How to keep healthy this Spring without spending a thing, Published on The Cusp, September 2016
Gym memberships, flashy active-wear, and the latest Nike’s all look fab on your Instagram feed on a Saturday morning. But they make your wallet look sad and pathetic, and they don’t actually give you the motivation you need before a tough workout. These cheap tips will get you tying up your laces and bouncing into Spring.
Eat like an adult, eat with the seasons
When the weather gets warmer, we naturally seek out hydrating foods. Likewise, when the weather turns cooler we like to enjoy heavier, warming plates of food. This Spring, try to master listening to your body and what it needs, rather than what it wants. You will probably notice a difference in your energy levels and sleeping patterns as well as your overall appetite.
To source out the most seasonally fresh produce do you fruit and veg shopping at your local farmers market, or hit up supermarkets with a seasonal fresh picks section that supports produce from local farmers. These are the places you’ll find the most seasonally fresh stuff that get your taste buds going again for the changes in the seasons.
Namaste'ing at home
You don’t have to have a HummingPuppy membership to be a true yogi. One of the best things about a yoga practice is that you can get your flow on anytime and any place, as long as it’s a place you feel comfortable getting your downward-dog on.
Enjoy the sparkling rays of Spring outside by taking your yoga practice outdoors or set up a space in your home with a dedicated time frame to get bendy. Embrace the sparkling rays of Spring by banishing those thoughts of namaste’ing in bed. Arm yourself with online resources like Gaia TV and DoYogaWithMe that offer free videos to get you going and find inspiration that works for you on how to maintain a regular practice. Active wear giant Lululemon offer free evening classes out of their flagship CBD stores.
Join a running group you'll feel guilty flaking out on
Sometimes it is difficult to motivate yourself, especially when mornings are still frosty and it may take an extra cup of coffee to get your energy going for the day. So why not sign yourself up for the challenge of running with strangers? It’s hard to show your true (read: lazy) colours to people who you haven’t met before and you’ll feel more compelled to show up and not flake out if you know that you’ve signed up and committed to an activity.
Websites like Meetup make it easy for you to find groups in your local area that cater to different abilities and running environments. Some sites have even collated the best running groups for major capital cities across Australia like Melbourne and Sydney.
Get outta the city and into the fields
Make your Spring regime less intimidating by combining physical exercise with mental downtime. As we know, the biggest healthcare trend right now is getting back into nature. So take yourself on a nature walk this weekend and immerse yourself in the great outdoors. This will have the effect of calming anxiety, releasing endorphins and rejuvenating energy levels.
Or if you aren’t interested in hanging out by yourself in a national park take a friend along and make a day of it. Pack a picnic and spend your Saturday away from your Instagram feed and the compelling power of a Bellini brunch.
Australian’s are lucky to have so much natural beauty close to major metro areas so there is less excuse for not getting out there and exploring new parts of the country. Sydney is rife with walking tracks close to the CBD, as is Melbourne and the Gold Coast. Also let’s face it, the Perth-ites have the least amount of distance to travel before they are on a nature trail and de-stressing the week away.
Swipe your library card, not your credit card
New seasons and new health kicks can stir up the temptation to buy new stuff that is supposed to motivate you, but actually just leaves you feeling like you have all the gear and no idea. Forget buying the beginners guide to surfing or falling into the trap of a holistic magazine subscription. Put your plastic down, and calmly walk to your local library.
The library is an untouched resource that few utilise as frequently or as often as they should. Libraries have changed maaan, they aren’t what they used to be. You can borrow magazines, books, music and – wait for it – DVDs. I know, it’s insane.
Welcome Spring with abandon by maxing out your library borrowing capacity and getting your mental and physical groove on for free. Need healthy recipes? Current and back issues of Donna Hay magazines are all there ready to be borrowed. Need an aerobics DVD? You don’t even need to search the catalogue, you know it’s there waiting for you. Still sad you didn’t buy the beginners guide to surfing? Borrow it from the library, doy.