Spring Clean Your Life, inclusive of your Health!
Did you know that clutter is toxic to our entire being, our mind, body, soul & spirit? Spring is a time to release some if not all the harmful loads we have encountered by getting our act together. Spring has arrived and this makes for the perfect time to clean out and up our lives. It is a time of renewal, awareness, and consciousness. We must recognize where we are at in this moment and where we may want to be moving forward. During this time of renewal let’s transform our lives, by embracing our purpose, our true calling(s) on our lives. None of this is possible if we don’t cleanup our surroundings, especially our health. Let’s make magic happen in our lives this Spring.
The Season of Spring
When you think of Spring, what do you envision? Is it flowers blooming, longer light outside, temperatures changing, moods improving, animals frolicking? Whether it is any of these or something else, Spring is about change. Spring signifies a shift in seasons from Winter forward to Spring, kind of like the clock change that just occurred. Spring is a time to look ahead, check in on our goals, and make some new ones if we need to pivot, and if we have not developed goals or plans to achieve aspirations yet, it is a time to do so.
Spring & Health
Spring is the perfect time to clean-up our health. We can start with some lifestyle changes to improve our sleep, physical, mental, and social being, our home, and schedule.
Since it is Nutrition and Sleep Month, we can’t stress enough how getting the right nutrients in your body and enough good sleep can make all the difference in improving some aspects of well-being. Health and wellness may look like one thing to one person and something completely different to someone else, but the constants are proper nutrition, sleep and exercise.
1. Spring Cleaning & Nutrition
a. Clean out your cubies and fridge. If it is expired or smells bad it is time to let it go. Say Bye-Bye. If it is high in fat; specifically saturated and trans fat it is time to let it go.
b. Cut down or cut out alcohol, soda, sugary drinks, processed foods. If you must eat out; try to keep it to 2x a week and make sure you know every ingredient of what you are putting in your body.
c. Eliminate refined grains and reduce the intake of excess salt and sugar.
d. Add more vegetables to your diet and foods high in fiber, vitamins and minerals.
e. Add colorful and seasonal fruits. (watch your fruit servings if sugar is an issue)
f. Eat more meals in a bowl instead of a plate if you have a hard time controlling your portions.
g. Meatless Mondays are the perfect day of the week to eat 100% plant-based/vegan. There is no excuse to eat meat on this day. Need help in this department? Stop by the Earthy Naturals Store to Download a Recipe Book or Guide. All recipes are meatless on Mondays whether you are a meat lover, flexitarian, vegan, or vegetarian. Not eating meat on Mondays has had some beneficial effects for just about everyone we have engaged in this lifestyle, no matter how they lived. Give it a try for at least a month before you knock it.
h. Hydrate with H20. There are no calories, no sugar in water and it helps to keep the blood flowing and the food circulating through the body and eventually out.
i. If you need a change pick up some sparkling or seltzer water and add lemons, limes berries to infuse it and some antioxidants and vitamin C. Try some chamomile or green tea to keep you calm and cool.
2. Spring Cleaning & Physical Activity
a. Exercise helps with mind, body, and soul blood flow. If you feel or notice a decline in any area of you or a loved one’s life it is time to start participating in some physical activity now. Exercise helps blood flow more freely to the brain as well as to other parts of the body that is why it is imperative to take part in some form of physical activity every day. A sound mind is important to longevity, remembering your loved ones all the days of your life is something we all should treasure at every age.
b. Commit to doing some sort of movement 30 to 45 minutes per day, 5 days a week. Break it down to 15 minutes at a time if you need to; just get it in. Do 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes or more for lunch. Start with a plan and check it off when it is complete.
3. Spring Cleaning & Sleep
a. Get to bed and wake up the same time every day, but especially on weekdays. This habit will help you wake up every day of your life recharged without an alarm clock; your natural internal clock will do all the work in getting you out of bed rejuvenated.
b. Try to stop your caffeine intake by Noon, but especially no later than 2pm if you want to have a good night’s sleep (7-9) hours.
c. Take power naps, if need be, before 3pm and do so for no more than an hour; 30 minutes ideal. This will provide you a dose of energy and focus, but not interrupt your ability to fall asleep in the evening.
d. Clean out excess clutter from your sleeping area and keep electronics, blue light out of the bedroom they may disturb sleep making you feel drained in the morning.
e. Open windows to allow fresh air in, but make sure the room is completely dark when heading to bed. Upon rising in the morning open curtains and shades to improve your mood by taking in the natural light.
4. Spring Cleaning & Mental
a. Get out in the sunlight. Get some vitamin C & D3
b. Talk to someone about what is going on with you. Let what’s on your mind out.
c. Journal your thoughts if you have a hard time expressing yourself verbally.
d. Play some music, sing, laugh, and dance.
e. Commit to do something that makes you happy.
5. Spring Cleaning & Social
a. Purge your circle. Get out and socialize more, meet new people.
b. Pick up the phone and check in and on someone you have not spoken to. Strengthen relationships.
c. Take a class to help you level up your skills and possibly meet new people who can change your life and who you can make a difference in their lives too.
6. Spring Cleaning & Home
a. Throw out whatever it is that you have not used in 5+ years.
b. Feeling creative? Upcycle that window frame and make it a picture frame or table top. Turn that shirt into a rag or a bag to carry groceries…. More to come on this next month. (Earth Month)
c. Want to lose weight? Take out your smaller clothes and start envisioning yourself in it. Grab some weights and start using them. Want a workout plan? Contact us?
d. Get rid of personal care and household products that you can’t pronounce the ingredients name on a good day. Clean your home with baking soda, vinegar, castile soap, lemons, limes, essential oils, and water. Regarding personal care goods, look for the USDA seal, B corp. or other certifying org seals. Read to make sure you understand what is in every product you put on your skin. Drink more water, eat nutritious foods and you will need less beauty care products because your skin will be clear, flawless and youthful from head to toe naturally.
7. Spring Cleaning & Schedule
a. Start each day with a purpose. Want to get more done, start each day with a plan so therefore when things pop up unexpectedly you will not be phased. You will keep on, keeping on with what you must do.
b. Tackle your top 5 goals before 3pm. An example would be to call back, e-mail, follow-up with x, y, z, exercise, drink 5 glasses of water, etc. all before 3pm.
c. Plan out your goals for this quarter so that you can work on achieving them within 3 months or so. It is hard to meet goals without an effective plan in place.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Spring is upon us, it is time for an awakening, renewal, a revival, an uprising, cleaning up and out our lives, but especially our health. Consider some of the ideas that we have listed here to make some necessary changes to thrive in this season or think up your own. You do not need to be perfect to start, you just need to be committed to beginning and seeing things through to fruition. You have 90 days to make a difference in your life this Spring Season, are you in?
Work with An Experienced, Professional Coach
If you need a little or a big nudge for that matter, we are available to help you move forward. Life is ticking every second, minute, hour, day, will you be in the same place next year at this time, saying I know, and I am going to be X years old, something must change or will you do something about it? Contact us if you want different results, want to work with a professional health and wellness or personal development coach and say goodbye to excuses and procrastination?
Pondering Question(s)?
· What does Spring Cleaning look like in your life?
· How can you clean-up your health?
· Why have you been procrastinating?
· What will it take for you to change?