5 Ways To Spring Clean Your Health

While the sunshine and melting snow certainly prompts most of us to clean out our closets and cupboards, the results of a winter of comfort eating and Netflix binging can surprise us. Just like we declutter those closets and pantries, Spring is a great time to take an assessment of our health, how we’re feeling overall, and make some changes for sunny days ahead.

Here are 5 ways I’ve found to spring clean my health this year, and I think they’re simple and easy enough to incorporate into anyone’s busy schedule:

1) Schedule Annual Screenings and Appointments

Spring is a great time to schedule all those appointments that the winter months gave you the weather excuse to avoid. Mammograms (I have to go yearly), PAP tests, annual check-ups (it’s always good to get a blood screening for anything weird), dental and eye exams – if any of these leave you wondering when your last one was mama, it’s time to go.

2) Declutter Your Bathroom Cabinets By Tossing Old Make-Up

While you’ve been cleaning out the kitchen pantry, your mascara may be sitting in a drawer, collecting bacteria and waiting for your next use (gross, right?) Like your last check-up, if you can’t remember how long ago you bought that mascara, it may be time to toss it. Experts recommend you only use your mascara for 3 months, and liquid foundation and concealer every 6 months. Yikes! More beauty product expiry dates here.

3) Ensure Your Tummy Is Healthy From The Inside

While a gym may help trim and tone your stomach from the outside, let’s not forget to take care of the inside too. We all know that what we eat has a huge impact on how our stomach feels (and know very quickly when it was the wrong choice!) but we should also be aware of the role of probiotics and how much they can help us.

Common issues such as diet, changes in routine, travel and stress can disrupt your natural healthy intestinal flora. Taking a probiotic supplement like Align once a day provides probiotic bacteria that contribute to a natural healthy intestinal flora. Align is a daily probiotic supplement that provides live bacteria to benefit health, relieving and managing symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) like abdominal discomfort, gas and bloating. It’s the #1 Gastroenterologist Recommended Probiotic supplement (recommended 3X more than any other probiotic)* which means it’s the go-to for many Canadians.

In fact, healthy people who are interested in promoting their digestive wellness would benefit from taking Align. With continued daily use, Align helps provide good bacteria that form part of the natural healthy gut flora, to help support a healthy digestive system and maintain digestive balance.  I’m currently taking Align on a 14-day trial to see how it helps me. While my diet is definitely healthier than it was a year ago, we can all use a little help balancing our digestive system. I’m curious to see how Align helps with digestive bloat.

This isn’t the same as grabbing a yummy yogurt with probiotics in it because Align is so much more. Only Align contains Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis 35624, a pure-strain probiotic bacteria developed by gastroenterologists. Align helps relieve and manage symptoms of IBS. To learn more learn more about Align here: www.alignprobiotic.ca

4) Replace Your Workout Shoes

I am so proud of the photo above! The other day, I picked up my shoes that I’ve been using last summer on my walks and all winter on the treadmill and look at them! For the very first time in my life, my running shoes actually are showing some wear and tear! That’s a big deal to me.

“The general rule of running shoe replacement is every 600 miles of running, i.e., someone running 50 to 60 miles a week should replace their shoes every three months,” says Andrew P. Gerken, MD, orthopedic surgeon with Newport Orthopedic Institute in Newport Beach, California.

Whoops. Now that I’ve made the switch to my next pair of running shoes – for actually running – I know that I’m being proactive in insuring I get a good run and reduce my risk of injury.

5) Get Outside

We’ve been cooped up indoors for a long winter (if you’re like me, no winter sports will entice me to spend a great deal of time outdoors in the winter months). Now that it’s Spring, get out there and feel the sunshine on your face, breathe in the fresh air, and go for a walk or run to help reduce stress. Last Spring, I made a conscious effort to get outside for walks daily, and it had a domino effect on my overall health and lifestyle change. As they say, it’s all about that first step. If you’re new to daily exercise or need to get back at it, my advice is to set small, manageable, goals and build from there. Start with a 30 minute walk every day. I’ll see you out there (if not in person, virtually in your pics online!)

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