If you think your house is the only thing that needs spring cleaning, think again.
Your body and your mind are your home too and they need a good cleaning to stay fit, clear and agile.
When you open your windows in spring, fresh air moves in and stale winter air moves out. You make room for new beginnings.
Your home feels spacious, fresh and full of possibility. Why wouldn’t you want that for your body and your mind too?
Here are my 6 Spring Cleaning Essentials to optimize mental agility and physical wellbeing:
1.Lighten up your diet
Spring is the time to eat light.
Avoid heavy foods such as meat, dairy, wheat and sugar.
Enjoy clear broth soups, lots of veggies, smoothies (80% veggie/20% fruit) and juices (mostly veggie).
Look around at what veggies are in season: lettuces, bitter green, especially dandelion greens are wonderful for spring.
2. Wake Up Early
According to Ayurveda, the sister science to yoga, Spring season is associated with Kapha Dosha (Earth/Water). The qualities of Kapha include heavy and static. The morning hours from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. are also associated with Kapha Dosha.
The wisdom of Ayurveda teaches us that the longer we sleep in during Kapha time the heavier we feeland cloudier we feel. It’s important to wake up at or before 6 a.m. so that we don’t take on so much heavy and static qualities.
3. Exercise Vigorously
Spring is the time to get out, move and sweat! Just like the rivers are running with water, this season is the time for sweat to run down your face 🙂
Sweating is a system of elimination for your body and spring season is a good time to use it. Vigorous exercise gets your circulation going, eliminates waste and feels really good.
Choose your favorite activity and get your sweat on!
4.If you’re not hungry, don’t eat
Give your body time to process what you’ve already consumed and any excess metabolic waste in your body. Stop snacking and leave at least 3-4 hours between meals and 12 – 14 hours between your last meal/drink at night and your first drink/food in the morning. Learn to enjoy being a little hungry, and to discern between true hunger and the craving for emotional pacification.
According to Ayurveda, spring season is the season to eat less.
5. Support your liver and digestion with herbal teas
The liver is our blood cleanser and we want to give it love in the spring. Dandelion root and dandelion greens support the liver and therefore the cleansing process. Cumin, coriander and fennel tea with fresh ginger is another great option. Warming spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and clove work well in spring to help circulation and avoid stagnation. Recipe for cumin, coriander and fennel tea: 1/2 teaspoon of each seed (it’s important that you use seeds, not ground spices). Put in a quart of water, bring to a boil, turn heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool, strain and enjoy. Add a few pieces of fresh ginger and you can also add dandelion root and/or leaf too!
6. Try a day of kitchari mono-diet.
Kitchari is a traditional Ayurvedic meal of basmati rice, yellow mung beans and ghee (clarified butter) with a spice mixture that stimulates digestion. A day of kitchari resets your digestion by revving it up so that it processes excess metabolic waste in the body. Pick a day where you eat kitchari for breakfast, lunch and dinner without snacking in between. Drink CCF tea (above) and water. If you like it, you can do 3-5 days of a kitchari mono-diet cleanse.
Put your health first this spring and incorporate these 6 habits into your wellness routine. If you do, you’ll feel lighter, have more energy and feel primed to perform at your best at work, at home and when you adventure.
Not sure how do incorporate these habits into your life? Join my upcoming Guided Spring Cleanse. Get support from other like-minded women who are committed to being the healthiest they can be and supporting each other on the journey.
Click Here for info and registration.
