Preparing Family for a Healthy Spring

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Despite the cold temps still lingering around, spring is actually just around the corner. Winter tends to be a pretty lazy time, as cold temperatures, short days, and a rampaging cold and flu season make motivation to leave the house and do productive things non-existent. New Year’s resolutions tend to fall flat because of these factors, setting up the new year in disappointment.

Well, forget about your failed New Year’s resolutions and start anew in spring! Spring is a time of rebirth and new beginnings, and you can get a new start on your and your family’s health and goals. If you are wanting to make some changes but are not sure what yet, let this be a rough guide to using spring to get a new start.

Eating Right and Exercising

Eating right and exercising is probably the most common New Year’s resolution out there, but one of the hardest to stick with. Cold weather makes staying in and eating comfort food a lot easier than braving the cold and snow to shop for healthy food or get outside and exercise, and since New Year’s is in January — the coldest month of the year — we basically set ourselves up for failure.

Spring is a great time to get started on your health goals, though! As the weather gets warmer and the days are longer, you have more time and ability to get out and exercise! You can also find ways to fit more fruits and vegetables into your family’s diet with tips and recipes that everyone in the family will enjoy.

Getting Organized

All that time spent indoors in the winter while acquiring a lot of new items over the holidays can make for a disaster household. You keep promising yourself that you are going to start getting more organized, but perhaps haven’t quite mustered up the energy. Well, it’s just about time for spring cleaning, which is the perfect opportunity to get serious about getting organized.

You don’t have to do it all in one day; doing things in small chunks is the best way to really tackle fully organizing your house for the long run. A great way to start is just by getting rid of stuff you don’t need. A lot of disorganization stems from just having a lot of miscellaneous items that you either don’t use or are just junk. Going through these items is the perfect chance to get your kids to help you and teach them about proper recycling. There are so many facets to recycling that even confuse many adults, so taking this time to refresh your own recycling knowledge and teach your kids about what can and can’t be recycled will be helpful in keeping the house clean and organized in the future.

Get More Sleep

This might seem like a laughable goal if you have children under 5, but it’s still an important one to strive for; not getting enough sleep affects your body, mind, and mood, so it’s vital to be getting as much as you can so that you can be at your best every day.

If your struggles to get to sleep go beyond just crying babies and rowdy kids, there are ways you can help yourself get more sleep. Start by making sure your room is quiet place — no TV or other screens that might stimulate your senses. It’s also recommended that your room colors be calming, subdued colors that aren’t bright and exciting (a good excuse for new paint and bedding if you ask me!).

Also, get yourself and your family into a routine. About an hour before bed, have everyone shut off screens and get into their pajamas, brush their teeth, and get a glass of water. Once they are all settled for the night, if they aren’t ready to sleep yet, suggest that they read a book for 15 or so minutes to help them wind down. Playing calming music can also help some get to sleep, so if your kids aren’t readers, putting on some music might help them instead. As for you, you might try making yourself a cup of chamomile tea if you are having trouble winding down; the warm herbal tea will help relax your body, and you can try doing some light reading as well.

January New Year’s resolutions may be hard to keep, but you can start anew as the world around you does with spring. Taking better care of yourself and getting more organized are just some of the goals you can take on this spring, but you can take on any goal you set your mind on. Let us know in the comments what goal you plan on tackling this spring!

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Mila Sanchez is a very involved aunt to four kiddos and writer living in beautiful Boise, ID. Her ambitions include traveling the world, studying languages, and taking pictures of her dog, Baymax. Connect with her on twitter and instagram!

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