Every thought to spring clean your health? We are now officially in spring and buds and flowers are starting to appear. It is a time when we naturally want to rid ourselves of the winter, have a clear out of cupboards and get the house organised. It is a great time of year to focus on you and spring clean your health too!
In this blog I am going to give you my top 10 tips for spring cleaning your health
#1: WHY DO WE GET THE URGE TO SPRING CLEAN
Spring cleaning has been "a thing" for many many years. It is thought to originate from times before electricity when houses were heated by wood and lighting came from lanterns. These left a layer of soot throughout the house and spring was a time when you would be able to thoroughly clean the surfaces and feel fresh to start again.
Although it's mostly steeped in tradition, the act of spring cleaning could very well be beneficial to mental wellbeing too. Taking some control over your environment, cleaning clutter and organising your personal space can do wonders in making you feel less stressed and more in control. So don't just stop at cleaning your house...why not look at spring cleaning your health too?
#2 WHAT WAYS CAN YOU SPRING CLEAN YOUR HEALTH?
When looking to spring clean your health it is good to consider what things are "cluttering" your wellbeing. Which of your lifestyle habits are adding to your stress or feelings of overwhelm?
You can also look at the foods you eat - are some of your eating habits due for an overhaul? Could your food consumption be less junky and much closer to nature?
The one thing that we shouldn't do is any form of trendy or faddy "detox" - our bodies are amazing and so that naturally themselves. It's about providing the body with tools to enable it to effectively and naturally do what it needs to.
So, with this in mind here are my top 10 simple ways to review your everyday habits and spring clean your health.
MY TOP 10 TIPS FOR SPRING CLEANING HEALTH
You don't need to be doing all of these - just the ones that resonate with you and that you feel will make a difference to your current wellbeing:
1.EAT THE RAINBOW
We've all heard how important it is to eat our "5 a day" but actually we need to eat more than that and it is most important that each fruit or vegetable is a different colour
Did you know that the fibre in fruits and vegetables actually help to eliminate toxins and cellular debris from the body a very important part of naturally detoxing). Fruits and vegetables may also help boost mood, energy levels and provide most of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to make it function optimally.
What makes each fruit or vegetable look and taste different is it's different set of nutrients. The more variety you consume of these the more nutrients you will ingest and the better chance for optimal health
I recommend people eat a rainbow. This means that each day you eat a fruit or vegetable from each colour as a minimum: red, orange, yellow, green, purple, white and then ideally, across the week, you'll have diversity from at least 25+ types
2. INCREASE HYDRATION
One of the most important elements of spring cleaning your health is to increase water. Water helps to boost energy and concentration, helps the body to breakdown fats and it also aids in eliminating toxins which effectively cleans you from the inside.
Hydrated means drinking roughly 2 litres daily, but might be less if you're petite or more if you are larger, exercise a lot or are in a hotter environment (heating on or holiday)
Drinks that are hydrating are water (still or sparkling) or herbal teas. Teas and coffees do count too but are never going to be as good as plain and simple water
I recommend that you sip at water throughout the day and the “HYDRATE” water bottles with times down the side can really help motivation with this.
3.PRIORITISE PROTEIN AT EACH MEAL
I talk about protein a lot. It is such an essential nutrient yet, in a typical western diet, it can be quite low. Protein helps with cellular repair & growth, keeps us fuller for longer and helps with stabilising blood glucose levels. However, not all protein sources are equal!
If you are a meat eater then you are best choosing lean cuts of meat and fish.
Non meat proteins which are excellent to include in the diet are eggs, beans, pulses, nuts and seeds
4. DITCH THE PROCESSED FOODS
The negative impacts on health from ultra processed foods are being reported on more and more and this is great news in helping with nutrition education.
Processed foods are generally the foods you buy in packets or from fast food restaurants. The foods often have a lot of salt and sugar added as well as additives, emulsifiers, stabilisers and preservatives. These are all chemicals that are harmful to the body and provide no nutritional benefits. When spring cleaning your health you definitely want to be reducing the burden going into the body.
Aim to avoid these foods and instead opt for home cooked foods as often as possible - that way you can be really sure of exactly what you are eating. Click here to find out much more on ultra processed foods and how you can reduce them in your diet.
5.LIMIT ALCOHOL
Probably a very obvious one to consider when spring cleaning your health. Alcohol is quite a toxin that puts a burden on your liver.....the one organ that we so heavily rely on when naturally detoxing.
It's not always that easy to completely cut out the booze. If you can that is the number one options but if you struggle then perhaps have a few more alcohol free nights and when you do drink try to have less by having a glass of water in between alcoholic beverages
6. MODERATE CAFFEINE
Caffeine is a stimulant which, when consumed in high levels, can have a negative impact on health. Did you know it can take up to 10 hours to clear one cup of coffee from the body!
Having one or two caffeinated drinks daily is fine and can even give us some positive health benefits....but any more is not recommended. I would also recommend having caffeine early in the day as if is known to negatively impact sleep.
Instead, why not drink some water (still or sparkling) or one of the many different herbal tea flavours that are now available
7. CUT BACK ON SUGAR
Terrible news I know but sugar is a big stress on the body, zaps your energy and kills off the good bacteria that are working hard on keeping your digestive system healthy. When spring cleaning your health this is one of the major foods that should go!
My advice is to start with a good healthy protein rich breakfast (porridge or eggs) and limit those breakfast foods high in sugar like cereals and toast and jam. Ideally it is good to have a few sugar free days each week if you can.
Whilst it's a logical leap, when cutting back on sugar, to switch to foods containing artificial sweeteners that claim to be sugar free.....this is actually a bad move.
Artificial sweeteners are highly toxic and, although not conclusive, have been linked to poor mental health. They also appear to link to weight gain too. One theory being that the brain thinks it is getting lots of sugar and is a bit miffed when it doesn't actually get the calories. It is thought that you end up eating more because the brain is triggering you to get the promised calories. Despite mixed research it is my recommendation that you do not consume any foods containing artificial sweeteners.
Artificial sweeteners are found lurking in many diet products including the low sugar yoghurts, cereal bars and low cal squashes and fizzy drinks.
If you need some extra support on quitting sugar then my self guided course is perfect for you
8.GET OUTDOORS
Not all parts of spring cleaning your health are about food. It's important to look at your lifestyle too.
Getting out in the fresh air at the time of year is wonderful. The flowers are popping up, buds are on the trees and the sunshine is starting to get stronger. This sunshine means a bit more exposure to vitamin D. Vitamin D is so important for the immune system, bone health, boosting mental wellbeing and for liver health. So it is great to get out for 15 minutes each day if possible
9. MOVE YOUR BODY
One of the best ways to help you rid the body of toxins and to boost feel good hormones is to move your body. Moving your body helps to stimulate the movement of lymph and stimulates the bowel too. With toxins able to naturally be omitted by the body the happier your body is likely to be.
This doesn't need to mean epic and grueling daily gym sessions (although if that's your thing then go for it!). It should be a mix of some weight bearing (weight lifting), some strength/stretching (like yoga or pilates) and some moderate activity (such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, football etc)
Government guidelines are for 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. Why not buddy up with a friend and so some exercise together to help motivate you
10. REST & RELAXATION
And finally, a really good health habit that can help to spring clean your health is to ensure that you work on reducing stress.
Today's world is quite stressful and the body needs time to be unplugged from the world and allowed to rest and think.
It might be that you work on getting to bed a bit earlier. The liver works very hard when we sleep so it's great to prioritise your sleep if you are looking to make healthier habits.
It might be that you do some guided breathing or meditation or simply sitting quietly and reading a book. Whatever helps to relax you, ensure you make this a priority each day!
So, there you have it, my top 10 tips to spring clean your health.
Good luck and enjoy the wonderful spring season
Janet x
