Four tips to spring clean your health
As the weather gets warmer, the days get longer and bursts of green blanket the earth, spring is summoning you to look at your health from a fresh perspective.
Audra Wilson, a dietitian at the Northwestern Metabolic Health and Surgical Weight Loss Center at Delnor Hospital, shares four ways to spring into the new season with a renewed attitude on creating healthy habits.
1. Clear your shelves. Get rid of fad diet books and social media posts detailing quick-fix ways to lose weight. Although these diets may lead to weight loss through cutting carbs and reducing calories, their tendency toward extremity can make long-term adherence to a diet plan difficult and sometimes costly. A better option is to meet with a registered dietitian who can advise you of your personalized nutrient needs based on your goals to help promote lasting weight loss and boost your overall health.
2. Think spring fruit not fruit juice. Fruit juice is high in calories and sugar, but the fiber in your favorite fruits helps fill you up and limits the blood sugar spike that comes from drinking juice. Take advantage of this season's colorful offerings, which include apricots, oranges and strawberries. Add protein, such as a low-fat cheese stick or almonds to complement your in-season fruit, and you have a great snack option.
3. Fill your plate with the colors of spring vegetables. Try filling your plate at every meal with the many in-season vegetables, such as asparagus, green beans and spinach. Vegetables are high in nutrients and low in calories and, because of their high-fiber content, they help take the edge off hunger. Dedicating half of your plate to vegetables is a wonderful way to fill up on nutrients. Find out which vegetables are in season, and learn about their nutritional content and how to begin incorporating more of them into recipes so that they become the focus of your meals.
4. Clear your mind. Now is a great time to step outdoors, away from the stresses inside. Being consistently stressed can have many negative health consequences, including emotional eating. Reduce your stress by taking a 10-minute walk around the block and breathing in the fresh air. Plus, increasing your daily activity not only burns off stress, it helps to burn more calories, too. Use your phone or a step tracker to estimate total daily steps and then try to increase your steps every week.
Spring offers a fresh start to allow your health to bloom. Over the next month, try implementing one tip each week. The more you practice incorporating these healthy habits into your everyday life, the more likely they will stick.
After a month, reassess how far you have come and thank yourself for your commitment to your health.