It’s fair to say it’s been a mild winter, which may mean our Summer bodies are already in the making. That being said, it can’t be helped that even in cooler temperatures our body desires to be fed with warm, nourishing meals such as soups, dahl, shakshuka, stews and broths. This is normal as your body requires more body fat to keep warm.
However, as the temperature begins to rise, our appetite naturally changes to suit the season. With this in mind, we begin to switch up our routine when many of us feel the need to tone-up, tan and train a little bit harder with Summer in near sight.
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Clinical Nutritionist & Naturopath and expert for Nuzest, Nicola Miethke shares how you can do it!
Brush off Winter
First things first, shed your winter coat with a body brush and begin to exfoliate your body. Dry body brushing not only helps shed dead skin cells but helps blood circulation and lymph drainage as well as promote the growth of new skin cells. Apparently, Gwyneth Paltrow does it every day and if it’s good enough for her, it’s good enough for us!
Support the Immune System
The transition into Spring can mean ‘allergy season’ which means our immune system requires additional support. Since 70% of our immune system resides in the gut, including more gut-loving foods such as miso, bone broth, sauerkraut, kimchi, natural or Greek yogurt, tempeh, kefir, kombucha and fiber-rich foods can help to nourish and restore healthy gut bacteria which may reduce the chance of falling sick. If you want an added boost of nutrients, a greens powder added to your smoothie is quick and easy. Make sure you look for one made up of pre+probiotics, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and immune herbs such as Good Green Stuff.
Mix up the Training
If you’ve been hiding away in a warm yoga studio or gym when it’s still dark and cold outside, perhaps it’s time to try something new. By trying a new exercise, you can activate different muscle groups that may have been in hibernation. Outdoor alternatives include, swimming laps in the outdoor pool (which may also be heated), a hit of tennis (make it social and invite friends to play doubles), try a fitness app that you can practice in your local park or start riding your bike to work for some incidental exercise. Additional fitness tips can be found here.
Shop for the Season
Eating seasonally is a great way to tune into the needs of your body so it can perform optimally. Come Spring we may begin to adopt a lighter diet that introduces more salads, smoothies and seafood. When shopping for a Spring fridge, throw in more leafy greens, colourful vegetables, pulses and free-range or organic proteins.
Look out for the following foods which are in season in Spring: banana, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, asparagus, broccoli, beetroot, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, mushroom, spinach and silverbeet.
Tune In
The worst thing we can do to our bodies is force it to do something it just does not want to do. For example, going from training three days to five days every week. By creating a philosophy of “I should do this” you may begin to foster fixation and consequently stress and resentment towards something you once enjoyed.
Alternatively, listening to the needs of your body will help to promote a more positive way of thinking and thus allow your body to perform the way it knows best.
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