Growing up in New Hampshire, as soon as March arrived I had a serious case of Spring Fever. I couldn’t wait to toss my winter jacket and liberate my toes. It usually didn’t happen until May or so, but it felt so good to know that warmer weather was on its way.
No matter where you live it has probably been a long winter; snowier, rainier and colder than normal. We have all been dreaming of summer vacations, but first let’s have a Spring Fling together! For the next few weeks, I will be sharing how you can transition from the winter to spring and feel lighter in your body both physically and emotionally with simple and easy female health tips.
The first step in having a Spring Fling is breaking up with our winter “boyfriend.” The one that makes us giddy and giggly but ultimately isn’t good for us. Yes, the first step as you might have guessed, is releasing our ties with sugar.
Sugar is in everything so it becomes hard to avoid especially with all of the holidays that happen in the fall and winter. We tend to have more sugar with treats in the office and at home so we get used to having sugar sweetness on a daily basis.
Ladies, sugar is the “bad boyfriend,” we crave when we are lonely, bored and sad. When we ingest large amounts of sugar we feel so happy but then become very low, feel super moody, cranky and then crave it more.
Sugar really messes with us, especially with our hormones. When our hormones are unbalanced we don’t feel like ourselves and everything in life can become a little bit harder.
To help end this toxic relationship begin with drinking more water, adding in dark leafy greens and sweet veggies like sweet potatoes and carrots and try this yummy dish instead the next time a chocolate craving hits!
This recipe has raw cacao which helps to balance our hormones by giving our body more iron and magnesium. This is especially important the week before our period, when our iron and magnesium levels drop rapidly in our body and we start to crave sweets and especially chocolate. As a result we can find ourselves reaching for candy bars that are void of any nutritional value. Try adding a spoonful of raw cacao to your smoothies, make the raw chocolate macaroons or even use it to make a hot chocolate since it still isn’t that warm out. As you can see chocolate can absolutely be apart of your diet but it has to be just the right kind. The next time you find yourself at the market or local health food store treat yourself and pick up a small cacao bar or package of cacao chips—I’m convinced you’ll be swooning!
In the winter our body needs to hibernate, we sleep more and we crave healthy chili and stews. This nourishes our bodies but as we move towards the warmer months it becomes important to replace the heavy foods with lighter more green based meals. The heavier foods that nourished our bodies are now making us tired. By adding in more greens (i.e. kale, spinach and baby greens) and raw vegetables ( i.e. carrots, zucchini, cucumber and peppers) you are adding a feeling of lightness into your body which will help your system balance and not crave as much sleep or heavier foods.
I’m curious to see if you’ll feel a little brighter and energetic this next week as the heavy winter foods are replaced with crunchy raw veggies, deep, dark gorgeous greens, clean, crisp water and the sweet deliciousness of cacao. Be sure to keep a journal or use your smartphone to keep track of how you feel this next week and share with us below! I’ll be checking in and would love to answer any questions or thoughts you have. Danielle and I are here to support you!
Join us next week as we continue our Spring Fling and chat about how to choose the best ways to speak about our body. This is something which will really help us create a more loving and caring relationship with ourselves and our bodies.
xo!
Katie and Danielle
Katie’s Bio:
A lover of all things health and wellness, Katie Bressack is an LA based holistic health coach supporting busy women in their quest to live healthier and more balanced lives. Her home is Katiebressack.com and she plays daily on Instagram and Facebook where she shares health and wellness inspiration.
Dr. Dowling has spent years helping people live richer, more joyful lives. She has seen firsthand the magical pairing of psychology and life coaching, which allows people to access their happiest selves.
View Dr. Dowling's articles on Mindbodygreen
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