Six Tip to Grow Your Health in Spring in Maryville, TN

Saturday, March 20, 2021 marks the first day of Spring. Winter’s cold grey shadows fade into warm sunshine. Dead wood sprouts new life with buds of bright green leaves. Birds work busily to build egg’s nests that crack forth new life.

It’s a natural season of renewal. New beginnings, new life, and new growth.

Do you ever look at your health and fitness journey as if in seasons?

You have times like Winter when you just maintain. This season of health and fitness might be when you are injured, ill, dealing with family challenges, or have just hit a wall. It can feel cold and dark but it doesn’t last forever.

You have times like Spring where new hope, new goals, and new routines bud forth. You might need a little pruning in spring to cut off dead weight and help encourage prolific growth in the next season. In this season you may be new to exercise or new to nutrition, or you may be taking on a new goal that is totally different from years past. You are energized with excitement yet still fragile.

You have times like Summer when you are strong and enduring, yet still growing. You might need a little pruning in summer too, to help trim back areas that are growing out of control. In this season you are settled into a good lifestyle routine that works well for your body and you know what you need to do to keep plugging away and keep progressing. You feel the heat and the harsh realities of your goal but you also see the harvest coming if you do not give up.

You have times like Fall when you show your colors, harvest the crop, and share the bounty of all your hard work. In the season of fall you are well seasoned in your fitness, sleep, nutrition, and spiritual routine. You’ve weathered some storms. You know what works for your mind, body and soul, and what doesn’t. You’re able to help others in another season of their journey.

Seasons are the natural order of God’s creation. Nothing ever stays the same. But for some reason, when it comes to health and fitness, we seem to think that we should be in the “Summer and Fall” season all the time - Growing uncontrollably with mighty strength and yielding bountiful fruit at every turn.

But the reality is that our health and fitness journey is seasonal, just like the rest of life.

This is a good thing (those of you who live in Vegas like us know that a limit on summer’s time is a blessing indeed).

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Celebrate the first day of Spring with these 6 tips to cultivate optimal health:

1. Look for the signs of Spring by identifying the areas of your health and fitness journey that are in the spring season (see description above). Think of a spring plant and compare those principles to your health journey (hint: not every part of your health will be in the same season). What area of your health is new and exciting to you? What areas of your health are newly budding and need special care? What areas of your health and fitness energize you? What areas are growing very quickly yet could die off if you ignored them for more than a couple days?
2. Time to prune the old health ideas and things you tried that didn’t work in the past. Cut ‘em off and throw them out! Your body changes year after year so what worked last year may not work again.  Prune off the bad habits that don’t improve your health. Prune off quick fix diet plans that don’t last. Prune off the exercise plan you did when you were 20 that hurts your joints now.
3. Cultivate the right soil by creating a nourishing environment. This might mean joining a meet up group with trail runners or stocking your fridge with your favorite fast grab veggie snacks. If your new spring goal is to develop a sleep routine then your nourishing environment might mean some lavender essential oil, the same bed time each night, and a book instead of TV. Good soil yields the most fruit. 
4. Nurture new growth by protecting it from harsh elements. Just like baby budding leaves, new habits are tender in harsh environments. Limit exposure to situations that you don’t yet have the skills to maneuver such as a walk down the ice cream isle at the store or an invitation to go out the night before you have an early workout scheduled. Give your new healthy habits time to grow strong roots
5. Water new growth. No metaphor here! We can’t live without water, yet it’s often the thing we don’t get enough of (especially in the desert). New roots need to stay moist or the entire plant can die in just a day. Our bodies need ample amounts of water when we exercise to lubricate joints properly, deliver nutrients to muscles and vital organs, and detoxify the body. This habit should always be revisited and fine-tuned every spring. Aim for half your body weight in ounces as a starting point.
6. Sunlight boosts the immune system by increasing vitamin D production. It also boosts mood and cultivates a thankful heart. Exercising outside (without a mask) improves blood oxygen levels and circulation. Get outside!

New beginnings, new life, and new growth- This is what optimal health looks like in the spring!  Just like a garden this sounds simple, but it takes work and we are here to help! Where do you want to grow? MOTIVFIT has helped thousands of women over the past 18 years to live a healthy life with purpose and passion. 

P.S. God created you to grow and flourish. but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)