What is this dry skin brushing you speak of?

I recently have become aware of a technique called dry skin brushing. Maybe this is widely known, but I didn't know about it, so maybe you don't either. If this is new to you, read on!

So the skin as you all know is our largest organ and it has so many roles in keeping us alive and healthy. The skin eliminates between a good chunk of our bodily waste. And we can help our body out a little bit by giving our skin 5 minutes of our attention everyday before we shower.

The benefits of dry skin brushing are simple. First, it eliminates dry skin from your body and encourages new skin growth and second, it stimulates blood circulation and the lymphatic system, which in turn eliminates waste (including toxins) from our body. And given that this is Breast Cancer Awareness month and next month we'll be focusing on the ole prostate, let's think about PREVENTION (I think we're all very aware of cancer) -- and this practice is a great cancer prevention habit.

All you need to do this is a dry skin brush or a loofah. I bought my brush at Rainbow Natural Foods here in Ottawa for only $6.50! It has a nice long handle to easily reach all those harder to reach spots.

Here's Joy McCarthy, a Toronto-area Holistic Nutritionist, to show you how to get this little gem of a healthy habit into your routine! You can read more about dry skin brushing and it's many, many benefits on her blog.

30th Birthday Extravaganza!

I posted on Facebook earlier this week that I was going to have an "all about me" birthday bonanza week. Some may wonder what that consists of. Well let me tell you how my week shaped/is shaping up:

Wednesday, January 5
Chiropractic adjustment at LiveWell. I've been seeing Dr. Sabrina for just over 7 years now and I'll never turn back. I'm a chiro-believer. It's done so much for me in my 20s, and I know it's going to continue to keep me healthy, alive and vibrant into my 30s and beyond.

Massage appointment with Meg. Ah, what else can I say. Meg is an awesome RMT and I'm lucky to have found her.

Thursday, January 6
My birthday! Dinner with 16 of my besties at Khao Thai in the Byward Market. Best thai food in Ottawa, in one humble girl's opinion.

Friday, January 7
Facial at Hummingbird Spa. Not my first choice for spas, but I've been there before and they do good work. They focus more on the chemical/non-natural stuff (Botox, Laser, etc), which I'm not keen on, but they do regular esthetics too.

Saturday, January 8
Pedicure at Le Spa (would have been my first choice for facial, but alas no appointments available). I love going to Le Spa for pedicures because they let you go home with the bottle of O.P.I. nail polish and the price is on par with other places for a spa pedicure. Sweet deal!

After the pedicure, some friends and I are heading over to Chelsea, Quebec to go to Le Nordik for the rest of the day! I'm so excited. I can't get enough of Le Nordik's nordic baths. Mmmm bliss!

And that, my friends, is how I've done an "all about me" birthday extravaganza. The fun could continue... After all, that was only four days, as opposed to a whole week...