Spring Into Better Health
With spring right around the corner, most people associate the season with cleaning their homes, warmer environments, and maybe (if you’re a fan) checking out what baseball teams are doing down in the sunshine state. However, it’s also a great time to implement more outdoor activities to improve your health with the sun coming back out. Here are a few easy ways to use the upcoming shifting seasons to your advantage.
Go On More Walks
Longtime blog readers likely saw this coming from a mile away (pun intended), but we will still remind you about it, regardless. Walking is truly the biggest secret weapon we have when it comes to our health. It helps our body in so many invaluable ways and arguably requires the least effort. According to Better Health, “Walking is a great way to improve or maintain your overall health. Just 30 minutes every day can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost muscle power and endurance.” There are so few exercises that yield those types of benefits for that little of an investment. You should use the warmer weather as the ultimate excuse to get up and go out for a walk today.
Add More Green to Your Diet
The changing weather also means a whole new menu of fruits and vegetables that become in-season. From asparagus to spinach to broccoli to carrots, there are so many ways to add some much-needed color (and even more-needed nutrients) to your plate! Piping Pot Curry notes, “Eating fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables is always more flavorful and nutritious, and also helps save money…. After the long cold winter, spring is always exciting with the beautiful weather and all the wonderful fresh fruits and veggies in the market to brighten us up.” With all these awesome produce options becoming more available, your overall health will thank you for adding some color to your grocery cart on the next visit.
Speaking of Green, Let’s Talk About Your Thumb
If your home space allows for it, planting a garden kills the two birds we mentioned above with one stone (we’re on fire with the wordplay today, by the way!). First of all, what could be better for your health and your wallet these days than a plate full of vegetables grown right in your own backyard? On top of that, you’ll receive sunlight, mental health benefits, and get a bit more active. AARP echoes this saying, “In addition to providing nutritious veggies and fruits for your dinner table and beautiful flowers to decorate it, gardening offers a variety of health benefits.” So get some dirt under those fingernails today! Your body will thank you!
Try a New Sport
If our original mention of Spring Training got you excited earlier, perhaps picking up a bat for yourself might be just what the doctor ordered this spring. Of course, there’s also a variety of others to consider trying, and almost all of them will help improve your overall health. Don’t just take our word for it (although, one might argue that Dr. Hartle’s word carries much weight here!). The CDC claims, “Being physically active can improve your brain health, help manage weight, reduce the risk of disease, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve your ability to do everyday activities.” So, get active today and enjoy the benefits your health will receive from that choice.
We hope these tips have inspired you to use the incoming spring season as a motivator to make some real changes to your health. We’d be happy to answer any questions you might have about any of this. Just stop by the office. Learn more on the rest of our website.