Spring Cleaning- Nourish Your Body and Home
Feeling like you could use a detox? Your home feels messy, your body feels sluggish, and you are struggling to get things done. This is a common springtime feeling.
We see so much springtime inspo in magazines and on social media. However, when your body and home feel like they are still stuck in that sluggish winter phase, those images can make you feel annoyed and overwhelmed.
What we do know is that spring is a beautiful time for renewal and a restart. It’s the end of the stagnant, inward season of winter and things all around us are starting to bloom and grow.
It’s natural for our bodies to want to follow suit, even if we aren’t quite motivated yet. It’s the perfect time to work out some of that junk that built up in our homes over winter (er, maybe finally put those holiday decorations away…), as well as work out some of that gunk that built up in our bodies during the colder seasons (those Christmas cookies might still be hanging around that midsection…).
Spring is the perfect time for a refresh and renewal, in our bodies and in our homes.
This is exactly why we, Ashley, professional organizer of Clear Space Organizing Co., and Kelsey of Northwest Health Coaching, have teamed up to share some of the best ways to get clear and clean for spring!
Ashley’s got you covered with some guidance to get your home organized and refreshed as she’s a pro at all things home organization. And Kelsey’s got your body renewal covered, helping you clear out stagnation from your body so you can start to feel fresh!
We believe that having a clean space supports a healthy mind and body, and vice versa, a clean body and mind gives you the inspo and energy to keep your space organized.
So let’s dig in! Here are some tips for spring cleaning- nourishing your body and home!
Home
If you’ve ever walked into a cluttered or dirty room and noticed yourself feeling heavier or more anxious due to its state, then you’ve experienced the power of organization or lack thereof. The state of our home has a significant impact on how we think, feel, and function. Studies have shown that living in clutter contributes to increased stress, depression, and anxiety.
Ideally, home is a place where we can rest, play and recharge from the outside world. Spring is the perfect time to take an inventory of our belongings and let go of what no longer serves us, making room for us to call in peace and order to our homes.
Let’s talk about a few things you can do to declutter and refresh your space for spring.
Pick one place to start.
Oftentimes the most overwhelming part of the organizing process is deciding where to start. I recommend focusing on one priority area where you spend most of your time. Consider tackling an area that’s stressing you out on the daily, so you can quickly experience the physical and mental benefits of a clear and organized space. Common priority areas to organize are the kitchen, the bedroom, and the bathroom.
Keep in mind that different priority areas will support you in improving different areas of your life. For example, if you have difficulty sleeping at night or getting dressed in the morning, consider clearing the clutter and organizing your bedroom. If you want to cook more at home or be more intentional with your diet, making your kitchen easy to navigate can inspire you to spend more time meal planning and prepping.
Whatever space you choose, choose one and focus on tackling the space end to end.
Make decisions.
You’ve picked your priority space, now it’s time to set aside some time and get to work. To get the most out of your decluttering efforts, I recommend pulling everything out of the space and sorting it into like categories. This process helps you in deciding what stays and goes.
In a decluttering session, you might be making hundreds of decisions. For this reason, aim to do this work when you’re feeling most energized and clear-minded. If you get stuck, stay focused on the bigger picture - the less you have, the less you have to manage, so be choosy about what gets your time, space, and energy.
Decluttering is incredibly rewarding, but can also be draining on us physically and emotionally. Wear comfortable shoes, take frequent breaks, and don’t forget to hydrate
Let it go.
The hard part is over! You’ve made the decisions, your space is nearly clear. The final step is offloading your items. Outside of items that go to trash or recycling, consider donating items to a charity or cause you care about. Knowing our things are going to someone in need can inspire us to let go.
If you have items in good condition, you might be able to make some money by selling them online via platforms like Facebook Marketplace or OfferUp. However you choose, make a plan for yourself and set a deadline to get the items delivered to their new home.
Taking this final step ensures you can bring the project to a close, with no looming to-dos and mental clutter to carry around. Most importantly it allows you to enjoy the fruits of your labor and feel the benefits of living in a clear space. Decluttering is the precursor to spring cleaning, so don’t be surprised if you get inspired to pull out the vacuum and give some attention to areas you haven’t seen in a while.
Body- Your Other Home
I’m sure you’ve heard of, or even considered doing, a spring detox, juice cleanse, or diet of some kind this time of year. Spring rolls around and companies know you have been feeling a little stagnant from the winter and want to start feeling more energized and social, so they try to convince you to do a cleanse.
I’m here to tell you that the best thing you can do for renewal and cleansing in the spring is to get your bowels moving.
Nothing cleans out your system and increases your energy like having healthy bowel movements.
Let me explain…
70% of our energy is used to digest our food- that’s a lot! If we are eating foods and doing things to make digestion harder on our body, it takes up more energy. This leaves us feeling exhausted and drained, which keeps us from moving our body and a negative ripple occurs… poor sleep, unhealthy eating choices, mood disorders, etc.
If we can get our digestion moving easily and healthily, and we are pooping 1-3x a day in a healthy way, our energy will improve and many positive ripples will occur… more movement, better sleep, clearer skin, healthy hair/nails, possibly weight loss if needed, and so on.
Additionally, when digestion happens easily, it means we are getting nutrients our body needs, we are feeding our gut healthy bacteria, and our digestive tract is being cleaned out properly daily, ie. SPRING CLEANING IS HAPPENING!!
Woohoo!!
But you don’t need to drink juice cleanses all day. There are two things you can do today to get this going that work better than a juice cleanse…
Consume 30 grams+ of fiber a day.
Move your body for a minimum of 30 minutes a day.
Fiber
The best thing you can do for your body in general and for helping you poop is to consume fiber. Most Americans get about 10 grams of fiber a day, but the minimum we need for healthy bowel movements is over 30 grams a day. So how do you do it?
First, check to see how much fiber you are consuming each day, typically. Use an app like Foodvisor (it’s free) to track your food for 4 days and see how much fiber you are consuming. If it’s less than 30 grams a day for women or 40 grams a day for men, you need to bump it up.
The best sources of fiber are beans and lentils. Any kind is great, just shoot for 2-3 servings a day (your gas will subside after a week). Other good sources are vegetables, fruit, and whole grains. Prioritize consuming fiber-rich foods for two weeks, along with plenty of water, and see how your bowels start to become more consistent! Spring cleaning will happen!
BTW, one of the best ways to make sure you are eating your fiber is cooking from home. Having a kitchen that supports that and makes it easy (implementing Ashley’s tips above) is really important.
Movement
This is probably pretty obvious but when we move our body our food starts to move south. It does some of the hard work of digesting for us. It also gets our heart pumping, which also gets our food moving through our digestive tract. This uses less energy from our body to digest, which is great for us- we get more energy back!
But the opposite of that, when we sit all day and get little movement, makes digesting really hard. Our digestive tract has to ramp up and work harder to digest, leaving some foods undigested for way too long, and leaving us with low energy.
Move your body every day for 30-60 minutes in a way you love! Dancing, yoga, walking, running- it all counts! Find something that excites you and get moving!
Bonus tip: I also love to incorporate warm lemon water each morning to warm up the digestive tract. Just pour yourself a mug full of warm/hot water and add the juice of half a lemon. Consume that before food or coffee and see how it affects your bowels!
If you can implement those two tips, your body and digestion will definitely clean themselves out and you will start to feel great.
And if you want more info about how to support your digestion, Kelsey has a Bye, Bye Bloated Belly Challenge starting on May 3rd- grab your spot!
Ok, are you inspired and motivated to jump head first into spring cleaning your home and body?
We know that if you prioritize decluttering and organizing your home, and focusing on healthy digestion, you actually can start to feel that spring renewal we all are after.
And that energized, refreshed feeling can create a ripple, supporting your life and health in many other ways.
If you could use some additional support for your home, follow Ashley on Instagram @clearspacesorganizingco for tips and inspiration. You can also schedule a free call to discuss how she can support you with your spring organizing projects!
If your body is what you feel like focusing on, you can follow Kelsey @northwesthealthcoaching and join her free Bye, Bye Bloated Belly Challenge (starting on May 3rd)!
