Spring is not too far away (10 days – woohoo!) which means that right about now – for many people – the panic starts to set in. All of those glorious months of hibernation and borderline excessive numbers of pies suddenly seem like they weren’t such a great idea after all. The good news is that there’s no need to head for the nearest fad diet or exercise regime. Rather, as the weather warms up it’s a great time to focus on make some long-term positive changes that mean you’ll never have to feel this way again!
Check out my top six tips for spring health.
Set goals
It doesn’t matter whether your goals are around fitness, weight loss or even work/life balance, writing them down and pinning them somewhere is a great way to help you stay on track. Keep them SMART – that’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.
Move every day
Put aside 30-45 minutes every single day to get moving. The details are up to you, but to give you some ideas, it could be a lunchtime walk with co-workers, dancing around like a maniac to your favourite songs in the evening, a Pilates class, or ditching the public transport in favour of a walk into the office.
Train your brain
Health isn’t just about the physical; your mental wellbeing is just as important. Make sure you take some time out for yourself each week (heck, each day if possible!) to focus on things that make you feel calm and content. Not feeling like yourself? Don’t be afraid to enlist the help of a professional if you need someone to talk to. The more we are able to talk about mental health openly, the better for everyone.
Say no to added sugar
It’s a sad fact of life that there’s sugar hidden in almost everything. You may think you’re doing ok because you don’t eat ‘junk’ food, but that coconut sugar in your ‘healthy’ dessert, fruit yoghurt you have for morning tea and nightly glass of wine contain more than you think. If you want to get healthy, you need to get serious about added sugar I’m afraid (sorry!).
Eat more greens
Green vegetables are full of iron, folate and fibre, plus a whole bunch of vitamins. Start increasing the amount and variety of greens you eat at each meal (and make sure you’re not overdoing it on the carbs, fats and proteins) and you’ll feel the difference.
Drink more water
To get healthy – and stay healthy – you want to aim to be drinking at least 2L each day (clear urine is a big win guys!). A well hydrated body tends to foster more energy, clearer skin and can even aid in weight loss.
Hi there, this is a great blog! I love that there is a focus on holistic health and emphasising the importance of mental and spiritual health. Many womens fitness blogs and social media pages are highly aesthetic, which is intimidating for regular women. I love this blog and your website as it is very inclusive to all women of all different body shapes, ages and lifestyles. I look forward to following your blog and engaging with your social media accounts!
If you’re interested my new blog SheStrongUNSW focuses on empowering young women in the University of New South Wales area to undertake strength training. Strength training has wonderful holistic health benefits, so increasing female participation in this type of training is important!
RB
Fab blog, well done on being the finalist at the Bupa Blog Awards. Inspirational stories and gorgeous site. x
Thank you so much! Your blog is absolutely fabulous as well – will be sending it on to friends with kids!