TAKE SPRING CLEANING TO A NEW LEVEL.
Spring cleaning doesn't just apply to your home it also applies to your body. Spring is a great time to clean up your eating and detoxify your system. Your cells are continually regenerating and guess what -they are made from the food you eat. "You are what you eat" – Literally! Here are some simple tips that can help you get rid of the old and welcome in the new by detoxifying your body simply by eating natural, whole, unprocessed food. During this time eating 6 small meals a day will allow your blood sugar to stabilize leaving you feeling satisfied, focused and energized.
Start today by drinking more H2O.
You should be drinking ˝ your body weight in water. Water helps to flush fat and fat is what stores toxins away from your body, as you metabolize fat you need to wash away the toxins that have been stored there for weeks- months and even years. Water is essential for transporting waste and nutrients in the body but be careful with coffee or tea intake: caffeine can dehydrate the cells, burden the liver and tax the adrenal glands.
Go Organic!
Organic foods are free of pesticides, antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals. Organic produce is higher in antioxidants which help bind to the free radicals released from the toxins you encounter daily. It is difficult this time of year to get organic produce so concentrate on those less likely to be contaminated. Try asparagus, avocado, broccoli, onions, pineapple and cabbage, avoid conventional apples, strawberries, grapes and pears, they are the most contaminated. Organic food tastes better and you actually need less of it because nutrients are more concentrated.
Rawsome!
Raw vegetables and fruit are high in fiber, create intestinal bulk and promote more frequent bowel movements to help rid toxins for your body. Cooking diminishes the nutrients in our foods, the longer something is cooked the less nutritional benefit it will have, so if you must cook your food, steam it or keep it aldante.
Recovery?
The benefits of exercise are amazing… if it is done correctly. Instead of trying to do as much as you possible can or nothing at all, create an appropriate workout load for where you are at now; one that leaves you feeling challenged and showing modest yet steady improvements. If you have never taken a week off from exercise or feel you are not moving forward, despite your hard work then you need a recovery week. Workout stress, in the presence of the opportunity to recover from, adapt to and grow stronger from that stress, is what fitness is all about. Think of a recovery week as the rejuvenation you get from sleep (or should be getting from sleep). If we lose one night of sleep we are usually okay if we lose two or more nights our body starts to feel it, this is what happens over time with your workout. Our bodies need to have time to adapt to the stresses we place on it, on a daily basis with rest and sleep and on a weekly basis with a day off as well as on a monthly basis.
So this month make your spring cleaning about you and your house.
Carrie Provencal, Physical Therapist
Optimum Performance
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