Spring cleaning helps us clear away the old and welcome in the new. After a long year of surviving a global pandemic, we’ll take all the spring cleaning we can get!
If the pandemic has disrupted your physical and mental health routines this year, you’re not alone. Most of us have found ourselves being more sedentary or giving into unhealthy habits.
The good news is that you can get back in balance with a few simple habits to “spring clean” your wellness routine. Get ready to reset!
5 Ways to Spring-Clean Your Wellness Routine
Freshen up your diet.
According to the American Psychological Association, “A majority of adults (61%) reported experiencing undesired weight changes since the start of the pandemic.”
Are you one of the millions of Americans trying to burn off the Quarantine Fifteen? Now is the perfect time to look at your current diet choices and give your meals a spring clean. Here are some easy ways to clean up your plate:
- Eat vibrantly.
In spring, fill up on brightly-colored produce. Challenge yourself to eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables each day. - Go light.
With warmer weather ahead, now is the time to transition into lighter, fresher foods. Choose recipes that use lots of fresh produce, have lighter cooking methods (like steaming or sauteing), and include some raw salads or snacks in your diet. - Opt for naturally sweet treats.
Many of us turned to comforting sweets to calm our stress over this past year. Unfortunately, refined sugar is linked to a wide range of chronic health conditions. Instead, satisfy your sweet tooth with naturally sweet and healthy treats like fruit smoothies, dates, sweet potatoes, and dark chocolate.
Make screen-time your stretch-time.
Technology came to our rescue this past year, allowing us to work from home, safely catch up with friends, and even attend events virtually.
While our devices have helped us stay connected through the pandemic, the constant connectivity could be putting a damper on our mental health. Screen-time itself isn’t bad for your health, but studies show that spending too many hours on our devices is linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
Instead of scrolling, why not use your screen-time to stretch? Zeel offers dozens of yoga and stretching videos to make the most of your screen time, like this circulation-boosting stretching session with Celia.
If you have a meeting-packed schedule that keeps you perpetually Zoomed-in, you can still sneak in some wellness. Find a few meetings throughout the week that don’t require video, and take that time to stretch, or even do a few sun salutations, while you listen to others. It may even make you a better listener, as research has shown that simply standing up while learning improves executive function.
Even better? Take that call on the road. Rather than sitting in front of your computer distracted by everything other than the meeting you’re in, grab your phone and experience real multitasking by combining some light exercise with the act of truly listening to the discussion—you may even contribute more creatively than you would at your desk.
Meditate in nature.
Need to quiet your mind? Adding outdoor meditation to your daily routine could be just the thing. Sunshine and the great outdoors are nature’s antidote to stress!
Meditation is a well-known way to ward off depression and anxiety while building resilience to stress. But you can get even more out of a mindfulness routine by practicing your meditation outside.
Spending time in nature helps reset your brain, especially if you spend your days working on the computer. Along with some fresh air, sunshine helps to boost your mood and maintain healthy vitamin D levels. Sunshine also supports both serotonin and melatonin, two hormones necessary for a happy mood and restorative sleep.
The WHO recommends 5-15 minutes of sunlight exposure each day – the perfect length for a midday Zeel meditation and breathwork break.
Reset your sleep routine.
A good night’s sleep is essential to living a healthy life. Unfortunately, when we’re stressed or anxious, sleep is often the first thing to suffer.
If the pandemic has shaken up your sleep schedule, let’s restore your healthy sleep with a few simple resets. Here’s how to do a “spring clean” of your bedtime routine:
- Keep clutter, work materials, or other unnecessary items out of your bedroom.
- Turn off all electronics at least one hour before bedtime.
- Write down any to-dos or worries so your mind can rest easy.
- Use ergonomic and mobility tips to sleep soundly and pain-free.
- Do a nighttime meditation or body scan to calm your mind.
- Diffuse calming essential oils (like lavender or bergamot) in your room before bed.
Restore whole-body wellness with a massage.
Has pandemic life left you feeling stuck and sore? It’s likely you were more sedentary than usual over the past year. Unfortunately, less movement paired with more stress is a recipe for gnarly aches and pains, misalignments, and poor circulation.
Not to worry, massage will help you restore a healthy balance in no time. Zeel’s in-home massage therapists are masters at loosening tension, relieving pain, and stimulating healthy circulation. Plus, they’ll teach you the right stretches to help you overcome any lingering trouble areas, as well as help you find the motivation to jump back into your healthy, active life.
Spring Clean your Wellness Routine with Zeel
Get on track for post-pandemic health with a wellness spring cleaning. Zeel makes it easy—we bring wellness right to you! Book your treatment today to jumpstart your spring wellness without even leaving home.