‘Spring Cleaning’ – How to jump start lifestyle change.
Spring is an energetic time of year. The weather is blustery, trees and shrubs awaken from their winter slumber, flowers begin to bloom and Robbins dance cheerfully after worms and newly arrived insects.
Life wakes up during spring, and we often do the same. ‘Spring cleaning’ is a term reserved for our homes and businesses, but we can use it in a more personal sense to represent a permanent ‘New Year’s Resolution.
Why is Spring a good time to make personal changes? There are several reasons, but first is something very basic. The days are getting longer, and with more sunshine, there is more time to be active outdoors. Warmer, longer days offer increased opportunities to get out of the house and go for walks, work in the garden or yard, go to the lake, go hiking, the list is nearly endless, but the important thing is that we have a much easier time being active. We create New Year’s resolutions in the deepest part of winter when it is dark, cold, and in the Northern Hemisphere at least, void of much life. We set out to get fit, lose weight, and break bad habits, but for many people, the lack of sunlight and the dreary cold weather creates a sense of anxiety and apathy. For some, the situation is even more distressful as they suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or a form of depression that may be due to the limited sun exposure during long winters. Lifestyle change is difficult under the best of circumstances, but to attempt them year after year in a time devoid of life and little sun makes them nearly impossible.
Spring presents a very different environment to succeed in, however. The added sunlight, warmer days, and greening landscape naturally boosts many people’s mood making lasting change more manageable. There is another practical advantage as well. Spring is a great time of year to improve our diets because many healthy vegetables are in season. Cool weather crops like spinach, kale, cabbage, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, and greens are at their peak. They will be fresh and contain the highest amounts of nutrition during their natural growing season. These vegetables all provide essential nutrients and are exceptionally high in sulfur compounds, calcium, magnesium, several B vitamins, and vitamin K. The added sun exposure increases our Vitamin D production which works synergistically with many of the nutrients in the vegetables to help spark us from the doldrums of a long winter.
A great lifestyle change is to use this time to start a garden and grow spring vegetables. The fresh air, sunshine, and movement are added bonuses to the great tasting and nutritious foods you can eat from your back yard. Spring is also a time when you can find a good local organic farmer to provide you with a steady supply of fruits and vegetables throughout the summer. These are lasting changes that can pay big dividends in our health in the short and long term.
There is a vibrancy to Spring that is contagious if we dare to catch it. As life begins its new cycle, we should allow ourselves to feel energized by the growing abundance and perhaps find a better time of year to start a ‘New Year’s’ resolution that might stick. With more sunlight, warmer days, and healthier produce Spring is the perfect time to start a personal ‘spring cleaning’ journey of your own.