5 simple steps to reboot your body this spring
As the weather warms up, many of us feel the call to start afresh. To energise our bodies for the warm weather to come.
After a winter that has felt heavier than usual - physically, mentally and emotionally - you might be looking for ways to reboot yourself and your body. If that’s the case, here are 5 simple steps to get you started.
5 steps to kickstart your body for spring
Focus on wholefoods
Winter is often a time of comfort foods and ordering Uber Eats when it’s too cold to venture out. But as the weather starts to thaw, you might find your body wants something fresher.
The easiest way to embrace this is to focus your daily diet around wholefoods. By this, I mean:
Fruit
Vegetables
Herbs and spices
Nuts
Seeds
Beans and legumes
Wholegrains such as oats
Eggs
Fish and seafood
High-quality meat and poultry
These foods are the most nutrient-dense foods you will find, so they will replenish your nutrient stores. Many of them are also rich in fibre, which is needed to support the elimination of waste products and toxins from the body.
If you’re watching your weight, eating primarily wholefoods will also act as a natural appetite moderator. Because you are eating more nutrients, fibre and protein, you’ll feel more satiated and less likely to crave unhealthy foods.
Hydrate yourself every single day
Ever wondered why water is part of every cleanse and detox you’ve ever heard of? It all comes down to how the liver works when detoxifying.
Phase 2 detoxification is all about making nasties in the body water-soluble. But if you don't have enough water to dissolve those toxins and remove them through the kidneys and bowels, they hang around in the body.
If you're not going to the toilet regularly, your body won’t eliminate these substances as efficiently as you need. This can lead to inflammation and an extra burden on the liver. As you can imagine, this can leave you feeling sluggish and generally unwell.
If you want your liver to do its job, make sure you’re drinking plenty of fresh, filtered water. I personally use and recommend the Zazen water system for water that is refreshing and hydrates your cells. You can learn more about Zazen here.
Address the stress
Let’s talk about stress for a minute. We often shrug it off as being all in our heads, or something that will settle down once we finish X amount of tasks, or that we’re just overly sensitive.
But stress is a very real and physical experience - and your whole body can suffer as a result. The stress response can trigger changes from the brain to the adrenals, through to the gut and reproductive organs. And of course, your thyroid gland!
Over time, these impacts add up to serious chronic conditions. Many of the health issues that people are diagnosed with these days have stress as at least one of the triggers, if not the major trigger.
You can’t keep 'pushing through' stress without managing it properly. So if you want to protect your health and support your body, it’s time to address the stress in your life. Make sure you check out this article for 10 easy tips to get you started.
Move in a way that feels good
Exercise is one of the most underrated ways to take care of your entire body (and mind!) Unfortunately, many people have been put off moving their bodies. Why? Because they don’t enjoy going to the gym, or they’ve tried intense exercise and burned out from it, or they’ve been made to feel guilty for not moving regularly.
The key here is to find a form of movement that feels good for YOU and that suits your body. If you have a chronic condition, this might be something as simple as a daily walk at a local park. You don’t have to sweat buckets and feel sore for days to reap the benefits of movement!
I encourage you to work towards a balance of cardiovascular, strength and flexibility in your movement. For some, this can be incorporated into one hobby - think dancing, martial arts or pole dancing. For others, you might want to add in a few different movement types.
Need more motivation to get moving on a regular basis? Check out these science-based reasons here.
Clean up your house
Have you had a look at the products you use every single day or week? It’s not just what you put into your body in terms of food and drinks - it’s also what you use in your environment.
Unfortunately, many of us are exposed to countless problematic chemicals on a daily basis. Some can interfere with your hormone balance (which is a big issue if you have thyroid issues!), and others can increase your risk of cancer. Not every chemical is bad - but a lot of them can be, especially if you combine them.
Where can you find these problematic chemicals? Think:
Makeup
Fake tan
Household and cleaning products that contain phthalates and fragrances
Personal care products including shampoo, conditioner, body wash and sunscreen
Plastics including food containers
Non-stick cookware
It can feel overwhelming when you first look at everything you have in your house that might be adding to your health issues! But you can start one step at a time.
When you finish using up a product, opt for a natural version that is free of these problematic compounds. Or if you have one item on the list that you use most frequently, start by switching that one over. Once you’ve found an alternative that you’re happy with, move onto the next item that you use frequently.
Want to take your Spring Reset to the next level? My Cleanse Program is for you!
In just 3 weeks, you can give your body the nurturing it has been crying out for. You’ll receive plenty of helpful resources and goodies, including meal plans, recipes, yoga and meditation sessions, cleanse supplements and teas, as well as daily support and accountability.
The next round starts September 6th, 2021 - click here to learn more and join.