Spring Clean and Detox
Spring is well and truly here! Everywhere you look there are spring blooms and blossom. They are a symbol of the welcome end of a long winter and a long lockdown when we have all spent more time at home than we have wanted to. The change of season couldn’t be more welcome! There has never been a better time for a fresh starts, new opportunities, renewal and a good spring clean – not only of the house but also of your health! What things do you do to check in with how your body is doing and kickstart some fresh new healthy habits? In this blog I will explore some of the best ways to spring clean your home and your health for small victories and new positive habits!
Spring Clean
If you have allergies, a spring clean can help by removing dust and mould. However, this is the time of year when allergies such as hayfever crop up. In the UK, up to 1 in 4 people suffer from seasonal allergies and I have written a blog on how to reduce the discomfort of seasonal allergies. [1] If you experience difficulties with high levels of histamine, you might like to know minor changes to your diet can have a bit impact and I would be happy to discuss this with you in more detail.[2]
Deep cleaning helps with allergies by getting rid of dust so make a list of all the little jobs that need doing. Put your favourite music on and tick off a few of the things on your list. Work out ways to de-clutter and re-organise some of the things that have begun to pile up. We all have things that need sorting out in our inboxes or the pantry or the medicine cabinet or the make-up bag or the garden shed!
Bringing a bit of order to chaos will help you feel motivated and your mind will also feel clearer when there is less mess and clutter around. You might be interested in this study from The Journal of Neuroscience in 2011 which found that clutter significantly limits the brain’s ability to process information.[3] Finally, a clean, organised home has been shown to positively impact mood and decrease the risk of depression.[4]
Get moving outdoors
I love the long days and feel more energised and much healthier! This is partly because I can spend more time outdoors when I exercise. Long walks with a friend, or my new little puppy once she is big enough to take longer walks!
You may have heard of the idea of ‘forest bathing’ where you immerse yourself in green space or among lots of tress (known as ‘Shinrinyoku’ in Japan). Spending a leisurely hour or two in beautiful green places has been shown to lower blood pressure, help lower stress levels (and cortisol levels), and increase your immunity.[5] Such times are important to me not only because of the health benefits, but also because I am reminded that God is in control of the seasons and he is the source of all the beauty I see around me.
Getting outside is a great way to increase your Vitamin D levels. Try to get outside for 20 minutes in the first half of the morning, with as much skin bared as you can and don’t forget excellent food sources of vitamin D and its co-factors are, as I’ve mentioned, good-quality fish liver oil, oily fish, organ meats and milk kefir. You can read more about Vitamin D on my website here.
Fresh Food
Eating fresh, seasonal foods is a great way to get a variety of essential vitamins, minerals, and fibre into your diet. This time of year, we can enjoy broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, asparagus, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, red cabbage, wild-caught salmon, free-range meats, and eggs. It is also the perfect time to enjoy local farmers markets and maybe to try your hand at growing your own vegetables!
Don’t forget to take care of your healthy gut and make sure to include fermented foods to boost the beneficial microbiome that has been shown to boost your immune system.
Now is a great time to discover some new recipes of healthy foods that make you feel great. See some of my recipes online for some ideas, especially the compilation of delicious salad recipes perfect for warmer, sunnier days.
New projects and challenges
Perhaps you may feel like a new challenge or a new project as Spring bursts into new life around you? Have you tried intermittent fasting? I always find it much easier during warmer weather rather than winter and I feel so much better. Intermittent fasting is extending your non-eating hours to 16 hours and eating your daily intake in an 8-hour window. I drink lots of liquids throughout the non-eating hours and delay my breakfast for a few hours. You can read another of my blog posts for extra ideas and more of the research behind fasting.
You might also like to try dry-skin brushing, an easy and effective way to stimulate your lymphatic system and remove toxins. Make sure you use a natural bristle brush and use firm, circular strokes towards your heart and don’t forget to take a shower afterwards!
Every blessing,
Emma
Emma Maitland-Carew – Registered Nutritional Therapist
Dip.ION, mBANT, CHNC Registered Practitioner,
Metabolic Balance® Coach, HeartMath Coach.
[1] See my blog post about managing seasonal allergies. Nipping Seasonal Allergies in the Bud! – Nutritional Therapy Oxfordshire (emmamaitland-carew.co.uk)
[2] Kohn, Jill Balla, “Is There a Diet for Histamine Intolerance?”, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics , Volume 114 , Issue 11 , 1860. https://jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672(14)01454-3/fulltext
[3] McMains S, Kastner S. Interactions of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms in human visual cortex. J Neurosci. 2011 Jan 12;31(2):587-97. Interactions of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms in human visual cortex – PubMed (nih.gov)
[4] Saxbe DE, Repetti R. No place like home: home tours correlate with daily patterns of mood and cortisol. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2010 Jan;36(1):71-81. No place like home: home tours correlate with daily patterns of mood and cortisol – PubMed (nih.gov)
[5] Li Q. Effect of forest bathing trips on human immune function. Environ Health Prev Med. 2010 Jan;15(1):9-17.Effect of forest bathing trips on human immune function – PubMed (nih.gov)
