Your Body Tip #1: Start With A Cleanse

Start the Spring with a cleanse. There are a number of ways in which you might go about this, but at a very simple level this can be achieved by beginning each day with hot water and a slice of lemon for two weeks.

In Chinese medicine, the Spring is associated with the Liver organ. The energy from the Liver, when balanced, smoothes our emotional energy. If the Liver energy is congested, emotional outbursts can occur frequently and with less prompting. The Liver energy controls decision making, so a balanced Liver allows us to follow through with our creative visions. A Liver with excess energy can manifest as an inappropriate determination to accomplish goals that the individual may become a “workaholic”. A cleanse is fantastic for the health of your Liver.

Your Body Tip #2: Change One Habit

Carrying out an honest self-assessment of the habits we have that fail to serve us and our body can leave us feeling pretty dejected. For instance, do any of the following sound familiar?

• Too much caffeine
• Too much alcohol
• Too many late nights
• Consistently working long days
• Consuming too many sugary refined foods and snacks
• Not drinking enough water
• Completing no or very little exercise
• Completing little or no stretching

To change all at once is perhaps the fastest way to failure. But to focus your energy on achieving just the one change over the next few weeks is a great way to getting that feeling of wanting to achieve more and knowing that you can actually do so if you take things step-by-step.

Which habit is it time to address? By changing it, how will this impact on you and your health and wellness? Moreover, if you fast forward to the summer, how will you feel?

Your Body Tip #3: Move More

Quite a simple tip but one that can’t be understated. It’s so easy to assume that because our lives feel so hectic that we’re moving enough. Why not combine more movement with something that is going to help de-stress you, such as:

• Can you encourage your children to take an evening walk with you?
• Can you plan a walk into your weekend plans?
• Can you take walking meetings at work (plan your route first so you are not distracted by navigational decisions!)
• Can you park further away and walk?
• Can you take the stairs and not the lift?

Your Mind Tip #1: Improving Sleeping Habits

You probably don’t need us to tell you that a lack of adequate sleep can be a big cause of mental and physical health problems. Fatigue and sleepiness reduce productivity and can result in impaired judgment, poor decisions, affect mood, concentration, performance and social interaction.

What with the clocks springing forward on March 31st, resulting in one less hour of sleep, now is a great time to readdress your sleeping habits and to benefit from such a positive change. Here are just a few tips for improving your sleep:

• Be consistent with sleep and wake times
• Remove all blue light technology – checking work emails at 11pm stimulates cortisol and block melatonin production
• Stop caffeine after lunch
• Try and plan your bed time – don’t just get into bed and expect to fall asleep
• Create a clutter free space to sleep in – allows for air movement, and a calmer mind.
• Try and aim for 7 hours of sleep, so make sure you go to bed early enough to allow for this

As a side note, the 31st March is a Sunday. As such, it might be a good idea to make the change on the Friday or Saturday night instead, allowing you to adjust before Monday – which could be especially important if you have children.

Your Environment Tip #1: Declutter Your Life

For starters, declutter your desk and your inbox! When was the last time you emptied the drawers, tidied your office space and desk and went through your entire email box and sorted it?

What would happen if you highlighted all of your inbox and pressed delete…? If this is too much, go through all of your inbox from old to new and either Do, Delete or Delegate.

Your environment contributes massively to your productivity or levels of distractions – what is yours doing? Too much clutter over stimulates your senses and stimulates cortisol and stress hormones.

How about at home? Why not open the windows at home, put some spring flowers in your house, and choose one room each weekend to spring clean? A great person to take inspiration from is Marie Kondo.

How Are You Going To Spring Forward Your Health in 2019?

We’ve covered a lot of ideas and recommendations in this post, but which are you going to commit to? Remember, it doesn’t have to be all of them – at least to begin with. Instead, pick one that will benefit your body, one that will benefit your mind and one that will improve your environment and make a note of these somewhere.

To summarise, then, Spring is the perfect time to start thinking about renewal and growth, so why not make steps towards making those changes you’ve been thinking about it in the back of your mind. These changes can include such things as undertaking a cleanse, changing a bad habit, improving your sleeping pattern, moving more, and decluttering your desk, inbox and home.

For more health and wellbeing advice make sure to drop into our physiotherapy clinic to find out about therapies and classes you can benefit from this Spring.