I recommend making yourself a healthy meal and loading up on omega 3’s and heart healthy fats like coconut oil or avocados.
- If you’re really feeling bummed you can try St.John’s Wort or Rhodiola for mood enhancement.
- Experience the magic of Aromatherapy to lift your spirits! Create your own “Feel Good” spritzer with Lavender and uplifting Citrus essential oils or an “After Show Energy Cleanser” with Sage or Frankincense. See my favorite blend here! https://www.etsy.com/listing/497712413/sage-the-day-smokeless-sage-spray
- Take some time alone to breathe, clear and ground yourself. Get outside if you can and connect with nature.. Call or Hug a friend.
- BUY TICKETS TO YOUR NEXT SHOW. Follow Taraleigh (you probably already do) to keep those happy, rock your life vibes going everyday of your life; not just when you’re at a show or festival!
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If you want to learn even more about how to feel great, Rocking Your Life with Herbs, I’ll be live with Taraleigh, April 3rd at 12:30pm Eastern time.
Sign up now to join us! Can’t wait to see you there!
Peace, Love & Health,
Katie
P.S. Want more tips on spring cleaning and preparing your body for summer? Join us LIVE April 3rd!
Visit me at:
https://www.instagram.com/peace.love.nourish/