3 Tips to Optimize Your Body for Spring

April 16, 2015 ‐ Sylvaine HughsonPosted by ‐ Under: Peak Performance

Spring is in the air! Flowers are blooming, days are getting longer and lush vegetation is beginning to reappear. Now is the perfect time to actively prepare your body for the warmer months and to make the most of this wonderful season. Enjoy three of my favorite tips below for optimizing your body this spring:

1. Set Your Intention

Transitioning out of winter can feel rather challenging – this is normal. In winter we find ourselves in hibernation mode mimicking what is happening in the natural world around us. We tend not to be as physically active, we sleep more, eat heavier foods, and generally slow down. With this change of lifestyle putting on extra pounds and losing muscle mass is not uncommon. Now suddenly, it’s spring and we feel out of alignment, sluggish, and not where we want to be physique-wise. Take a few moments now to check in with yourself and get clear in terms of how you would like to feel in your body in the coming months. Is it slimmer? Stronger? More sculpted? Set your intention and create an action plan for yourself to achieve your body-specific goals.

2. Eat Seasonally

The natural world is beautifully designed to give us everything that we need to transition from one season into another. As you’ll notice, animals at this time of year are drawn to the vibrant new growth that is coming up all around. Focus your attention in the coming weeks on the foods that you find appealing – are you craving more salads, sprouts, and berries? Are you gravitating towards highly colorful foods? If so, you are on the right track. These foods have a cleansing effect on the body and will help you accelerate your shift into spring/ summer mode.

3. Get Active

Moving your body at this time of year is extraordinarily important. It may mean going for a daily walk during lunch, hitting the gym more regularly, spending more time outdoors gardening or enjoying a hike. There is no faster way to help detox your body and transition it into spring than to become physically active. Doing so will allow you to drop that extra weight from winter and reinforce all of the benefits of eating seasonally. You will begin to feel stronger, healthier, and more focused within just a few weeks – why not give yourself the gift of fully enjoying spring this year!

Here’s to optimizing your body this spring!