Have you had a spring fling? If not, you still have time!
Yeah you heard me! Now, get your mind out of the gutter I'm talking about… I mean a spring fling with yourself!
It seems that every garden in Melbourne is full of flowers at the moment. Gorgeous! Now these blooms just didn’t happen, these plants were carefully tended during the cooler months so that they would bloom for us now. This riot of colour has got me to thinking what we can do for ourselves (like the gardeners and their plants) to ensure that we not only bloom, but also keep blooming!
I’ve listed below 5 simple ways that we can tend to ourselves. (Sometimes it’s not all about the big things right?)
My challenge to you is to pick one of the things below and tell me about it!!!
1. Get dolled up (yes even the fellas) and use your wardrobe, don’t put your stylish outfits away until next year’s racing season! And, there are those clothes we have in our wardrobe that are our favourites yet we never seem to wear them. Dress up for a reason or no reason at all, you don’t really need one! However, as in yoga there's a balancing action... Let go of clothes that you haven’t worn for the last two years. Don’t let them clutter your wardrobe (or your life for that matter!) Send them on to a thrift shop or sell them to generate some unexpected cash – who knows they may become someone else’s favourites!
2. Go native, plant your feet on the bare earth! Yep, I know that it sounds, well, a bit hippy alternative. But heaps of research now suggests that direct daily contact with the earth for at least 30 little minutes can help improve many health-related issues such as stress, sleep disorders and headaches to name a few. That’s why if feels so good to lie on the grass or one of our beautiful beaches looking up at the clouds. Have you ever slept under the stars? Wow. Go on, set some time aside to walk barefoot and enjoy the free healing benefits offered by our amazing planet!
3. Swap it! Often we are all-consumed by the big health stuff. But, I am here to remind you that making small changes is the healthiest and most achievable way to look after ourselves. Making small changes to what we eat and deliver huge benefits. Now, I am not saying that there aren’t any rules… A good starting place is to eat less high-calorie, fatty, salty and sugary foods. Swap them for something healthier like, nuts, fruit and veg. These little changes can make a big difference in the long run, I promise! It doesn’t take long for these changes to become your ‘normal’, so here are some ideas to get you started:
- Substitute alcohol, concentrated juices, soft drinks, and energy drinks for water with a twist (berries perhaps) or lemon in mineral water for something fizzy.
- One less sugar in your daily grind (I mean coffee!)
- Takeaway chips for home cooked roasted veggies rubbed in coconut oil, salt and cayenne
- Instead of having that entire chocolate bar share it with a friend
- Swap the bad fat with the good i.e. guacamole instead of mayo, chai instead of that hot chocolate, nuts instead of that packet of chips I’d love to say sugar free Sunday, but let’s be honest that’s not going to happen. You chose a day in the week to limit all refined sugar and replace with more fresh ingredients
4. Pay it forward! Do something for someone else without any expectations of return. Now I am not preaching, in fact far from it! And, I am not saying that you don’t do this already, but have a go at doing a good deed for someone you either know or don’t know without expecting anything in return. It might not seem much, but together we can make a difference! (Or at least someone’s day!) Some ideas to get you started are: donate a coffee by paying for a second cup for another customer of the coffee stop / stand, if it’s raining give your brolly to someone else (you might need a spare!), genuinely thank and acknowledge the ‘little people’ at work for their contributions, or spend time with an elderly person. Or you could just be the first to smile when passing someone!
While I am on the topic of paying it forward, you might have seen my last blog about the nutrition workshop at Pepper Tree Place last Saturday (stay tunned for a recap of the event in my next post). For the paying it forward, giving back event come along and Invite someone you care about or you think might benefit from a 1.5 hour yoga flow to live music outdoors amongst nature and like-minded people.
5. Spend time with someone who nourishes your soul! These people may challenge your mind, body or spirit, or be a one-in-a-million friend, lover or even simply you! I’m not going to say too much about this one because you know who this person or people are for you.
I have done all the talking now it's your turn, tell me what you did why and how it felt... Email me!
Love CR xx