Diet and Fitness Spring Cleaning

Continuing on with the spring trend, I’m going to talk about how to “spring clean” your diet and fitness regime. If you live somewhere cold like me, you probably ate a lot of hearty, if not downright heavy, comfort food over the winter.

When the temperature is -40 degrees, it’s hard to resist digging into a shepard’s pie or chicken casserole, and honestly, I don’t see anything wrong with that. I’m a big fan of eating seasonally, and here in Ontario, winter is not exactly the most ideal time to eat a diet of fresh fruit and vegetables. So now that spring is here, I am very excited to finally get back to using my blender for smoothies full of fresh berries! 

1. Apple, Strawberry, Rhubarb Smoothie

1 whole apple

1 cup rhubarb

1 cup strawberries

1/2 cup POM juice

1/2 cup probiotic yogurt

2. Kale, Coconut Smoothie

1 cup kale

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 avocado

1/2 cup Bolthouse green goodness

2 thin slices of ginger

In terms of fitness, winter can definitely make us feel sluggish, and the freezing cold temperatures can certainly turn us off from getting out and going to the gym. Now that the weather is getting warmer, it’s finally time to gradually ease our bodies back into a consistent fitness routine. If your lifestyle doesn’t allow for you to make it to the gym, I would strongly suggest setting aside some time each day to simply go for a walk. It might not seem like much but it’s a great way to get some cardio into your routine, and it’s also an amazing opportunity for you to unwind and get your mind off of whatever stresses you may be dealing with. I would personally recommend walking for at least 30-45 minutes at a brisk pace in order to get as much benefit out of your walk as possible. One of the reasons that walking is so good for you is because it’s not too physically demanding on your body in the way that say, endurance running can be. Considering that many of us let our exercise regimes slide a bit over the winter, it’s also a good idea to ease back into a fitness routine with cardio like speed walking so you don’t injure yourself or overdo it. You can check out my post on athletic gear here for some inspiration!