green is universal

This Year, Spring Into A Healthier You!

Posted at 12:31 PM on March 17, 2008 comments (2)

By Nicole Ohebshalom, Radiant Living Wellness

Looking out the window this morning I took a breath of fresh air and felt the transformation. Spring is in the air. A time of celebration, reinvention and lightness!

Spring is a time of new growth. In many ways a fresh start; a time to shed what you no longer need and an opportunity to identify what needs a little nurturing and tending to. As I find myself coming out of the snugly winter hibernation, I have been having fun shedding and reinventing different parts of my life. The first steps I took in my reinvention is reorganizing my space at home as well as my office and begun a cleanse program to balance my body, nourish my spirit and to spring ahead.

Here are some enjoyable eco-tips to enhance your personal spring transformation.

Grabbing a Handful of Energy
When the sun comes out I find every reason to go out and play! I add more high energy foods so my body has the fuel to stay up and energized for all my activities. As I stock my fridge with a rainbow of vegetables I begin to add more raw dark leafy greens like kale and swiss chard. I also enjoy more cold-water fish, like salmon, mackerel and herring, which are premiere sources of omega-3 fatty acids. My favorite snack is keeping frozen berries and handful of almonds on my desk during the day.

Speed Your Way in Fitness
Do you have a sudden urge to start working out? Reinvent your fitness routine with the high energy Speedball Fitness. These dynamic classes involve the medicine ball combined with boxing, basketball, martial-arts movement and rhythmic cardiostrength activity. Challenge your muscle and strengthen your core for a healthy body. Once you discover this full body workout you will change your entire routine.

Cleansing Your "Extra"
During the winter you may have accumulated a lot of "extra" - extra weight, extra exhaustion, extra clutter, and extra moodiness. A guided cleanse is a way you can jump-start your body for a more active life, a healthier life. Spring is the perfect time to get rid of these extras and a chance to give your mind, body and lifestyle a transition into balance. The New Yorker Cleanse is a seven-day nutritional program that will cleanse your body with juices and whole cleansing foods along with an educational e-book, nutritional counseling, yoga/meditation, and more.

Gorgeous Hair from the Inside Out
While your spirit may be singing the praises of spring, it's also likely your hair is still crying out with the winter blues - dry and rough as well as stressed-out, overheated, and undernourished. Good and bad hair days have become the barometer determining the kind of life we live. You can tell what someone eats by the state of their hair. When life in our internal environment is balanced, we can keep our hair's natural radiance and health. To build volume, begin having a daily dose of sea vegetables such as kelp or dulse in your diet. My clients have been known to pack their purses with pumpkin seeds, which add shine to your hair while boosting your immune system! The ultimate food for fuller hair is the high protein and omega-3 fatty acids from cold-water fish like tuna and salmon. The protein is essential for new hair growth and the omega-3 fatty acid works as an internal deep conditioner for dry, brittle hair.

Fresh and Local from Your Local Farm
As you plan to get your body ready for the beach remember that having your full dose of nutrients are vital to weight loss and a healthy strong body. By eating a variety of fresh organic foods your body will get all the nutrients it needs for optimal and balanced function. To buy my food I love to visit Farmers Markets over the weekends (my favorite is Union Square!) and also adventuring out to farmer markets in different states to explore their fresh colorful fruits, vegetables, meats, and cheeses as well as to meet the people who planted and cared for the food I will be eating.

Nicole Ohebshalom, RN,CHHC, AADP
Radiant Living Wellness