Are you Spring Cleaning anytime soon? Don’t forget to Spring Clean your health as well! Those cold Chicago winter months are gone, and it’s time for a health and fitness renewal!
As we clean our homes, it’s important to remember to Spring Clean our health. Oftentimes, we forget to check back on those goals and intentions we made earlier in the year. Springtime is the perfect time to bounce back and feel as refreshed as ever! We put together the ULTIMATE Checklist so that you can welcome the new season feeling as ready as you can to kick-start the Spring season by taking care of YOU.
Get Moving Outdoors
As Springtime in Chicago arrives, we are all eager to get moving outdoors! Physical activity after a long Winter has never sounded so easy. There are so many easy ways to get moving outdoors. A great way is by going on a walk. Whether it’s to your neighborhood grocery store, to the lakefront, or even to a friend’s house, walking will help you get moving! Not only can walking energize you, but it can lower your blood pressure and reduce stress. Opt out of a car ride or the CTA and take advantage of the beautiful weather. Plug in your earbuds, listen to your favorite music or podcast, and get moving!
Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!
Did you know that health experts recommend drinking eight eight-ounce glasses of water a day? Are you reaching that goal? It’s so easy to fall back on this goal, so this Spring make a challenge to reach that recommended goal! Some ways to drink more water include starting your day with a glass of water, setting reminders on your phone with apps, and keeping a reusable water bottle around at all times! And if you don’t like the taste of water, try flavoring your water with cut-up fruit like strawberries or lemons! Water carries so many nutrients to your body and comes with many benefits, such as regulating body temperature, maximizing physical activity, and flushing out toxins in your body. Hydrate this Spring to get your skin glowing and maximize your physical activity after that long Winter.
Enjoy the Sunshine and Warm Weather
Winter is gone and it’s time to enjoy that warm weather and soak up those rays! Being cooped up all Winter in your house means you may be lacking Vitamin D. After those brutal Winter days, getting outside is a MUST. Put on your sunscreen and enjoy the sunshine outside. Whether you’re going for a walk, playing with the kids, running errands, playing sports, or just sitting outside, enjoying the sunshine can be done in so many ways!
Create Time for Self-Care
It’s never a bad time for self-care. Self-care is something that everyone should practice. It doesn’t have to be every day for you busy bees, but creating a routine with tasks where you incorporate self-care will only make you feel better. Self-care is important because it eliminates anxiety and depression, reduces stress, increases energy, and even increases your happiness. Our favorite self-care activities include taking a bath, reading a book, watching your favorite TV shows, creating something, and doing a face mask! Try some of these throughout the week this Spring and see how your health improves.
Put on Sunscreen
Have those cloudy and snowy Chicago days made you forget to put on sunscreen? Just because it was cold and cloudy, doesn’t mean you should stop wearing sunscreen! Wearing sunscreen daily is a must and this Spring it’s important to get back in the habit of wearing sunscreen every day! Not many realize how important wearing sunscreen is. Even on cloudy, Winter days, our skin can be vulnerable to catching the sun’s harmful UV rays. Sunscreen allows us to protect our skin, reduces any risks of sunburn and skin cancer, and restrains us from any signs of aging. An SPF of 30 and up can make certain that your skin is protected from the sun’s rays. This Spring, head over to your local store and pick up facial and body sunscreen that you can easily incorporate into your daily skincare routine.
Discover New Ways to Get Active
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut when it comes to staying active. If you get bored easily of the same fitness routines, this new season, discover new ways to get active! Getting active doesn’t have to just be hitting the gym. Take every week to discover a new way to get active this Spring. Create a list and write down all of the new ways you want to stay active this Spring. And if nothing is coming to mind, we can help with that! Here are some of our favorite and unique ways to stay active: taking new fitness classes around Chicago (HIIT, Yoga, Spin, Boxing, Dance), going on daily walks or runs, trying outdoor sports (swimming, kayaking, volleyball, biking), taking on-demand CHI-SOCIETY classes, and even hiking. Try something new each week and see what appeals to you!
Try Out New Workout Gear
A health and fitness renewal isn’t complete without new workout gear! What better way to get motivated on your renewed fitness and health journey than by buying new gym gear! There are always new workout gear and equipment popping up in stores and online, so if you’ve been eyeing a special item, what better time to get it than now. Buying new workout gear can be a great start to getting back into your fitness routine and can serve as fantastic inspiration for what you are striving to achieve this new season. Whether it’s equipment like yoga mats, weights, new booty bands, or even workout clothes, nothing is off limits!
De-Clutter Your Space
Yes, you guessed it! It’s not a Spring Cleaning Checklist without de-cluttering your space. The best way to reset your mind is by clearing your physical space. There’s no better feeling than discarding all those unnecessary items you collected from the past Winter. Start by de-cluttering your least used space and build-up to the most used space in your home. Cleaning up your space will allow you to start this season on a clean slate. Your space may have a lot of distractions so by de-cluttering it at the start of the season, you will have more space, time, energy, AND freedom for what matters most to you in your life.
Meditate
Did you know that meditation can change your brain? There are many benefits to meditation such as reducing stress, controlling your anxiety, reducing negative emotions, and increase self-awareness. If you haven’t practiced meditation before, we challenge you to try it this Spring. This practice only takes a small chunk of your time but can be just the thing to change your day for the better. Check out the guided meditation on our website because a mental spring clean is exactly what you need!
Try New Foods
Eating nutrient-based foods is SO important for our bodies. This is important because we want to nourish our bodies and stay healthy. Eating 3 meals a day is crucial to stay energized through those busy Spring days. If you’re bored of eating the same meals every day, try to eat some new foods this season. Check out your local grocery stores to what seasonal food is in stock – Trader Joe’s is a great place to start! Make sure to also eat what appeals to you! And if you’re a picky eater and don’t want to try new foods, make sure to find some healthy and appealing meal ideas. If you’re looking for some healthy meal ideas, our favorites include breakfast burritos, baked oatmeal, spring rolls, BBQ chicken quesadillas, protein pancakes, and taco salads.
Head over to CHI-SOCIETY.com to discover the best of Chicago Health & Fitness!
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