Can you believe Spring is finally here? For me the shift in the seasons is always very visible when the poppies in my front yard begin to explode. Every morning, when the first thing I do is to go outside in the garden, I am greeted by a sea of orange. One by one other colors are now joining in, too. There is white from native Irises, red from tulips and freesias, and yellow from coreopsis, among a few others. Purples, blues and pinks are coming up too! It is a color explosion!
The sounds are changing too – I have a lot of birds in my garden, attracted by a bird fountain and several bird feeders and a hummingbird feeder, and I assume we will have a couple nests around the house again, too. My little microcosmos around the house makes me so happy. The sounds, colors and smells are soothing among these stressful times. They might be little things – but go a long way and have a tremendous impact on my emotional and mental wellbeing.
Moving our bodies and immersing in Nature and friendships is a great way to get out again and to kick off the colorful spring season.
Today, April 22nd, is Earth Day, a day we have been celebrating since 1970. Our Mother Earth may be recognized only one day a year, but we should try to take care of our planet every day. A lot is at stake. Will there be some special events in your community? Are you cleaning up your habits to become more environmentally conscious? I just watched the Netflix documentary “Seaspiracy” and it was an eye-opening experience. I urge everyone to watch it. This documentary actually makes a great trilogy along with the documentaries “My Octopus Teacher” and David Attenborough’s “A Life on Our Planet,” all highly recommended to watch with your older children too.
“Seaspiracy” contains so much information with powerful pictures and footage regarding our ocean life, trash in the ocean, and the impact on our planet. You will seriously consider quite a few habits and lifestyle choices, so please watch. “When we know better, we do better”.
Please consider supporting restaurants that do not utilize styrofoam and plastic products. Additionally, any potluck you participate in can be free of paper and plastic too. This past year we have filled the landfills more than enough with facemasks, PPEs, takeout styrofoam containers and disposable cups like those used at Starbucks. It is important to be kind to our Mother Earth again, more than before. If you watch “Seaspiracy” you will learn that straws are not the problem in our oceans, but something entirely avoidable and currently neglected – if you practice the best habits. Let me know if you find out what I mean and I will send you a little surprise.
April is also the time when people get into spring cleaning mode and think about yard sales! If you need some motivation to clean up your house and give things away, I recommend the 2015 documentary “Minimalism – A Documentary About The Important Things.” A yard sale is the ultimate community recycling project.
Spring-clean your health with one of my VIP or mini-VIP days. We can meet in person or on Zoom to spring clean and improve your health, clean out your pantry to make room for healthier staples, or clean up your eating and exercise habits. Yes, you can feel healthier and more energized in only a few weeks or make a new start with just the right information to set you up for long term health.
I am happy to give you quick ideas for meal planning and eating healthy on the road too. This is the time to pick healthier salads, summer dishes and barbeque choices.
I am starting a new 8 week group course, “Spring Clean Your Health” in about late April. This group meets weekly on Zoom, at a time that the group agrees on.
Contact me for more information.
Only need the exercise but don’t know where to start? Check out my weekly schedule at the end of this newsletter. After one year of online teaching, I have built a community around the US, Canada and Germany to move our bodies together, with hand weights, resistance bands, the TRX and a foam roller. As a personal trainer and former physiotherapist, I make sure that everyone gets something out of it – I will give you variations of exercises if needed, and I am happy to check your form if you choose to turn on your camera. Check it out and join us!
