6 Ways to Spring Clean Your Health

Ahh Spring!

The time of year we all crave for after those long cold winter months. It’s the season of new beginnings; fresh buds bloom, animals awake from hibernation, and we all seem to get a ‘fresh start’ in energy! Many people use this new time of year to ‘spring clean’ their homes, clearing out the old and making space for all these new beginnings – but why stop at your home? Let’s spring clean your health too!

1. Spring Sipping!

If you’ve ever had a health conversation with me, you’ll know I’m a strong advocate for proper hydration! Spring is a great time of year to revamp, reevaluate, and restart your health goals – and I want to make sure water is one of them! Not only is water important for our skin and hair as they recover from winter, but it plays an important role in many vital body systems; including our organs that help us detoxify and cleanse our body.

How much water? I often recommend simple math here; your body weight in kilograms should be how many ounces of water you drink each day. Don’t let that number overwhelm you though, it’s not as hard as it seems! Let’s break it down, if you weigh 54kg your goal should be 54oz of water a day; that’s about 7 glasses (8 oz each) a day. If you’re currently only drinking 3 glasses a day, start by adding one more glass per day this week, and next week increase it again by one. Now you’re up to 5 glasses a day! And within 30 days, you’ll have created a great healthy habit your body will surely appreciate!

*If you’ve ever found yourself bored by water, I have some great recipes for flavoured water on this blog too – check it out!

2. Shed Your Skin!

Most people find the winter months to be harsh on their skin leaving it dry and itchy. Spring is a great time of year to start up a new skin care routine, and I have an easy addition for you. Dry skin brushing is a great way to gently exfoliate away dead skin cells, improve circulation and lymph flow that can help with dry or rough skin, edema, and even boost the immune system.

Dry skin brushing is exactly what it sounds like… brushing your skin, while its dry, using a dry brush. It’s recommended that you use small circular motions and start from your extremities and move towards your heart. This mimics the lymphatic system flow, adding to the detoxifcation benefits.

3. Get Outside!

It’s time to get ride of all the winter stuffiness – mentally and physically – get outside and enjoy the sunshine in between those Spring showers. Just a few moments of movement while surrounded by nature can have pretty impressive effects on your body. Try it! Add a 15 minute walk to your daily routine, maybe on your lunch break, or take a detour on your way home from work to walk the neighbourhood park before heading home. Your body will thank you for all the extra mood boosting Vitamin D and fresh air.

4. Purge That Pantry!

I’m sure cleaning out the refrigerator and pantry is already on your ‘to do’ list, but let’s take it a step further. Throwing out any expired items is a must, but use this opportunity to make a more conscious decision about your pantry items. Clear out any junk or processed food and make a list of new and healthier items to replace them with. For example; ditching that white rice for brown ride or quinoa, or tossing out those empty calorie salad dressings and stocking up on a variety of healthy oils flavoured vinegars to make lighter dressings where you control the ingredients, or throwing out those packaged cookies and stocking up on dried fruits and dark chocolate instead are all going to help you get to a cleaner diet.

This is also a good time to go through your medicine cabinet. Taking any expired medications and pharmaceuticals to your neighbourhood drugstore for proper disposal will help clear out your bathroom and keep you and your family safe from potentially ineffective medicines.

5. Find New Flavours!

Spring means new and fresh produce comes into season making it a great time to experiment with new flavours and start using more fresh ingredients in your kitchen. Often times, the winter months often mean pantries are stocked with canned fruits are veggies, helping us avoid extra grocery store runs between blizzards, and we tend to crave warm or cooked foods, keeping us cozy from the inside out. Warmer weather means our bodies can learn to love fresh produce in one of it’s healthiest forms; raw! Try experiment with salads and juicing while adding more colour to your meals and more nutrients to your diet!

According to www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.com there is a long and delicious list of produce in season for March, April and May:

Apricots Artichokes

Asaparagus Bitter melon

Fennel Green beans

Honeydew Limes

Mango Oranges

Peas Pineapple

Rhubard Spinach

Strawberries

6. Book Yourself In!

Make those doctors appointments you’ve been putting off! Perhaps you escaped the cold and flu season unscathed – amazing! But that shouldn’t excuse you from getting your annual checkup. It’s important to check in on your health for preventative care, or for that thing you keep delaying because “it’s just not that bad”. Check in with all your all health care professionals; doctor, dentist, optometrist, even your massage therapist!

Make time for your health and start this fresh new season with a fresh new you!