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The 'no air-conditioning' green juice

A lot has been written on the virtues of a cold press vegetable juice, but did you know that it can also be a very good temperature regulator? Blanka, who has to spend some time in Summer working from her boss’s home office space ‘under a hot tin roof’, shares with us her strategies for cooling it down when you have no access to air conditioning.

I know - this is a lengthy article - if you are in a hurry and just need to make that juice, scroll to the bottom to find my favourite recipe.

I have been juicing for a very, very long time. When I first started I had a small centrifugal juicer, and I mostly juiced apples and carrots in it, with the occasional addition of ginger. This was after all the early nineties and nobody was yet talking about the power of greens. Then I slowly started adding a celery stick here, and a piece of cucumber there, basing my juicing experiments on know-how learned in a juicing book by Dr Norman Walker, a natural hygienist living at the turn of previous century. However, my £25 juicer was not up to juicing anything as exotic as green leaves or a strawberry and so my choices were a little limited.

Eventually, with the rise of the raw food revolution, about 15 years or so ago, I discovered the power of a green juice based mostly on veggies with just a small addition of fruit for palatability. I have decided it was time to upgrade my juicer to one that will juice all these wonderful things like lettuce leaves and wheatgrass and herbs and I have not looked back ever since.

Some people will argue that to make a juice is time consuming and expensive, with all the waste that you get to throw into compost. There are some experts who are anti juice arguing that as all the fibre is removed the juice gets absorbed rather quickly in our stomachs, which can raise our blood sugar level and cause problems for some people. They may promote green smoothies instead, as everything is still in the drink, including the aforementioned fibre. While this argument make sense to me, and I enjoy green smoothies too, there is something about green juice for me that I cannot quite access with a smoothie. For me, green smoothies are more for winter time, especially when made with heavy nut milks as a base, as they are more filling and not as cooling as juices.

This cooling effect makes a zingy green juice my top choice for Summer, especially on a hot day. When you make a green juice with a very small amount of sweet fruit, it is full of nutrients and yet light and super refreshing. There are some vegetables that have cooling properties, and if you make these the base of your juice, you may find that you are coping much better with the heat of Summer. Thanks to the high water content and nutrient density, green juices will also nourish your skin within, making it glow and even supporting a healthy tan by providing the nutrients our skin needs such as beta-carotene.

Some of the best veggies to use for your summery, thirst quenching juice are celery and cucumber, both of which are sadly sprayed in conventional farming so buy organic if you can. They both have cooling properties and both yield a lot of juice, so they make the perfect base. To this you can add some pineapple, peaches, nectarines or a chunk of ripe sweet watermelon, lemon or lime for zing (you can juice them with their skins, too, as long as they are organic and unwaxed), and perhaps a small piece of fresh turmeric or ginger for even more zing and even more healing nutritious plant power.

If you have access to fresh green coconuts, then you are very lucky indeed. Their water is full of electrolytes, and so they are the best (and fastest) way to rehydrate our body. Simply find your way into one (easier said then done but YouTube will be your friend here), and drink up. You will feel instantly invigorated. You may (not) know that in the 1st World War coconut water was used for transfusions, as it is sterile while inside the coconut, and its biochemical make-up is very similar to our blood plasma. When you consider that the chemical profile of Chlorophyll is very similar to Haemoglobin (the difference being the central molecule in Chlorophyll is Magnesium rather than Iron in our blood pigment), you can imagine what a boost topping your rich green juice with fresh coconut water will be.

Juicing is perhaps not for everyone, but I do encourage you to give it a try. You never know; it may just be the upgrade to your well-being that you have been waiting for!

Whether you are a juice convert or not, I hope that you have a glorious summer full of days in the sun, wiggling your toes in the grass or in the sand on a beach somewhere, recharging your batteries and storing some of this vibrant Summer energy deep in your cells for later.

No Air Conditioning Green Juice

1 cucumber (organic, if non organic then peel the skin off)

½ head of celery (organic)

1 broccoli stalk

½ small fennel

1 inch slice of ripe pineapple (or to taste)

Handful of fresh coriander

Handful of fresh mint

Small piece of fresh turmeric or ginger

½ to 1 whole lemon – organic unwaxed

Run everything through a juicer, alternating softer things like cucumber and pineapple with harder things like celery to keep the juicer going without getting clogged if your juicer struggles with softer produce.

I will generally keep of cuts of produce after cooking and add anything to my juices, within reason: green leaves from cauliflower, basil stalks left over from making pesto, chicory stalks, parsley stalks (powerful stuff!), greens from radishes, outer (more bitter) lettuce leaves etc.

I will be sharing more ideas for healthy eating and snacking, especially morning time, as well as running live morning yoga classes in the Morning Yoga Collective or sign up for updates here so you never miss a post.

#greenjuice #summer #hotsummer #cooldown #green #greens #juicepower #powerjuice #powerofnature #greencoconut #greencoconuts #fresh

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So true! Selfcare is not always a bubble bath nor does it have to be a huge deal. What thing is going to make you feel better, even if not while doing it - then afterwards? What is stealing your energy because you have been putting it off? Now is a good time to do it. After all - you have time to be reading blogs - so you have time for selfcare!

Question: Why does ghost friend even need socks? 

Answer: They’re comfy handwarmers!

Chibird store | Positive pin club | Webtoon

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After months of hiding underneath our warm and cosy layers, it’s nearly time to start unwrapping ourselves and show our skin to the world again; to let it be stroked by sun rays and the soft spring breeze …

Emerging after the long dark weeks of central heating, our skin may not feel as wonderful as we wish it was, and needs to be teased from its winter-induced sleep to show itself in all its vibrant glory. 

But worry not – this is not an article that will list twenty different creams, lotions and potions you must put onto your bathroom shelf to save your skin. Rather I am here to talk, out of all things, about the old art of dry body brushing, and why it is worth your time to give it a try.

I am not quite sure when I first heard about dry body brushing, but it would have been at least 15 years ago, and since then, a bristly brush could always be found in my bathroom. Because of one thing I am certain:

Dry body brushing is so good for you! 

It helps to increase the blood and lymph circulation in your skin, bringing fresh nutrients and taking away what is not needed by the cells any more, resulting in stronger and healthier skin. Your skin becomes more evenly toned, and at the same time soft and glowing. At the same time, it can be very soothing to the nervous system -you could consider it a very valuable side effect in today’s hectic and overwhelming world.

If this is your first time playing with dry body brushing, when shopping for one, choose a softer, rather than harder brush, to allow your skin to get used to the sensation. You will know when the time has come to step it up, as you will stop feeling the effect of the brushing. Make sure that the bristles are 100% natural, not plastic – one: why would you want to rub plastic all over our beautiful skin, and two: plastic bristles tend to be too soft to have the desired effect, or too harsh and scratchy. 

Body brushes come in all shapes and sizes: round, oblong, square, with, or without, a handle. 

Choose one that fits well into your hand, one that you will have fun using. It is interesting to note that the handle can be useful for reaching the whole of your back; however, personally I find that the long handle gets in the way, and so I prefer a brush that I can comfortably hold in the palm of my hand. If, like me, you choose to use a brush without a handle, you may end up doing some yoga as you try to reach the places and spaces on your back – multitasking at its best.

Whatever the brush, make sure your strokes are light as a feather. We are not trying to scrape a layer of skin off. Instead we are encouraging our lymph to flow, and as the lymphatic vessels are just underneath the skin, a light, sweeping touch is all you need. Trust me - you won’t get better results by pressing hard.

In general terms we always want to brush towards the heart. 

Start with your feet – first brush the sole of your foot and under the toes. From here carry on over the top of the foot, both ankles, shin, calf, knee, the thigh, front and back, your bum. 

Then the other leg in the same way. 

Brush your lower back as far as you can reach, all the time stroking upwards. 

It is beneficial to brush your armpits, as there are many lymph nodes in the area, but be super gentle, since the skin here is baby soft. 

Once you have circled the brush around the pit a few times, move onto your hand, palm, and up your arm all the way to the shoulder, maybe spend a bit around your elbow if the skin is rough here. 

Brush your other arm, then across your neck and your décolletage, from the centre towards your armpits, softly sweep the brush along the top and the bottom curve of your breasts, avoiding the nipples completely. 

Finish with your belly – I love letting my brush glide in a spiral motion away from my belly button outwards, then let it spiral back to the centre a few times.

You can move the brush in circular motions, long or short straight sweeping strokes, or any combination that comes naturally to you and feel good – you want to feel nourished, cared for and energised. I like to use light long sweeping strokes, making sure I cover the skin all over my body by the end.

Like it so far? I have something that will take it to another level. 

Before you start brushing, put a drop or two of your favourite, skin loving essential oil into the palm of your hand, and swipe the bristles over it, to flavour them with a tiny layer of your chosen botanical. This way you bring an extra depth and care to your routine. You can try soothing Lavender, nourishing Geranium or balm-like Frankincense, lymph awakening Juniper, Sage or Cypress, or cooling Peppermint in the midst of Summer. And for a truly exotic experience, try a drop of Jasmin or Ylang Ylang. The oils are nourishing for your skin, of course, but also awaken your sense of smell and can bring soothing or energising vibration into the ritual. ** 

Is this the first time you are learning about dry body brushing? Leave me a comment here once you tried this! Or if you are a seasoned body brusher, maybe you have a tip or two to share with me and the community here?

And if you have enjoyed the article and would like to explore more self-care ideas as well as ways to settle your nervous system and practices of deep rest, check out The Rest Club – the place to move, breathe and reclaim your right to feel good. The doors to this exclusive members only space will be opening soon, so make sure you sign up for the updates. This is going to be super special and you won’t want to miss out!

** some essential oils are not recommended in pregnancy, with high blood pressure or if you are on medication. Please do your own research, check with your medical professional or get in touch with me to learn how to use essential oils safely in your daily life.

#selfcare #wellbeing #selfcarepractices #selfcareritual #selfcarerituals #therestclub #skin deep #skindeep #drybodybrushing #drybrushing #bodybrushing #wellness #lifestyle #selfcareritual morningritual