By Maria Jauhar, MD

April is here and so is spring. By now, for most of us, our New Year’s resolutions are a distant memory and we have settled back into our old routines. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here our five things that can revitalize your health as spring marches on toward summer.

1. Start Fresh

While many New Year’s resolutions fail simply because we lack willpower or we don’t have an effective strategy for breaking old habits, there’s another reason many of us haven’t seen any real change since the first of the year. Simply, when we make our New Year’s resolutions, we are in the heart of winter, with shorter days, weather that isn’t all that great – even for Savannah – and just a more lackluster attitude. With spring comes the opportunity to revisit your resolutions and start over. The weather is mild, the clocks have been moved ahead one hour, and the amount of daylight we get is increasing daily. Use this time to jumpstart your resolutions.

2. Stretch Your Body

Sure, you’ve been cooped up these past few months waiting for the weather to truly turn. Now that it has, take advantage of it. Ramp up your exercise routine, whether that is simply walking more, taking a bike ride, signing up for a yoga class, or joining an adult sports team. It doesn’t take much to get your heart moving, and with the spring weather upon us, this is the time to take it to the next level.

3. Stretch Your Day

When we moved the clocks ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time, we gave a jolt to our internal rhythms. If your body was set to wake up at 6 a.m., well, 6 a.m. is now 7 a.m. While it may seem difficult to adjust to the one-hour time change, by forcing yourself out of bed at 6 a.m. every day will reset your internal clock in about one week. Plus, it will give you one more hour in your day. By getting up at 6 a.m., you can also enjoy the sunrise, which is enough to get anyone moving with a little more energy.

4. Enjoy the Early Spring Harvest

Winter was the time for root vegetables. With spring comes lighter meals anchored by the vegetables that begin popping out of the ground this time of year – such as asparagus, beans, and onions. Instead of sautéing your veggies in a pan of butter, try drizzling on just a little bit of olive oil, seasoning them with salt and pepper, and roasting them in the oven or cooking them on the grill. The flavors will be enriched while you’ll eliminate must of the fat that comes with sautéing.

5. Take Care of Your Liver

Traditional Eastern philosophy focuses on the Principle of the Five Elements (known as the Wu Hsing in Chinese), which describes the flow of Qi and the balance of yin and yang.

According to the principle, all change – in the universe and in your body – occurs in five distinct stages. Each of these stages is associated with a particular time of year, a specific element in nature, and a pair of organs in the body. Spring is represented by the wood element and includes the liver and its complementary organ, the gallbladder. These two organs are usually the primary targets for springtime cleansing and health regimens. To cleanse your liver, add some sour foods like vinegar and lemon into your dishes.
Also think about pungent flavors. Sprucing up your meals with mint, spring onions, ginger, horseradish, mustard, and pepper will leave you feeling clear and invigorated.
Finally, fending off the cool spring winds with gently warming herbs like fennel, oregano, rosemary, caraway, dill, and bay leaves will keep you thriving until the summer heat hits full-force.

We Can Help

If you want to turbocharge your efforts to improve your health, then schedule an appointment with us by submitting an online appointment request or calling us at 912-897-6832. We’ll spend time with you to develop a plan that will improve your overall health. This might include a medical weight loss program, anti-aging program, and healthy lifestyle management initiative.