Transition into Spring with Energy

Spring can be seen as the month of transition. Transitioning from the Winter months that encompass warming activities, warming foods, slowing down, creating resolutions and intentions for the upcoming year and often a time of self-care and less socialization. In contrast, Summer is typically full of high-energy activities, lighter foods, fast-paced days, adding more tasks to the to-do list and potentially lots of socialization!

Spring weather can be unpredictable, and fall somewhere between winter and summer. The different months and characteristics of the different seasons, provide us with the perfect opportunity to adjust our own goals, activity levels, nutrition, time for rest and self-care etc.

Spring can be a time when you reflect on how the past few months have gone, in terms of goals, intentions and achievements and consider where you want to go in the next few months. Spring is also a good time to set some boundaries to prepare for the business that is to come.

Seasonal Eating

Seasonal eating is eating seasonal foods that are normally harvested during that season rather than eating all foods year-round. Additionally, it is consuming foods that have the highest flavour in that season. By doing so you will also be consuming nutritiously dense foods that are delicious.

Eating seasonally is not only sustainable but rather can reduce grocery costs, support local farmers and provide consumers with produce that is full of flavour and nutrients. As we transition from winter, which usually includes heavier warmer foods to summer which includes lighter and cooler foods, spring allows us to mix both.

Reds, Oranges and Greens are the stars of spring. Think asparagus, peas, carrots, apricots, radishes, strawberries and rhubarb. Seasonal produce usually is full of flavour, in addition to being more nutritionally dense and delicious.

Vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, folate and beta carotene are higher in produce that are grown in optimal conditions. Spring is a perfect opportunity to eat foods rich in these nutrients. Have fun with your nutrition, and maybe eat a few foods you naturally don’t year-round.

Athlete’s Kitchen uses a variety of spring foods in our meals. A few go-to meals part of our menu for Spring are:

• Caribbean sweet bread with fruit
• Roasted vegetable salad
• Poke bowl with carrots and radish
• Mexican mole steak with carrots and peas
• Pesto chicken stew with asparagus and zucchini

Spring Recipes

As you start to think about transitioning your diet from winter to summer here are a few other spring recipes to consider:

• Apricot overnight oats.
• Farro salad with boiled egg, tuna, radish and asparagus.
• Chicken vegetable stew with onions, peas, carrots, zucchini and white beans.
• Pork with roasted potatoes and a side of carrots and peas.
• Strawberry rhubarb crumble.

Consuming a variety of whole foods, fresh fruits and veggies, especially root vegetables, healthy fats, and lean proteins will help to ensure you get adequate nutrition.

Sometimes people will tend to consume more ‘snacks’ as the days get longer, however, we want to try to be mindful to consume meals that will fill you up and provide you with sustainable energy.

Meal Planing

Embarking on a journey of meal planning can be a game-changer for everyone seeking a structured eating style, incorporating seasonal foods, balanced diets, and perfectly portioned meals. The benefits are manifold, ranging from increased energy levels to fostering a sustainable lifestyle. While food is a necessity, the time-consuming nature of food preparation often becomes a hurdle. Time is a valuable commodity, especially for those with hectic work schedules, making the emergence of meal delivery services a boon.

Athletes Kitchen, a Toronto-based provider of healthy premade meals, stands out in the realm of meal planning. With the convenience of fresh and sometimes frozen deliveries on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, their lifestyle meals are not only enjoyable but also nutritionally robust. Packed with high protein and an abundance of vegetables, these meals cater to various dietary preferences and are easily stored in your fridge.

The significance of delegating the task of meal preparation to professionals cannot be overstated. Beyond the obvious time saved on grocery shopping, cooking, packaging, and portioning, services like Athletes Kitchen offer a multitude of advantages. While the initial cost might seem comparable to or even slightly higher than the DIY approach, the convenience, variety, and ease of these professionally crafted meals make them a worthy investment.

The value lies not just in the culinary experience but also in the broader spectrum of life. By entrusting the responsibility of meal preparation to a service like Athletes Kitchen, individuals can redirect their focus to more crucial aspects of their lives, be it their day job, quality time with family, or enjoying the outdoors. It’s about more than just the meal, it’s about reclaiming your time and enhancing your overall well-being.

Supplements

Of course, it is best to get your micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) from fresh food, however some seasons we may require a bit more, or we may not be able to consume all of our needs via our diet. During these scenarios, supplements can come in handy to supplement our diet.

During the Spring season, Vitamin D would be still beneficial to consider, especially in Canada when our sun exposure isn’t optimal. Vitamin D is important for bone health, neuromuscular function and various other cell processes. The best food sources of vitamin D are salmon, mackerel, sardines, egg yolks and beef liver.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids are a good supplement to consider, any time of year as they are essential, meaning we need to consume them via the diet. Foods high in omega 3 are fish and flax versus foods high in omega 6 are walnuts and sunflower seeds.

Antioxidants (Vitamins A, C, E, Selenium and Zinc) play a critical role in inflammation in the body. Antioxidants help to protect the body against free radicals, to ensure proper physiological functioning. Broccoli, carrots and tomatoes are some of the best functional foods that are rich in antioxidant compounds.

Some trusted supplements are:

• Liquid Vitamin D (Thorne or NFH)
• Wild Omega 3 (Vitazan), Omega Matrix (Cyto-Matrix), Krill Oil (Trophic)
• ACES + Zinc (Cyto-Matrix), Antioxidant Synergy (AOR)

Get Outside

With the weather getting a bit warmer and the sun coming out more often, spring is a perfect time for winter hibernation to be behind us and for us to start making an appearance again! Especially with daylight saving time, the clocks forward will bring us longer, brighter, sunnier days.

Some spring activities are going for a walk, bike ride or hike outdoors. Going to a park and playing on the swing, or even going to a park to watch people or kids play. Have fun with it! Being outdoors is not only good for your physical health, but rather also good for your mental health.

Springtime is also when the cherry blossoms start to appear.

It is recommended to walk at least 10,000 steps per day for health benefits. More so, we want to break those walks up throughout the day. Going for even a 10-minute walk outdoors can provide some mental clarity, give your body a physical movement break and help with mood, digestion and concentration.

We want to build a lifestyle that incorporates movement even during our busy times. When we build the habit of incorporating movement snacks into our day, it will become routine.

Bonus, take these walks outside. Movement outdoors has been shown to help reduce stress, improve sleep, lower blood pressure and improve immunity, to name a few.

Read more about movement breaks in our other blog.

Other Spring Activities

Outside of being active outdoors, spring can be a good time to take up and explore a new fun hobby.

Tapping into your creative side, be that art, music or crafting, can be a great way to stimulate areas of the brain that aren’t often used and to find a sense of flow. Being creative can improve your mood, and provide a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment, in addition to decreasing your risk of dementia.

You can also consider more nurturing tasks like baking, cooking new recipes or starting your own garden, be that plants or herbs or fruits or vegetables. Providing for something outside one’s self can be powerful to improve your sense of well-being, and purpose in addition to reducing stress and lower blood pressure.

Springtime is a perfect time to invite some friends and family for an outdoor picnic date. Eating healthy, fresh meals together, while you fill the afternoon with some play, good talks, and perhaps a little nap can leave your mind and body feeling full of energy. Perhaps even take this date into the country. There is something different about fresh country air that leaves you feeling lighter and more with more energy.

Adjust to the Time Change

Start early. The week before the time change, start setting your alarm a little earlier each day by 10-15 minutes. Try going to bed a little earlier each night, again by 10-15 minutes. It is not ideal to jump right into the new time change.

Be sure to get enough daylight sunshine, ideally, as soon as you wake up, mid-day and again towards the evening. Getting outside, especially with the daylight sun has been shown to help regulate your circadian rhythm, which is your sleep-wake cycle. We want to reset our sleep-wake cycle each day!

Around 8 pm melatonin (your sleep hormone) is increasing which will start making you feel sleepy. At this point, we want to start winding down, turn the lights off and get ready for bed. Ideally, we consume our last heavy meal a few hours before bed, as digestion can disrupt sleep. If you need a little bedtime snack, something easy to digest and small will be fine. Ensure it is balanced!

When considering bedtime snacks, we want to ensure it is balanced (just like with our meals) with carbs, protein, healthy fats and fibre to support blood glucose. Try to include whole fresh food sources that are rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium.

Bedtime foods to consider:

• kiwi, cherry, banana, blueberries
• full-fat dairy (cottage cheese, greek yogurt, milk, cheese)
• eggs
• nuts & seeds
• oats

Furthermore, we want to ensure we are eating meals at regular intervals throughout the day, roughly on the same schedule. Getting enough movement in during the day, be that your workouts and/or daily movement will help get both your body and mind ready for sleep that evening.

 

Self Care

There are many different ‘aims’ to self-care. Emotional, mental, body/physical, spiritual, social/relational and work. Self-care aims to achieve, maintain and promote optimal health through awareness, self-reliance and self-control.

At the end of the day, the goal is to aim for a balance between all domains. As we grow and challenge ourselves, we also want to be aware of maintaining balance, protecting our vulnerabilities and avoiding burnout.

Self-care can help one not only reduce stress but rather manage stress and cope and adapt to stress in a more balanced healthier way. Self-care involves movement, nutrition, sleep, relaxation, growth, connection and gratitude.

A few self-care ideas to explore are:

• having a bath or a long hot shower
• going for a walk outside in nature without being on your phone
• reading a book
• laying in the sun
• listening to a podcast
• playing with a pet or children
• working on a hobby of interest
• going for a massage
• treating yourself to a special meal or dessert and eating it mindfully and slowly
• meeting up with a loved one

Declutter

Spring is the ultimate time to declutter. Declutter your physical environment and your mind.

Typical spring cleaning! Time to do a deep clean of your home, potentially change over your wardrobe and get rid of items you haven’t used since last spring. Do a deep cleaning of your physical environment to ensure you get rid of excess clutter that has accumulated over the past few months.

Furthermore, it’s a good time to declutter one’s mind. Ask yourself if there is anything or anyone in your life that isn’t serving you and potentially even holding you back. These aren’t ‘easy’ conversations, however, they usually are necessary for growth.

 

Set Boundaries

Spring can be a good time for setting boundaries around both doing and being.

Saying no to people, opportunities, extra tasks etc. Sometimes in life, we need to say no more often. It’s not always, and shouldn’t be, as we should want to grow each year. However, in some seasons, be that spring or other times, it’s okay to say no.

Saying no can be a way for you to grow. By saying no and slowing down, you may find some more clarity about things that we fogged in the business of life.

This can look like you taking an afternoon off to enjoy a walk alone, have an extra long bath, go to a coffee shop to just be with your thoughts instead of ‘filling’ up that hour with an extra task on your to-do list or being in the company of others.

Sometimes we forget to care for ourselves and jump right into the next task. It is okay to slow down, the world won’t stop. Remember, you can’t give out of an empty cup. Perhaps take the first week of clock change to take care of yourself.

Reassess Goals

Spring is a great time to also reassess those goals you made back in January. It’s now been about 2-3 months, which is enough time to know if you have been consistent and if you have made any noticeable progress.

Refer to our past blog for more about goals and goal setting.

Ask yourself the hard questions of if you have been consistent. Don’t forget that consistency is around 80% of the time and not 100%!

Ask yourself if you need to re-evaluate your goals or your actions. We want to make sure our goals are attainable and realistic. If they aren’t then no need to feel bad and disappointed we didn’t hit them, maybe we need to reassess them so we can hit them more times than not. Remember it isn’t about perfect, but rather about improvement and progress and doing what you can to not fall back into old ways.

Prepare for Summer

Spring is a great transition season to prepare for the Summer months to come. Perhaps you want to change your diet and exercise routine. Spring is a great time to invest in a coach. Perhaps you want to plan for a holiday. Spring is a good time to take on a few extra hours of work to prepare in advance for some time off. Perhaps you want to take up a new hobby. Spring is a good time to join a club for 8-12 weeks to learn something new.

Spring is a season of growth and reflection. At the end of the day, time will come and go. It is up to us to make the most of it. What do you want to achieve this spring?