Spring Cleaning is a chance to hit the reset button on your life.

Spring Cleaning is supposed to be a positive process following the transition of Winter into Spring. When we think of Spring Cleaning, we usually think of a deep clean to our homes and cars or workspace – washing windows, clearing out the garage or attic, scrubbing floors, throwing out old items, reorganizing files. We don’t usually consider carrying the idea over into other areas of our lives. But Spring is a great time to examine and rethink our diets, exercise, sleep habits, and mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Let this season be one of motivation and inspiration towards improving your lifestyle and forming healthier habits.

Put yourself on your to-do list.

Below we share our ideas and tips on how to Spring Clean Your Health And Wellness Routine.

Spring Clean Your Plate

Spring and Summer are great occasions to incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables into the diet. It’s also an opportunity to initialize Meatless Mondays and to add in more Plant Based Whole Foods, such as apples, oranges, bananas, avocados, and cherries. Eating more natural foods from plants will ensure you’re getting the micronutrients, antioxidants, prebiotics and more that is necessary for optimal gut health, supporting the immune system and reducing inflammation. Plant Based foods are also great for lower blood sugar and blood pressure, heart health, and lowered risk of most cancers. Buy organic and local produce when possible from Farmer’s Markets and Produce Stands, and try to keep shopping limited to the outside walls of the grocery store. And fill up your plate with a variety of veggies first, then add in healthy small servings of lean protein (think salmon, tofu, or beans) and grains (brown rice, whole wheat pasta).

For snacks, cut out the refined and processed sugar-laden desserts, and try heart and brain healthy options such as nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate, hummus with veggies, or Greek Yogurt with granola.

Warmer weather is also a great reason to reduce coffee, tea, and soda intake, and to drink more water and herbal teas instead.

For More Information on Plant Based Snacks and Benefits of Plant Based Eating, click Here.

Spring Clean Your Beauty

Who wants to walk into Spring with a less-than-fresh face? Now is the time to Detox your beauty routine.

Throw out old, expired, or toxic products. Clean your makeup brushes and beauty tools. Swap Winter skincare for Spring skincare. Nourish & hydrate your skin from the inside out. And moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

This is also when you may consider simplifying your look and trying lighter, fresher styles with a less-is-more approach. Your skin, your time, and your wallet will thank you.

For More Information, Read this article from The Good Face Project.

And for more individualized tips and personalized care for your unique skin, Schedule a Facial with one of our lovely and knowledgeable Estheticians.

Spring Clean Your Exercise

Now is when we should be re-evaluating our fitness goals, and looking at whether our current routines are supporting those goals or not. If you have a gym membership, try a new class or a new piece of equipment. If you’ve been exercising indoors, get outside into the sunlight. Join groups for yoga, hiking, cycling or other activities that will keep you disciplined and motivated. Join an online support group for further encouragement, inspiration and support. Changing things up can keep us motivated, stop us from growing stagnant in our progress, and produce greater results.

“He who has health has hope and he who has hope has everything.”
– Arabian Proverb

Spring Clean Your Relationships

We all need friends and acquaintances we can trust, who support and encourage us to be better, who challenge us when we need it, but who are understanding and considerate of our need to rest. We need people who appreciate and respect healthy boundaries. It’s important to have people we can go to when we need advice or a listening ear. We also need individuals that we feel good spending time with, and who feel good spending time with us. Spring cleaning your relationships may mean letting go of, or distancing yourself from, anyone that doesn’t support your goals, or who doesn’t resonate with who you are and want to be. Or it may mean inspecting areas where your relationships could improve, having difficult discussions, setting boundaries, and working together towards interactions that are more beneficial for the both of you.

Spring Cleaning your relationships may mean giving someone an unfollow on social media. Or it could look like calling up a friend you haven’t touched base with in a long time for a coffee or lunch date. At work, you may need to cut ties or isolate yourself from a colleague. Or you may need to find ways to build team interaction and work together more effectively. It may even be that you need to join a small group and find new friends.

However you choose to clean up your relationships, the choices and actions you take should make your interactions closer and more beneficial, most of the time. Your circle may feel smaller, but should also feel more intimate and rewarding.

Spring Clean Your Work Productivity

Clear out emails. Unsubscribe from spam. Reorganize files (both physical and digital!). Throw out any files over 5-10 years old. Delete unnecessary apps. Toss any dried-up pens, and give away or otherwise remove any supplies you never use. Make To-Do lists and prioritize tasks. Clean, disinfect, and declutter your workspace, and rearrange your desk/office if needed, for improved efficiency. Spring Cleaning your productivity means getting rid of any unnecessary roadblocks and distractions, so that you can better focus on what you need to do, when you need to do it.

Spring Clean Your Medical Care

Call and schedule your appointments for the year. Make sure you’re up to date with any recommended screenings, exams, and immunizations. Talk with your doctors about your current medications and supplements, and discuss any concerns you may have. Ensure all your physicians have your updated health information, including results from visits with other practitioners. And even if you’re feeling well, it’s important to schedule an annual checkup.

At home, make a list of all your medications and supplements, along with a list of any known allergens, and any diagnosed illnesses or conditions. Some phones have a Health app specifically for this purpose that can be utilized in emergency situations. But it’s also a good idea to have this list updated to provide to new physicians and specialists. You should also organize your medications, and dispose safely of any that are expired. And make sure all your emergency contacts are up to date as well.

“Wellness is not a ‘medical fix’ but a way of living – a lifestyle sensitive and responsive to all the dimensions of body, mind, and spirit, an approach to life we each design to achieve our highest potential for well-being now and forever.”
– Greg Anderson

Spring Clean Your Downtime

Too many people in our hustle-and-bustle world use their “downtime” as anything but. Mindless “Doom Scrolling”, constant checking of emails, going from one task to another . . . We wear exhaustion like a badge of honor, and rarely focus on TRUE rest, relaxation and renewal. What if, instead of grabbing for your phone immediately after waking, you chose instead to take some deep breaths, stretch a little, meditate or say a prayer, shower, catch the sunrise, and sit down for a nourishing breakfast? How would it look if evenings were spent reading a good book or taking a small hike outside, instead of sitting in front of a screen for hours? Unplug and go outside whenever you can, even if that just means sitting on your porch and taking in the nature that surrounds you. Get moving – whether for a few minutes or a couple hours. This is the time to unload the overload, and focus more on mindfulness and intentional living.

For more, Read our recent article Resolve to Relax and Renew.

Spring Clean Your Sleep

If short, dark Winter days have disrupted your quality of sleep, or just thrown it completely off track, use Spring as a reset. One long-mentioned tip is trying your best to go to sleep and wake up within the same one-hour timeframe every day, even on the weekends and holidays. When possible, get exposure to light right away after waking – this helps the body’s circadian rhythm to readjust. Try not to eat or exercise 2-3 hours before bed, consume alcohol for 4 hours before bed, and avoid caffeine in the afternoon. Also, most people find it easier to sleep by avoiding screen time for at least one hour before slumber, and keeping their room cool, dark and quiet; some find that a low fan or white noise helps, and/or using a weighted blanket. And be consistent with your sleep routine; it usually take 10 days to two weeks for your sleep cycle to reset and for you to start feeling well rested on a regular basis. Getting adequate, refreshing sleep is essential to feel good about all other areas of your health and wellness.

Spring Clean Your Life

Cleaning up your health and wellness could (and should) influence every aspect of your life in some way. Let the tips here encourage you to look over other areas as well.

How are you doing emotionally, mentally, financially, spiritually . . . ? Could you benefit from seeing and speaking to a counselor? Perhaps you need to take a look at your budget versus your saving and spending habits. Perhaps you need to delve into that Devotional or Prayer Group a friend recommended.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed after watching television, perhaps cut back on how much you view the News, or choose shows that or more uplifting. If your favorite tunes have you feeling less than favorable lately, opt for music that is more mellow. Anxious thoughts got you stressed? Spend time meditating each day and focusing on gratitude.

We want to urge you to take this time to reevaluate and refocus your intentions for the year. You have permission to do what’s best for you.

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Your Health & Wellness isn’t just about what you eat or how much you exercise.

Health and Wellness encompasses every area of what we take in or take active part in – what we watch, what we listen to; the environment we live in; our relationships and beliefs; the way we spend our time; our thoughts, words, and actions. Cultivate your life, sow good things with intention and consistency, and see what grows!

_{(As always, please check with your physician before starting any new exercise routines, supplements/vitamins, or diets.)}