SPRING RE-SET By Christina Leon from Reveal Yourself
Winter is finally drawing to an end and you can certainly feel spring in the air. This is the perfect time to re-set your body for summer which is just around the corner. Don’t wait until summer to start your new health regime or to lose those extra kgs you might have put on over winter. Starting in spring will ensure you bounce into summer feeling healthy, energized and body confident. Here are some of my top tips to start your spring re-set.
Spring Healthy Eating Re-Set:
It’s now time to put away the crock pot and take out the blender and juicer.
Over winter many people tend to find themselves cooking and eating heavier, heartier meals (comfort food). Spring is a great time to cleanse our bodies from these heavier meals and lighten up our eating. Lots of vibrant, fresh produce of fruit and vegetables are coming into season. Now is the time to start utilizing all this wonderful healthy produce in our meals. Start loading up each meals with lots of fresh greens (especially) and vegetables.
1. Be adventurous with salads. Salads don’t have to be boring, consisting of just lettuce and tomatoes. Salads can become power-houses of goodness; add super grains such a quinoa, buckwheat and/or legumes. Load with lots of different vegetables, fruits, sprouts, micro greens, seeds, nuts, organic protein….the choices are endless.
Your food and how it looks is very much reflective in how you feel. Food should look colourful, vibrant and packed full of nutritious whole food ingredients.
Try my Reveal Yourself Super Kale and Micro Green Salad:
Ingredients:
3 large bunches of kale leaves (can add a mixture of kale and spinach leaves) 1 handful of fresh parsley chopped
1 handful of fresh mint chopped
1 baby beetroot grated
1-2 small radish sliced thinly or grate
1 avocado chopped
1 cup of fresh micro greens
1 Tbsp of dried cranberries 2 Tbsp of pumpkin seeds Dressing:
1 pitted prune
Juice of one lemon
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar Himalayan pink salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
– Wash, rinse and de-steam kale leaves. Chop kale leaves and place in salad bowl – Add all dressing ingredients into a blender and mix. Pour over kale leaves and massage into the kale leaves for about 1-2 minutes.
– Finely chop parsley, mint and add to kale leaves. Add in grated beetroot, sliced radish and micro greens. Finally add pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries
– Mix all together and serve
2. Spring is a great time to start making healthy, nutritious, refreshing smoothies; these are true meals in themselves. Smoothies are also a great chance to add extra vitamins, minerals and antioxidants into your diet through superfoods such as chia seeds, coconut oil, organic protein powder, bee pollen, nut milks, coconut water and superfood powders (maca powder, camu camu, acai, maqui, raw cacao…).
All these nutritious extras can be added into your smoothie creations and will help you feel energized, stablize sugar levels, keep you fuller longer, detoxify your body, aid in digestion and put an extra spring in your step.
Try my Reveal Yourself Antioxidant smoothie:
Ingredients:
1/2-1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup blueberries
1/2-1 cup frozen banana
1/2 cup almond milk or nut milk of your choice (or you can add filtered water) 1 Tbsp chia seeds
1 Tbsp melted organic coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut water
1 tsp camu camu powder
1 tsp maqui powder
1 scoop of organic protein powder (optional)
Directions:
– Add all ingredients into a blender and mix well. Pour into a glass or jar and you can top with additional superfoods such a bee pollen, goji berries, coconut flakes, cacao nibs or almond flakes
3. Juicing daily can also become a part of your new daily spring ritual. Juicing is a fantastic way to get extra vegetables and fruits into you diet. Juicing provides nutrients and vitamins to your cells and feeds your body with live foods. Its is also very gentle on your digestive system.You will notice your energy levels increase,
your sugar cravings diminish or completely disappear. Your skin and hair will also majorly benefit from juicing.
Try my Reveal Yourself Green Me Up Juice: Ingredients:
1 large handful of kale leaves
1 large handful of spinach leaves
2 celery stalks 1 green apple 1 lemon
2 carrots
1/2 cucumber
Directions:
– Add all ingredients into a slow juicer
Other Spring Re-Set Tips:
- – Start each morning with warm water, squeezed lemon and a Tbsp of apple cidervinegar. I also recommend a liver detox tea before breakfast. These will all help
activate the liver and bowels, detoxify the body and start your metabolism.
- – Increase your water intake. Often over winter many people tend not to drink asmuch water. Spring is the perfect time to become aware of your daily water intake. I recommend about 2-3 litres per day. Buy a water bottle so you can keep an eye on how much you are drinking each day. Also jazz up your water in the day, add fresh fruits, fresh ginger, mint and super greens such as spirulina.
- – Start preparing your own healthy whole food snacks such as bliss balls, homemade muesli and granola bars, fruit salads and scroggin mix. These will ensure you don’t make bad choices in your day, will keep you fuller longer and control blood sugar levels throughout your day.
- – Do a spring clean of your pantry and fridge. Eliminate or completely get rid of all processed and refined foods. Give your fridge and pantry a thorough clean and restock with lots of fresh, nutritious whole food ingredients.
- – Cut back on your coffee intake and replace with more filtered water, fresh juices, or herbal teas such as green, white tea or other herbal teas of your choice. These will hydrate, nourish and cleanse the body.
- – Goal set, spend some time writing down your whys and goals for starting your spring re-set. It maybe to lose 5kg, have more energy, control sugar cravings, join the gym, be active with your children, find new healthy recipes for you and your family. Write your goals down on a piece of paper and place it where you can see it every day (on your fridge, bathroom mirror). This will give your focus and hold you accountable.
- – Purchase a couple of new whole food recipe books to give you inspiration in all your spring food creations..The Reveal Yourself Recipe e-book is perfect for your Spring Re-Set. It contains my favourite recipes that me and my family love. They are easy, quick, tasty but most importantly super nutritious. Each recipe is packed full of nutritiously dense whole food ingredients. The Reveal Yourself philosophy is all about nourishing our bodies from the inside out. The Reveal Yourself recipes will leave your body feeling energized, radiant and ensure you “SPARKLE”.
Spring Exercise Re-Set:
Time to put away your flannelette PJ’s and dust off your running shoes and yoga mat.
Often over winter people become less active and make lots of excuses not to be exercising (its too cold, too dark, I am too tired). With the sun beginning to shine again and the days becoming lighter people begin to get a spring back in their step and find the desire to become active again.
It’s the perfect time to get your body moving and this will have wonderful implications on both your physical and mental state and will also affect your desire to eat healthier.
Spring Exercising Re-set Tips:
- – Spend 30min-1 hour plus a day being active.
- – Find activities your enjoy and that motivate you. Join a boot camp, yoga class,start running with a friend, join a gym or join local fitness classes.
- – Have fun! If you enjoy what you are doing you are more likely to stick with it andput more effort in. These will all help you reach your fitness and health goals
faster.
- – It’s the perfect time to buy some new work out gear and training shoes. Youalways feel better and refreshed with new training gear.
- – Write in your dairy what activities or workouts you are going to do each week, thiswill give you direction in your week and ensure you fit your exercise in. Start taking action today with your Spring Re-Set and Reveal Your Best Self!
Love Christina Leon From Reveal Yourself x
Visit www.revealyourself.co.nz for lots of inspiration on healthy eating and lifestyle. Join The Reveal Yourself FB page https://www.facebook.com/revealyourself for daily recipes, motivation and support.
