Can brushing your whole body with a dry skin brush help with weight loss, reduce cellulite and feel great?
The short answers are I believe yes and oh heck yes, but before I begin let me note that this post may seem a bit “new age”. But stick with me, I promise it will be worth it!
Earlier this year my former nutritionist told me all about dry skin brushing. She explained that it is a great way to get the blood flowing in your body and to work the “lymph system”. Skin brushing is a way to cleanse the lymph system inside your body and get rid of all the nasty toxins that build up in the lymph glands. Here is a good article that explains how skin brushing helps the lymph system. I like how the dry skin brushing makes me feel, I like how the dry skin brushing works for cellulite and I like how it appears to be helping me with my weight loss.
MedlinePlus explains the lymph system is, “a network of organs, lymph nodes, lymph ducts, and lymph vessels that produce and transport lymph from tissues to the bloodstream. The lymph system is a major component of the body’s immune system. Lymph nodes produce immune cells that help the body fight infection. They also filter the lymph fluid and remove foreign material such as bacteria and cancer cells.”
When I met with my fitness trainer this summer and explained the areas of my body I wanted to work on, she too said dry brushing was something worth doing. She talked about how skin brushing can help with removing cellulite.
I try to do it every morning and I can tell you that it feels amazing. It gives me a great tingling feeling and I know it is helping with my healthy transformation. The brushing wakes me up and, while this will sound silly, it makes me feel alive. We cleanse our insides with our green smoothies and green juices, this brush helps us cleanse off the toxins that sit on the outside and work our lymph system on the inside.
I did some research on which dry skin brush is the best and everyone said the Yerba Prima brand is the best. You can pick up the brush for less than $10 on Amazon. I bought mine in February and even today it is still in nearly perfect looking shape and it still gives me the same great feeling it did the first day. Make sure you use this brush ONLY for dry skin brushing and not in the shower – basically you should avoid getting the brush wet.
It takes about 2-3 minutes to do the dry skin brushing technique. I do it before I shower in the morning and it is really simple. I’ve posted a video below of the process but basically you want to start at the furthest points in your body and brush in slow, even, long strokes towards your heart. I start with my feet and work upwards to my waist. Then I work from my hands to my chest and then up my back and stomach.
Here’s my bottom line – even if the dry skin brushing isn’t helping me with my weight loss, it feels amazing when I do it and was well worth the $10 for the brush.
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I love love love my body brush. I wish I could get my husband to start body brushing.