A Guide to Refreshing Your Routine for the Spring Season

As the chill of winter gradually gives way to the gentle warmth of spring, nature awakens, and so do our bodies and minds. Spring brings with it a sense of renewal, making it the perfect time to revitalize our health and wellness routines. With longer days and blooming landscapes, there's no better moment to embark on a journey of self-care and rejuvenation. Let's explore how you can take advantage of this vibrant season to nourish your body, mind, and spirit.

• Revitalize Your Exercise Routine: Say goodbye to indoor workouts and embrace the beautiful outdoors. Take advantage of the pleasant weather by incorporating outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, or simply going for a walk or run in your local park. The fresh air and sunlight will energize your body and elevate your mood, making exercise feel more enjoyable and rewarding.

• Nourish with Seasonal Foods: Spring heralds the arrival of an abundance of fresh, seasonal produce bursting with flavor and nutrients. Load up on leafy greens, crunchy vegetables, and juicy fruits like strawberries, cherries, and apricots. These foods are not only delicious but also packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber, supporting your overall health and vitality.

• Hydrate and Detoxify: With the temperatures rising, it's essential to stay hydrated. Swap out sugary drinks for water infused with lemon, cucumber, or mint for a refreshing and detoxifying boost. Consider incorporating herbal teas known for their detoxifying properties, such as dandelion or green tea, to support your body's natural cleansing processes.

• Prioritize Mental Wellbeing: Spring is a time of growth and renewal, making it an opportune moment to focus on your mental health. Practice mindfulness meditation to cultivate a sense of calm and clarity amidst the busyness of life. Spend time in nature, whether it's gardening, picnicking in the park, or simply taking a leisurely stroll, to soothe your mind and reconnect with the world around you.

• Spring Clean Your Environment: A cluttered or chaotic environment can contribute to feelings of stress and overwhelm. Take inspiration from the tradition of spring cleaning and declutter your living space. Clear out any unnecessary items, organize your belongings, and create a serene and harmonious atmosphere that promotes relaxation and wellbeing.

• Get Adequate Rest: With the days growing longer, it's tempting to pack your schedule full of activities and commitments. However, it's crucial to prioritize rest and rejuvenation. Aim for seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night to support your body's natural healing processes and enhance your overall health and vitality.

• Set Intentions for Growth: Spring symbolizes new beginnings and growth, making it an ideal time to set intentions for the months ahead. Reflect on your goals and aspirations, both personally and professionally, and take concrete steps towards manifesting them. Whether it's starting a new hobby or nurturing meaningful relationships, embrace this season of possibility to cultivate positive change in your life.

As we welcome the spring season, let's seize the opportunity to refresh our health and wellness routines, embracing the energy of renewal that permeates the world around us. By prioritizing movement, nourishment, mindfulness, and self-care, we can harness the transformative power of this season to cultivate a healthier, happier, and more vibrant life.

Here's to embracing the beauty of spring and blooming into our best selves!

How to Achieve Your Goals

As we begin to approach the Spring season, we reflect on our New Year's resolutions and our personal goals for the 2023 year. That being said, there are most likely several goals sitting in the back of your mind that you had set out to achieve at the beginning of the new year when it felt like you had forever. However, do not worry! It can be quite difficult to set aside time for goals that may not be your #1 priority. Below I have shared 3 tips that will be a game changer in helping you attain the goals that you wish to achieve.

TIP #1 MAKE YOUR GOALS MEASURABLE

Surprisingly, many people set goals without having an exact measure to determine when their goal is accomplished or not. For example, at the beginning of the year you always hear everyone saying they plan to go to the gym more. But what does more mean? Does that mean going 3 times a week as opposed to none? Being specific with the goal that you want to accomplish helps you stay accountable and on track.

TIP #2 SET CHECKPOINTS TO REACH ALONG THE WAY

Sometimes the goal you want to reach can seem far from reach. Setting checkpoints for yourself can make the process feel faster and more progressive. For example, if your goal is to learn how to cook 4 new healthy recipes within 2 weeks, try breaking it down. Set Mondays and Wednesdays as designated nights to try out your new recipes. This way, you have time to shop on the weekends for the possibly new ingredients needed, as well as more structure to help you along the way!

TIP #3 MARK A DATE TO REACH YOUR GOALS

Procrastination can be our greatest enemy at times. This often hinders us from achieving our goals when we say “Oh I’ll start that later”. In that moment, it is critical to ask yourself what is holding you back from taking those first steps? Take back control and mark a date on your calendar for when you want to begin working towards your goal, and when you want to have accomplished it by. If you desire, you can take it one step further by setting dates for when you want to accomplish any checkpoints to reach your goal too. Setting a date not only helps you stay organized, but also holds you accountable.

4 Ways That Fasting For 16 Hours Has Improved My Fitness

While there are plenty of approaches to nutrition that will result in weight loss, there aren’t many that can improve your physical performance, cognitive function and workout recovery all at the same time. I have tried many different types of diets and lifestyle changes in an attempt to feel and perform at my best, but nothing has worked better than sticking to an eight-hour eating window—aka intermittent fasting.

Believe it or not, we have the ability to change the chemistry of our cells to create the cleanest energy, rapid repair, and better physical and mental outcomes. The best possible way to do this is, I’ve found, is fasting for 16 hours. It allows the body and mind to go into rapid cellular cleanup mode, and shifts the body from burning glucose (sugar) for fuel to burning ketones (fat), resulting in long-lasting energy. This process dramatically changes our performance during our workouts as well as our physique. Here are some of the benefits I’ve reaped by intermittent fasting (that you can experience too!).

I have more energy than ever

In order for us to reach our potential during our workouts and workdays, we need to calibrate energy from the cleanest source possible. For the body and mind this is ATP (an energy molecule), since it’s converted much more efficiently in the body than glucose (sugar). In order to use ATP instead of glucose, we have to give our mitochondria a break from constantly being taxed by digestion and stress.

Intermittent fasting has totally changed my energy levels, from the second I wake up until the moment I go to sleep. Like I said, fasting for 16 hours gives my cells a break— which means I have more energy during my workouts without that fatigue-like crash afterward (or even at the end of my day). If you feel like you’re not able to give it your all during a workout or you really feel that afternoon slump, fasting is likely a good option for you.

I recover faster from my workouts

Inflammation can be a positive byproduct of exercise, allowing for muscular adaptations to take place. But if it becomes chronic, typically from stress, sugar, and environmental toxins, inflammation can create issues. This type of inflammation hinders our performance during a workout, as well as the results.

Intermittent fasting efficiently clears waste and toxins from the cells, allowing for a dramatic reduction in inflammation. This means you’ll spend less time feeling sore and fatigued and more time feeling energized and ready for more. And who doesn’t want that, right?

It’s enhanced my physique- and given me lasting results

As I mentioned, intermittent fasting can speed weight loss by burning the body’s fat stores for fuel—a process called ketosis. During the 16-hour fast, the body burns through the glycogen in the liver, which elevates our metabolic rate. According to a study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, subjects who ate the same number of calories as they would in a normal day—but in a smaller window of time—had a “significant modification of body composition, including reductions in fat mass.” Pretty crazy, right? 

Also, intermittent fasting boosts irisin—a molecule that makes our white fat cells behave like brown fat cells. This is important because brown fat cells protect the organs while white fat cells accumulate around the stomach, thighs and hips. The more we can activate brown fat cells the better—and the longer our physique and health benefits will last.

My sleep improved immensely

Lastly, intermittent fasting helps to balance cortisol (a stress hormone). Cortisol is supposed to rise and fall throughout the day, eventually coming down at night. Due to our action-packed lifestyles, cortisol tends to stay high all the way through the evening. This has negative consequences on our hormone balance and sleep patterns. (Insomnia, anyone?)

When cortisol is high, it tends to pull from the thyroid and our estrogen and testosterone stores, which can cause our metabolism to slow down. Additionally, high cortisol interrupts the body’s natural production of melatonin. This means we’ll have issues falling asleep, and we won’t get any of the deep sleep necessary to repair our bodies after a long workout (or even a particularly tough day). Fasting for 16 hours balances my cortisol, and now I never have these issues!

Ready to start crushing your fitness goals and have more energy? Check out mbg’s guide to intermittent fasting or if you’re a morning workout person, read more about how to make IF work for you.