This blog post is hard for me to write, because I’m not sure where to start.

• You can use DETOX in a bath. I cannot; however, because my bathtub is not suited for reclining in. I use DETOX exclusively as a foot soak (see My Routine below for details).
• I try to use DETOX about once a week and definitely after a massage. You can use DETOX as frequently as you want.
• Because DETOX is rich in magnesium, it’s great to help ease minor aches + pains, and the minerals are easily absorbed through your skin.

Massages

I believe the journey to developing DETOX all started in grad school. Before then, I only had 1 massage in my life and it was uncomfortable because I was tense the whole time - incapable of relaxing. While I was getting my MBA, I was also traveling for work a lot. I soon developed this deep pain in my clavicle, like Chuck Norris karate chopped my collar bone. What do you do for that kind of pain? Call a massage therapist. So, while I was in Toronto I scheduled a massage for the next day at home. Damn that massage hurt! He kneaded and prodded the muscle(s) under my collar bone, and I didn’t flinch! The next day, I was sore, but feeling 100% better!

It was then that my massage therapist let me know that kneading and prodding muscles (as well as exercising) releases toxins in our bodies, so it’s important to drink a lot of water to help promote those toxins to exit our bodies.

Magnesium

Separately, my mother-in-law is always telling (pushing) me about the supplements she takes for this and that. One supplement she swears by is magnesium, since it helps with her fibromyalgia. So I did some research on magnesium.

It turns out many people have a magnesium deficiency, which is not good since magnesium plays an active role in over 300 enzymes in our bodies to “[stimulate] nerve and muscle function, [limit] inflammation, and [improve] oxygenation + blood flow through the body” [source]. Basically magnesium is a big deal for us to function at our optimum and the best way to get more magnesium is to absorb it through our skin.

My Routine

I have terribly tight feet with high arches and they generally hurt after a long day. Usually my knees and hips are also affected by my feet/ gait. So I have taken up the habit of soaking my feet in DETOX every Sunday, in honor of #selfcaresunday. Also as my massage therapist reminds me, massaging muscles releases toxins, so I use DETOX after a massage to help draw the toxins out of my body.

A typical Sunday involves:

• A tall glass of wine or coffee, depending on the time;
• My current binge TV show (The Handmaid's Tale) or book (Incognito: the secret lives of the brain);
• Family-sized pasta serving bowl from Target that’s never been used for food (choose from 1, 2, 3, or square);
• 4 cups of warm water (microwaved for 1m:45s);
• ⅓ to ½ jar of DETOX;
• 1 hand towel to dry off my feet; and
• Cozy socks.