It’s FINALLY here…..Spring! Spring is THE time for cleaning – out with the old and in with the new! This spring are you ready to shed the “old unhealthy you” and welcome a new fit and healthy you? Spring is the perfect time. Healthy local produce will soon be available and the beautiful weather will allow you to exercise outside again. What are you waiting for? Renew yourself this spring and make it the best and most active summer of your life! Start your “Spring Cleaning Routine” by cleaning up your diet, dusting off those sneakers and set yourself up to be bikini ready by June! Here are a few tips to help you get on the right track:
PURGE THE PANTRY
You’ll have a far easier time being successful achieving your weight and health goals if your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer aren’t full of junk food or trigger foods. Get out a bunch of bags start loading them full of all of the foods that do your diet more damage than good. Donate what you can to a local food shelf and toss the rest in the garbage. Chips, cookies, soda, sugary cereal, crackers, frozen pizza, candy and anything else that calls your name when you’re not hungry. Remember, waste is better than it being on your waist!
RELOAD WITH CLEAN FOOD
Once you clean out all of the junk, give yourself a pat on the back and then head straight to the market to fill the kitchen back up with clean, real, whole foods. Think of it this way – if it grew from the earth or had a mother, then it’s a real food. Load up with colorful produce (buy what’s in season and organic if you can), fresh fish, whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, amaranth, spelt, oats), hummus, beans, lentils, tofu, sweet potatoes, chicken and turkey breast, water-packed canned tuna and salmon, and eggs. Don’t forget to replenish your spice cabinet (throw out any spices that you haven’t used in a year).
QUICK DIET DETOX
Don’t go running for the hills at the word “detox”. I’m not advocating any crazy type of detox diet – no starving, fasting, master cleansing. Just make more sensible choices to get your body to respond a whole lot quicker.
- Eliminate all alcohol
- Drink more water and tea (preferably green and herbal)
- Cut all refined flour and sugar
- Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables
- Limit starches to 3-4 servings a day and make sure they are real, whole grains
- Eat small, frequent meals to stabilize your blood sugar and energy levels
- Have a protein and a produce at every meal.
- Include small amounts of healthy fat 2-3 times a day – avocado, olive oil, nuts.
MOVE YOUR BODY
Now that the weather is getting nicer, it’s time to take your workout outdoors. Hit the pavement or the hills on foot or by bike. Or look for an outdoor “boot-camp” class to really kick-start your spring. If you want to look really good in that bathing suit then you have to hit the weights or do some serious resistance exercises to tone and shape those muscles. Hey, if you’ve got it, then flaunt it!
