Traditionally, spring is the time of year when many of us undertake a deep cleaning of our homes, eventually turning our attention to decluttering our closets and discarding unnecessary items.
Yet, with all this time spent devoting to resetting the environment around us, many of us aren’t devoting the same amount of time and effort to spring cleaning our lifestyles. With around 80% of us dropping our New Year’s resolutions by mid-February, spring is the perfect time to get back into better habits. If you’re looking for a boost to help you succeed in your next gym session, or just need some extra motivation to keep moving, M&F has you covered with these essential tips for improving your overall health and fitness so your energy levels can flourish at any age or stage of your fitness journey.
Spring clean your diet for more energy
While spring daffodils need healthy soil to grow, your body also needs a rich foundation of good nutrition in order to work at its optimal level. If you’re feeling lazy, the root of your problem may be the things you can’t get into your body.
“Nutrients are the raw materials our cells need to perform their functions,” says Dr. Bill Cole, founder of Key Cellular Nutrition and the Cellular Health Accelerator Program, boasting one of the largest online health coaching resources of its kind. “The energy factories in cells are called mitochondria and they need certain levels of macro and micronutrients to produce abundant energy. Without them, the mitochondria cannot produce enough units of energy, called ATP, to properly power the functioning of the batteries. Because we are made of cells, if our cells are low in energy, then we are low in energy.
Looking for food for thought? Try including bananas or sweet potatoes in your diet. Both contain potassium to boost your electrolytes and improve energy levels. Vitamin C from sources such as oranges will help with tissue growth and repair. Snacking on seeds such as chia is also a convenient way to easily consume protein and healthy fats, keeping your body’s energy levels stable throughout the day.
Spring cleaning your supplements
If you constantly feel weak and unmotivated, but try to eat the right foods, it’s important to understand that many people, especially where prolonged sun exposure is rare, may still be lacking in some essential nutrients.
“Vitamin D3 supplementation is what I recommend to my patients,” says Cole. “It’s important to understand that vitamin D3 is better absorbed when taken in combination with vitamin K2, magnesium and vitamin A. It’s helpful to find a supplement that contains all four. Also, another important supplement is omega 3 fatty acids. Our overconsumption of omega 6 fatty acids, such as those found in vegetable oil, has created an imbalance between omega 6 and omega 3. most people this is known to be pro-inflammatory. Eating fatty fish like wild salmon provides plenty of omega 3 fatty acids, but fortifying the diet with a good fish oil supplement makes sense in today’s world.
“Magnesium is another important nutrient needed for many cellular functions. It is also a nutrient that many people lack due to the low level of magnesium in modern foods compared to the food our ancestors ate. Magnesium glycinate is my favorite form of magnesium because it is well absorbed and used by the body. Raw pumpkin seeds and spinach are also good dietary sources of magnesium.
“A good B-complex supplement containing methylfolate (B9) and methylcobalamin (B12) is another mainstay of the supplement. B vitamins play a very important role in the production of energy in the cell.
Spring cleaning your gut health
Diets high in sugar, salt and other preservatives have been linked to increased obesity, heart disease and diabetes, but you don’t have to have any of these ailments to be well. health by taking better care of your belly.
“Another staple supplement is a good probiotic because of the overuse of antibiotics and other things like chlorinated water and certain herbicides that can kill our good gut bacteria,” Cole says. “A lot of people have a condition called dysbiosis; where they have an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in their gut. Besides causing poor digestion, dysbiosis has also been linked to many other health problems; such as resistance to weight loss, poor brain function and depressed immune response. Choose a probiotic with at least 5 billion CFU (colony forming units) per day to help restore the proper bacterial balance. Also, eating fermented vegetables like raw sauerkraut is very helpful, but it must be raw because pasteurized or heated sauerkraut will kill the good bacteria.
The quality of the food you eat will dictate the quality of your gut’s ability to digest what you feed it, so always opt for the whole, natural foods that nature intended you to enjoy.
Spring cleaning your free radicals
While you’re banishing unwanted clutter from the closets, don’t forget to spruce up those neglected cells as well, because when they’re damaged by free radicals, primarily at the cell membrane, your cells’ growth and survival are hampered. threatened. Not all free radicals are bad for your health and they are essential for oxidizing nutrients, converting them from food into energy, but an excessive buildup of free radicals can be harmful.
“It’s the oxidative stress caused by the [over] production of harmful free radicals, and this stress reduces the ability of our cells to eliminate them,” says Cole. “Chemicals in our food, beauty products and cleaning products, for example, can increase oxidative stress and aging. Most chemicals are fat soluble, which means they are attracted to areas of the body that are made up of fat. Cell membranes are a bilipid layer, which means they are made up of two layers of fat. When toxins enter the body, they are drawn to cell membranes, creating chronic inflammation until they are eliminated. We can avoid this by simply being aware of what we are putting into our bodies or exposing ourselves to. Reducing refined sugars is a great way to help clean up your cell health.
Other ways to reduce your overexposure to free radicals include managing your carbohydrate intake and limiting your intake of processed meats such as sausages and bacon, as they often contain preservatives that lead to greater free radical production. free. Antioxidant-rich foods include cranberries, as they are packed with vitamins A, C, and E. Broccoli is another great addition to any meal, thanks to the presence of lutein and zeaxanthin, which are believed to prevent oxidative stress.
So here is. As you clean your house in the spring this year, take a look at the refrigerator and the pantry, and clean up your health as well as your house.
