Spring Cleaning 🧹 March 2024
Spring Cleaning
For your diet🍓, house 🏡 and fitness🏋🏻 routine
Happy Spring… Cleaning
Happy Spring TOA community! We love spring as it brings fresh growth to the land and the promise of sunshine. It also brings a sense of new beginnings and with that the urge to clean out the old; the house, the old diets, and the old fitness routines.
So, let’s talk about spring cleaning; the benefits, the areas and the tips to make it last all year long.
YOUR HOME
Clutter around the house has been shown to increase stress and internal turmoil leading to a mind that is not very calm. If we cannot calm our minds, we cannot fully rejuvenate at the end of the day.
A tip I once heard was never leave a room without taking something to put away. Having kids, this is always on the table as a possibility. Their stuff spreads like wildfire. If you are heading to another room, you might as well put something away. Procrastination is another reason our homes become cluttered; so let’s take the extra minute to put something away, instead of saying “I’ll put that back when I get home”. An organized home is a clean home. Having a small house, we have a place for everything. If everything has a place, then nothing is floating looking for it’s forever home.
TIPS
- When moving rooms, take something to put away.
- Take the minute to put items away right away; don’t procrastinate.
- Give everything in your home a place to live.
YOUR DIET
When we talk about diet, we are not referring to a temporary fix to your lifestyle. We are talking about what you consume daily. Spring is an excellent time to clean this up because fresh foods are multiplying, and the earth is giving back.
A clean diet includes plenty of plants, in all colors. They don’t say “eat the rainbow” 🌈 just for kids. That tip works for everyone! Each color in the plants represent a different phytonutrient (nutrients produced by plants rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories). With all the fresh food blooming this is a perfect time to reduce the number of pre-packaged foods you consume. These are filled with preservatives, man-made chemicals, and lack a critical component: FIBER!
As we enter a warmer season, it will also be critical to hydrate. We will be increasing our movement and with that we need to increase our water consumption. You should shoot for ½ your body weight in ounces per day.
TIPS
- Eat the rainbow, every day. 🌈
- Decrease your pre-packaged foods.
- Hydrate (take your body weight ➗2, these are the ounces you need)
YOUR FITNESS
Spring brings warmer weather and with that the desire to get outside! It may be time to shake up your fitness routine. We all know weights are king as they provide us with the external load necessary for bone growth and muscle tearing (good way). With the pull to the outside, maybe we add in a couple extra days of walking and increase to a ruck (loaded walking) once a week too!
Being outside, walking or rucking, has several benefits. You are exposed to the sun (vitamin D) and fresh air (inside air can be quite dirty), you are increasing your cardiovascular endurance, and you are taking in nature which brings a whole slew of health benefits.
By adding in an extra day of movement you are telling your body you are ready for change. Ready to tackle something new, and your body will respond with increased bone density, increased muscle tone and increased cardiovascular endurance.
TIPS
- Add in an extra day of movement (walking or rucking)
- Add a weighted vest (under 60 minutes) or ruck sack with hip support (over 60 minutes)
- Get in nature and ask a buddy to join you!
Spring has sprung, the sun is out, and we are ready for a little spring cleaning. This spring we implore you to shake up the routines, start a new one and take advantage of ALL spring has to offer.
March 2024 ©BeSTRONGERFitness
