How to Put A Spring in Your Step:
Clean Up Your Diet: During the winter months, it’s easy to get accustomed to quick and easy hot meals, like fast food or microwave dinners. As the days warm up, take the opportunity to get back to cooking some healthy favorites and cut back on your fast food and takeout intake. If you don’t regularly cook, take the opportunity to research some easy recipes and get started!
Add Some Color to Your Plate: Springtime is the perfect opportunity to incorporate some new food groups into you and your family’s diets. Finding colorful and healthy fruits and vegetables to add to the dinner plate can be a fun activity for children. If you’re able, plant a family garden, where you can harvest some of your own herbs and vegetables.
Start a New Fitness Routine: Are you winter workouts feeling old and worn out? Start a new routine and bring exercise outdoors! If you can’t get outside for every workout, try to at least get 15 minutes of sunshine each day. Your new fitness routine is also a great time to try out something that intimidated you before. Always wanted to take a dance class, but didn’t know how to start? Grab a friend to sign up with you!
Take Your Family Outside: Along with starting your new exercise routine, springtime is a great time to get your family moving as well. Enroll your kids in a springtime sport or get them involved with a group that fits their interests. Make sure your kids are equipped with all the recommended safety gear for whatever activity they choose to pursue. As a family, commit to better health this year. Walking, jogging, or riding bikes together is a perfect way to get your entire family on the same path.
Get Back on Track with Your Doctor: As life gets busy, it’s easy to let your annual visits, exams, and screenings fall to the wayside. However, it’s important to prioritize your own health. Take a moment to set up your yearly physical. While you’re there, make sure you’re up to date on all your other exams and screenings, like your Pap smear, mammogram, and cancer screenings.
Take the Whole Family In: While you’re planning for your own doctor’s visit, set up appointments for your family too. It’s crucial to make sure your kids are up to date on any vaccines recommended.
Be Proactive in Handling Your Stress: As the year starts to warm up, our schedules may start to get busier. Instead of letting everything overwhelm you, set yourself up for success when it comes to stress. Before you get too busy, start a new routine of daily yoga or meditation. It may mean getting up 10 or 15 minutes early, but it can be important to have a calm moment to collect yourself before facing the day.
Stay Hydrated: You probably know you should drink 8 8-oz glasses of water a day. If you plan on being in the sun or exercising heavily, you should increase that number. Replacing a soda at dinner or a beer after work with water is a good way to cut calories and stay hydrated. If you don’t enjoy regular water, try mixing in some natural flavor like lemon or cucumber.
Cut Back on Caffeine: It’s easy to rely on your cup of coffee (or 3!) in the morning to get you started. As the sun begins to make earlier appearances, try to regulate your body back to circadian rhythms. Cutting back on caffeine can keep your heart healthy and your stress levels low.
Protect Your Skin: When you’re headed outside, make sure you use a sunscreen over SPF 15 to protect you and your loved ones from the sun. The sun’s UV rays can put you at risk for skin cancer, not to mention a nasty burn! Last minute and you didn’t have a chance to grab sunscreen? Try a wide-brimmed hat and long sleeves.
Ask for Help: Many people experience Seasonal Affective Disorder, which makes you feel more depressed and anxious during the darker and colder months. If your wintertime blues are sticking around during the springtime months, you should consider reaching out to a professional for help. Depression and anxiety can be treated and managed with medication and/or regular therapy sessions.
Manage Your Allergies: Springtime can be painful for those of us with seasonal allergies. As the weather gets warmer, take proactive steps in beating your allergies before they start. Talk to your doctor about which over-the-counter or prescription medications might work best for you and your allergies.
Need to catch up on your yearly exams or talk to your doctor about another issue? The team at your local Capital Women’s Care can help. Give our office a call to set up an appointment and spring back into health!
Source: cwcare.net