After a long, dark winter, the arrival of spring feels like a breath of fresh air. The warmer temperatures, extra daylight, new growth and beautiful sunshine signal a bright transition. The arrival of spring leaves many of us ready to refresh and rejuvenate our minds, bodies and environment.
One of the most popular ways to do so is with a spring detox.
When most of us hear the word detox, we can’t help but picture some sort of juice cleanse or extreme diet. And while a detox does often involve something of the sort, it’s not necessary to take extraordinary measures to reap the benefits of a simple cleanse.
The arrival of spring marks an important transition for all of us. After months of darkness, cold temperatures and time spent indoors, it’s finally time to open the windows, let some light in and get outside.
We find ourselves ready to get moving, minimize and freshen up our lives.
Thinking about starting a spring cleanse?
Completing a spring detox doesn’t have to involve extreme diets or sacrifices each day. Instead, making a few simple changes to your routine this spring is a great way to cleanse your mind, body and environment.
It’s time to rid the things that are cluttering and darkening our days: minimize clutter, clean our house, rid negative thoughts, get our bodies moving and distance ourselves from unhealthy habits.
Related: 10 Ways to Spring Clean Your Fitness Routine
As daylight lengthens and the sun begins to shine, there’s no better time to freshen up than spring.
These 9 simple actions are a great way to cleanse your mind, body and spirit to refresh and rejuvenate for the months ahead.
This spring detox plan is the perfect way to start fresh, welcome the change, and become the best (and happiest) version of yourself.
9 Ways to Detox this Spring
Drink more water
A simple action, yet it’s something that most of us fall short of every single day. Regardless of how much water you drink on a daily basis, we can all benefit from adding a little more to our routine.
Drinking more water can be something as simple as adding an 8 ounce glass first thing when you wake up in the morning, or swapping a soft drink or other beverage for water with your meal.
Related: The Surprisingly Easy Way to Drink More Water
Your body utilizes water to help flush out the toxins – so if you’re looking for an effective way to detox without making a drastic change in diet, drinking more water is a powerful tool.
Add in some greens
Another way to detox this spring is to add some greens to your daily diet. Swap some processed foods or snacks for some colorful vegetables to fill your body with tons of vitamins and minerals while reducing processed, harmful ingredients.
Related: What Happened When I Ate Paleo for One Month
Find some vegetables that you love to eat with dip or hummus for a snack, cook up some veggies to go along with dinner, or simply add a few handfuls of spinach to your daily smoothie.
There are tons of ways to add a few vegetables to your diet, even if you don’t particularly love their taste.
Spend time away from screens
Completing a spring detox involves so much more than just adjusting your diet. Successfully detoxing your body requires an adjustment of the mind as well.
One action that we all could benefit from is to spend intentional time away from screens this spring. Whether you can manage 15 minutes or 3 hours, try to set aside time each day to be free from screens.
We stare at screens more often than we realize throughout the day. Between our phones, computers, television, gaming systems, tablets, e-readers and so much more, we’re constantly surrounded with blue light and stimulating technology.
Spending time away from screens each day not only gives your mind a much needed break from the endless stimulations of technology, but also reduces the amount of blue light your eyes receive.
Practice daily meditation
Another way to give your mind a much-needed break is to incorporate some form of daily meditation.
When most people think of meditation, they usually envision a guru of some sort meditating for hours on end. But luckily, meditation encompasses much more than lengthy, spiritual transformations.
Meditation can be as simple as sitting in a quiet place, closing your eyes and focusing on your breath for one minute at a time.
Related: 30 Ways to Improve Your Health
Find a time of day when things are calm to set aside time to clear your mind. Perhaps you’ll meditate first thing in the morning or in evening right before bed.
Even one minute every day can provide healthy benefits for your brain. If you’re able, start small and gradually increase the time spent in meditation each week.
Start a mindfulness journal
If you’re planning to complete a spring detox of some sort, you’re probably hoping to cleanse more than just your physical body. A great way to detox this spring is to spend some time focusing on clearing out negative, wasteful thoughts.
In today’s society, it’s easy to feel like we have to be doing four things at once in order to be successful. Focusing on one thing at a time is rare – whether we realize it or not. We answer emails while eating breakfast, outline an article while on a conference call, or discuss an issue with our coworker while we’re at home watching TV.
Without even realizing it, we’ve distanced ourselves from every task because we are never fully present. Regardless of what we’re doing, it seems that our minds are always somewhere else.
Starting a mindfulness journal is a great way to intentionally focus on the present, practice gratitude, and give your mind a break.
Creating a ritual of writing in a mindfulness journal might involve listing out some things for which you are grateful, writing about how you feel in the present moment, or reflecting on something that happened during the day.
Schedule a daily walk
There’s hardly a healthier or more efficient way to improve your mood than to go for a short walk. Walking outdoors provides the added benefit of fresh air and allows you to spend some time soaking in the seasons.
However, even if you’re unable to get outdoors, just a few minutes spent on the treadmill or walking through your house is all you need to reap the benefits.
Related: Clever Ways to Get 10,000 Steps a Day
Taking regular walk breaks helps reduce the detrimental effects of sitting for long periods, promotes healthy blood flow, and encourages creativity.
Not to mention, the additional exercise will flood your mind with endorphins – a feel-good chemical that is released during exercise.
Set yourself up for happiness and success during your spring cleanse by making a point to encourage a good mood each day.
Go to bed 30 minutes earlier
When we think of rejuvenation, one thing consistently comes to mind: sleep.
Sleep provides a period of rest, relaxation and most importantly – growth. While we sleep, our minds are hard at work processing all of the activities from the day, making neurological connections, and fostering new knowledge.
Most of us are living in a state of chronic sleep-deprivation without even realizing it. We get so used to feeling tired that we forget what it feels like to be fully rested and wake up fresh each morning.
Regardless of how much sleep you are currently getting, making a point of heading to bed 30 minutes earlier is a simple (and powerful) way to help your body cleanse this spring.
Prioritize self-care
Most of us begin a detox journey in an attempt to reduce negative feelings, thoughts, and improve ourselves in some way.
Self-care is important for both our mental and physical health – and yet, so few of us choose to make it a priority. By the time we’ve finished all of our work tasks, shuttled our kids back and forth, fed the family and prepared for the next day, it hardly feels like there’s time to focus on ourselves.
Related: 10 Powerful Self-Care Ideas for Runners
However, making time each day for yourself is worth the extra sacrifices that may come with it.
Whether your self-care involves exercising, reading, pampering, or simply relaxing, just a few minutes each day is all it takes to help cleanse our spirits and restore our energy.
Remove toxicity and negativity
The word detox actually means “to remove a harmful substance”. When we think about a health detox, most of us automatically think of a diet. However, by doing so, we are limiting ourselves from the power of a true, full-body cleanse.
While removing harmful foods and drinks can certainly have a powerful effect on your body, you still might be harboring quite a bit of toxicity without even realizing.
Think through your routine, your relationships, your hobbies, and everything about your life. Try to pinpoint the sources of negativity in your life and create a plan to remove them.
You might find that spending 2 hours scrolling through social media each day fills your mind with jealousy and envy. You might find that the television show you binge watch each night has you staying up late and missing out on crucial time to sleep. Or, you might find that there are some people in your life who constantly bring you down.
Whatever you discover, try to make a plan to remove or distance yourself from this negativity as much as possible.
Spring is a season of new beginnings and fresh starts. This season symbolizes life and newness after a long, dull winter.
There’s no better time to cleanse your body and detox from toxicity than the transition into spring. Set yourself up for success with a spring detox this season to feel better, promote happiness, increase productivity and improve your health.
