This is part 2 of the Natural Home Spa Day Series. If you haven’t read Part 1, you can do so here.
The first thing to consider is planning your natural spa day at home. This involves the following:
1. Pick a Day and Block it Out
Set aside a day and block it out in your diary or on the calendar. Kindly issue an announcement and ask other household members to vacate the premise if at all possible. Their cooperation would be greatly appreciated. Empty this day of any other commitments, both social and work related. This day is about you.
2. Schedule Your Natural Spa Day
Planning the day provides a rough guideline so you don’t have to think about the little things when you’re suppose to be relaxing as you soak up the warm steam from the bath tub. It is not set in stone. The day is suppose to feel fluid and organic. Not rigid and controlled. The less you have to think, the less stressful it is. Prepare what you need in advance so all you need to do on the day is execute mission relaxation. My advice, keep it SIMPLE. Don’t over complicate it.
3. Gather Your Supplies
This may involve doing a quick shop to make sure you fill in any gaps of missing ingredients, such as food or herbs. My suggestions and recipes are created to be straight forward and simple, so you probably have most of it around the house already.
4. Execute
This is the fun part! Your home spa day involves completely disconnecting from technology. No TV, no phone and no computer! RELAX. ENJOY. REBOOT.
Below, I have an example of my own Natural Home Spa Day which you may wish to use as a template for yours.
7:00 am – Wake up! (This is actually a sleep-in for me). But don’t set an alarm. Just wake with the sun and take it easy. This is a guilt-free zone.
7:00 – 8:00 am – The first ten minutes of being awake, I spend deep breathing, praying, meditating and visioning how my day will pan out. I follow this with 20-30 mins of light yoga and stretching to wake up my body and get the blood flowing. Then it’s time to take myself outside for about 10 mins to get some sunlight on my face (this helps reconnect you with the circadian rhythm of nature). I write down any random thoughts, unleash any built up emotions, or simply write for the sake of writing. Regardless, it helps to empty my mind and get the creative juices flowing. You may prefer to paint, sing or dance but I just encourage some form of creative expression during this time. Then have a quick, cold shower and get dressed.
8:00 am – My favorite meal of the day – BREAKFAST! I make breakfast count and pick high energy food that will fuel my day. I prefer to eat a higher fat breakfast with some protein. A high carb breakfast weighs me down and I find myself struggling to muster energy by mid-morning. My go-to dish when I want to treat myself is poached eggs, avocado, smoked salmon, sauteed kale and mushrooms, with a side of sauerkraut. It’s balanced, organic and wholesome. Take time to savor breakfast and sit at a table so you are mindful, present and without distractions.
9:00 am – I follow breakfast with a home brewed espresso as I sit and read for an hour or so. This gives my body time to relax and digest. Do NOT read the newspaper, flick on the TV, scroll through your social media feed or even a non-fiction book. We are so flooded by facts, figures, negative current affairs and mindless information on a daily basis. Pick out a good quality novel as your choice of reading for the day. It’s nice to get lost in a good fictional story (I’m a tad obsessed with Jamie the Outlander series at the moment) that has nothing to do with anything else. Guilty pleasure permitted.
10:00 am – Spend some time in nature! Just when you thought today was going to be all about locking yourself indoors – HA! You don’t know me very well then. It’s easy to coop yourself up in your house, apartment or office. But you probably already spend spend five days of your week transitioning between your home, office or other indoor four-walled prison-like chamber of modern society with little time left spare for nature. Your natural spa day is about breaking out of that routine. It’s so important to get out and breathe fresh air, bask in sunlight and walk barefoot in the grass. We are creatures of nature and the longer we spend away from it, the more disconnected we become with ourselves and the impact our modern lives have on the earth. Take your dog for a walk, do some light gardening, lay in the park reading your book or just sit and be present. Just do it outside!
12:00 – 1:00 pm – Lunch time. I keep lunch fairly simple. A fresh salad with some protein usually does the trick. Again, sit at the table, without distractions and just enjoy your food!
1:00 – 5:00 pm – The afternoon is pamper time! I’ll be providing some recipes for each of these as I post over the next 2 weeks (and will add the links here when they get posted). They include:
- 3 Ingredient Natural Face Mask You Can Eat!
- Natural Foot Scrub and Soak
- Nourishing Hair Mask Made From This One Food You Probably Have In Your Kitchen
- Herbal Bath Infusion To Relax and Unwind
During this time you may wish to also listen to some chillaxing tunes, read that book of guilty pleasure, paint, draw or write. Do NOT however, work on any projects directly related to your day job. This is time and creative space to work on hobbies with no attachment or end goal in sight. FREEDOM!
5:00 – 6:00 pm – Yoga! Time to get your downward dog on. Nothing like some more stretching, deep breathing and yoga to unwind before you prep your dinner.
6:00 – 8:00 pm – Dinner time. Yay – more yummy food! I love to eat a warming meal at night. Some roasted vegetables with a steak (grass-fed of course) or lamb chop brings back a flood of childhood memories. Sharing a meal where the eight of us were crammed around a tiny table inhaling mum’s specialty. Eat something that is nourishing for your body and your soul. Your home spa day isn’t about diet and restriction. The last thing you want is to go to bed with an empty stomach, growling in displeasure from deprivation. You can still eat what’s good for you and enjoy it. Healthy food needn’t be bland or boring. Pick your favorite home-hearty meal and enjoy the time spent preparing and eating it guilt-free. Followed by some quality dark chocolate and a cup of chamomile!
8:00 – 10:00 pm – I usually collapse into a ball of drooling snores by 10 pm. Go to bed whenever you feel the need, but do so before 10 pm. Enjoy reading or mediating by candlelight to help your body relax in preparation for a good night sleep. NO TV or Facebook browsing!
Stay tuned over the new couple weeks, as I share some of my favorite recipes you can use to prepare your Natural Home Spa Day!
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