Spring action to shake off blues
WITH the clocks going forward it’s time to shake off those winter blues.
Here are our tips to spring clean your health, boost your energy and shift excess pounds.
Have some fun
The cold and snow have ruined many plans and social events.
Being sociable is great for stimulating the brain, keeping it agile and young.
Socialising can boost your health and reduce depression, a study by Brigham Young University in Utah, US, found.
It discovered maintaining good friendships helps us live longer and are more beneficial than exercise or quitting smoking. Time to re-arrange all those postponed events.
Ditch stodge for superfoods
Bangers and mash and stews warmed you in the cold but now’s the time for leaner meals to help you shed that winter fat.
Make the most of fruit and vegetables. Nutritionist Linda Foster says: “Not only are they naturally low in fat, they’re also jam-packed with vitamins and minerals to give your body a much- needed boost after the dark winter months.”
Overhaul your gut health
We tend to stash medicines when they are no longer needed. There are more than 70 million expired medicine products in our cabinets.
If you need to reach for the meds again ensure they have not expired. If they have, you will need to dispose of them appropriately. Your pharmacist will gladly do it for you.
One in four people have knowingly taken expired medications in the UK.
Get outside
This can reduce depression and boost self-esteem, according to British research.
While a Japanese study found a walk in the woods could help protect the heart, lower blood pressure and reduce stress.
Hit the garden
minutes per week of moderate intensity physical exercise. They burn up to 265 calories an hour.
Sir Richard Thompson, president of the Royal College of Physicians, says doctors should “prescribe a course of gardening for people who come to them with depression or a stroke”.
Ease the sneeze
Spring can mark the start of grass and pollen allergy season. Sufferers should keep an eye on the weather and download a pollen watch app to warn when levels are at their highest. Rinsing your nasal cavity with a saline wash or spray may help reduce hay fever symptoms by washing away pollen and soothing the lining of the nose. Try A. Vogel Pollinosan Luffa Nasal Spray (£7.99).
Revisit fitness resolutions