How to Spring Clean Your Body and Your Home!
Are you coming out of winter hibernation mode?
Winter is over… Spring is here! I know while for some it may not feel like it yet but soon trees and plants will start to bud and bloom, new birds are migrating north and with that migration you can hear new bird singing and making nests, and nature is preparing for the summer months ahead. Are you?
For many people winter is when we eat more comfort foods, move less and often gain a few pounds over the holidays. They feel lazy, bloated, tired and their bodies are run down, their immune system is low, and they are at their most vulnerable to catching nasty colds, flus or worse. So if you are feeling some or all of those symptoms and you want to regain your focus and get motivated to have a great healthy summer, it’s time to spring clean, not just your home, but your entire body! You will shed that winter weight gain more quickly, rebuild your immune system, have amazing energy and sleep better than you have in a long time.
Last year one of our patients Jazzmin, a 44-year-old business professional starting to struggle with peri-menopausal symptoms, “hibernated” over the winter and felt like a sloth! But with her busy schedule, she couldn’t afford to be tired or sick, so she used the steps I am about to share with you and she told us after just 3 weeks … “now she feels like she’s energized again!”
Here’s the solution with which we helped her; first let’s detox your pantry. Look at all the comfort food you bought and throw it away! Replace it with these ten pantry staples that everyone should stock.
1. Protein Powder: collagen, hemp, pea, pumpkinseed, etc.
2. Fiber (psyllium, partially hydrolyzed guar gum, PaleoFiber RS, ground flaxseed, chia, etc.)
3. Green Powder (my absolute favorite tasty brand is Nutri-Dyn Fruits & Greens)
4. Canned tuna, wild salmon, mackerel, sardines
5. Nut and seed butters: sunflower, almond, pumpkin, tahini
6. Nuts and seeds: pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, sunflower seeds
7. Oils and fats: olive oil, ghee, coconut oil, palm oil, MCT oil, avocado oil, sesame oil
8. Ultima electrolyte powder
9. Tea: ginger, rooibos, mint, chamomile, green/white, etc…
10. Dulse and kelp flakes
Next list all the unhealthy habits you may have picked up during winter. Then eliminate alcohol, sugar and flour (bread, crackers, pasta, pizza, cakes, cookies, ice cream, etc.). Focus on drinking half your body weight in ounces of water. Move your body for at least half an hour every day or increase your steps. Spend as much time as possible outside during day light hours. Take vitamin D3, fish oil, probiotics (or fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, unsweetened yogurt/kefir, kombucha) every day with food. Lastly consider a spring detox.
If you want to boost your immune system and get your energy back even more quickly, contact us for health coaching sessions with Jaclyn or a detox appointment with me.
Here’s to motivation, ambition, and vitality!
Rachel Oppitz, ND
