Did you know National Spring Cleaning Week starts on Sunday 27 March? Even if your home is already spotless, this might be a good moment to give your nutrition and fitness routine a bit of a spruce-up and slough off some of those bad habits that we sometimes pick up during the winter months. 

Press the reset button

New Year resolutions are well and good, but it takes a lot of effort to make positive lifestyle changes in the depths of winter. Spring is the season of renewal and is a far more natural time to hit the reset button. 

It doesn’t have to be anything drastically life changing; a growing number of people are choosing to take a 14 day detox as part of their spring cleanse, for example. There are lots of guides available online.

Enjoy fresh seasonal produce

We’re spoilt today in that we can buy just about anything at just about any time of year. But there’s definitely a lot to be said for enjoying fruit and veg when it is in season. Not only is it more environmentally responsible, it’s also cheaper and more nutritionally dense than food grown out of season.  

We all have our own spring favourites, but rhubarb is hard to beat and goes amazingly with oatmeal, while spinach makes a tasty base to any salad and is a great source of Vitamins A, C and K. 

Hydrate

Last year, Highland Spring commissioned a poll of 2,000 people and found that over 40 percent are unsure how much water they should be drinking each day. Staying properly hydrated is vital for energy, concentration and general wellbeing. We are all different, and there is no hard and fast rule as to how much someone should drink, but around three litres per day is a good yardstick. If you’re falling short of that, now is the time to make the change. 

There are a few strategies you can try to make it easier to achieve. The first is to always have a glass or bottle of water to hand. It can be a case of “out of sight, out of mind,” and just having it there in your line of vision can make a big difference. If you’re not a fan of plain water, leave it infusing overnight with your favourite berries or citrus fruit. You could also add ginger, mint or cucumber.

Exercise more

With a fresh perspective on your diet, you’ll feel more incentivised to get active. Spring is the perfect time to reassess your exercise routine, too. If you’ve been a little on the sedentary side in winter, come out of hibernation and enjoy the spring air. Focus on steps; install one of those pedometer apps on your phone and try to hit that magic 10,000 per day.

If you’ve been maintaining an indoor workout regime throughout the winter, you’ll be keen to take at least some of it outside now spring is here. That’s a great idea, just be careful not to completely abandon strength training and replace it all with outdoor cardio work. As always, balance is what matters.