Spring Clean Your Habits: Revitalize Your Wellness and Weight Loss Journey

Key Takeaways

• Changing seasons affect our bodies and minds. During winter, people are generally less active and more prone to weight gain.
• Spring cleaning your habits can help shake off the habits formed in winter that are not serving your health.
  
• With spring approaching, you can enjoy outdoor activities, add seasonal foods to your diet, prioritize mental health, and form new habits that support your health and wellness.
  
  

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Changing seasons affect our bodies and mental health. Spring symbolizes new beginnings. We spring clean our environment to refresh and adapt to the coming season. You can benefit from resetting your wellness routine. You may decide to leave behind old habits, keep the ones that serve you, or start new ones. It’s a great time to check in with yourself to support both physical and mental well-being.

Refresh Your Nutrition

We are creatures of habit. You may habitually follow a diet that doesn’t serve your physical and mental health. That’s why evaluating your nutrition at intervals can help you realign your diet with your personal needs and requirements. 

Also, our eating patterns may change depending on the season, and body weight may fluctuate. Research shows that energy intake generally increases in winter, and people tend to gain weight from summer to fall.¹-³ This is highly personal, as other factors such as lifestyle, cultural celebrations, and regional climate also have an effect. You may feel these changes with the seasons, but the small things you do can have a big impact:

• Incorporate Seasonal Produce: We don’t see produce changing with the seasons, as almost everything is available at any time. Seasonal produce can be more nutrient-dense and budget-friendly. They’re also high in antioxidant compounds. You can easily find local seasonal produce at farmers' markets.⁴-⁵
• Plan Balanced Meals: Planning your meals has a few advantages. It saves time on grocery visits, eliminates decision-making when you're hungry, and helps you choose nutrient-dense and balanced meals. A study showed that the frequency of meal planning was linked to greater weight loss. You can create plates consisting of delicious, whole foods that give your body the energy and nutrients it needs.⁶
• Stay Hydrated: Dehydration affects both physical and brain health. You may feel fatigued and have trouble focusing. Don't forget to stay hydrated as the weather gets hotter and people become more active in spring and summer. Keeping a water bottle nearby can remind you to drink more water.⁷

Reinvigorate Your Fitness Routine

Physical activity is great for your body and mind. It’s also an essential part of weight loss and maintenance. As research suggests, it can lead to a significant loss of body weight and fat while reducing the loss of muscle mass. Explore ways to enhance physical activity:

• Try New Activities: How are you spending your day? Spring is a perfect time to try new activities if it involves a lot of sitting. Many outdoor activities are more enjoyable in the spring sun and fresh air. You can start by walking more, hiking, swimming, or even trying social dancing. If you already exercise regularly, take a look at how your body is responding to your current routine. Find a few ways to improve it and start trying them.
• Set Realistic Goals: While you don’t have to set goals, for some people, moving their bodies in fun ways is more than enough. If they enjoy it, they’re probably getting enough movement already. However, for others, setting goals can be a great source of motivation. When setting goals, finding a balance between being realistic and challenging yourself can boost motivation. For example, if you start running, don't aim for a marathon right away. Consider signing up for a local 5km race instead.⁸
• Consistency is Key: Motivation is great but can be very unreliable. Creating habits takes effort and can be hard since we’re doing something different from what we’re used to. Being consistent and not relying on motivation can help you get closer to your goal, which can also boost your motivation.

Prioritize Mental Well-Being

Our mental and physical health are connected. How we feel mentally can impact our overall health and vice versa. In fact, people with mental health diseases often have higher rates of chronic conditions and shorter lifespans compared to the general population.⁹ 

Your mental well-being can also influence your diet, physical activity, sleep, and daily habits and vice versa. Also, mindfulness, reducing stress levels, self-care, decreasing social media use, and building social connections can support mental well-being.¹⁰

Declutter Your Environment

Decluttering and arranging the physical environment can also help us create habits. For example, if you're trying to spend more time painting, creating a painting area with all the tools you need and nothing you don't may help with focus, improve accessibility, and eliminate the need to recreate your environment each time. This way, you may find it easier to just start painting.

Foster Sustainable Habits

A lot of things demand consistent effort. Let’s say you aim to lose weight, eat healthy, and then quit following a healthy and balanced diet once you reach your goal. What happens? That’s why it’s important to create sustainable habits that keep us on top of our game.¹¹ To form habits and long-term changes:

• Start Small: Often, thinking about how hard something can be makes us change our minds. But what if you just dance to one song with the mindset of enjoying your body's movement or cook one balanced and healthy meal a day?
• Track Your Progress: Tracking makes evaluation easier. When you have notes or data, you can identify what's holding you back and what's helping you more effectively. Sometimes, it can be something quantifiable, like how many times you engage in an activity that moves your body. Other times, it can be subjective and harder to measure, like how good you feel or the mental clarity you gain.
• Seek Support: Having support can make a huge difference. Support can come from family members and friends or from a professional such as a personal trainer, dietitian, psychologist, or healthcare provider. When you feel stuck or lost, reach out to your support system.

The Bottom Line

The changing season can be a great excuse to refresh your habits and goals. You can reevaluate your nutrition, physical activity, environment, and habits. This can help you keep the things that are serving you while changing the ones that aren't. It’s time to get some quiet time, grab a pencil and paper, and start brainstorming for the future while reflecting on the past.

Learn More About How to Improve Blood Sugar Health With Signos’ Expert Advice

Signos provides continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems, providing real-time blood glucose changes continuously. This allows you to see how your diet, exercise, sleep, and hydration affect your body. You can also receive personalized target levels and in-app nutrition support based on your results.

If you're curious about how blood glucose levels affect health, read more on the Signos’ blog.

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