5 KEFI TIPS TO KICKOFF SPRING
2. ADD PROTEIN TO YOUR BREAKFAST
According to the American Society for Nutrition , A high protein breakfast (at least 30%) has been shown to benefit muscle health, support weight loss, improve energy, satiety hormones, regulate glucose, and decrease the desire to snack at night .
1. START EACH DAY WITH A MINDFUL MORNING ROUTINE
MORNING GRATITUDE
Studies have shown that expressing gratitude regularly can improve sleep, mood and immunity. It can also decrease depression, anxiety, difficulties with chronic pain and risk of disease. Read more about the studies here!
Try starting your day by thinking of a person in your life you're grateful for as soon as you wake up. It could be appreciating a friend who sends you funny texts, a teacher who recognizes your child's gifts, or the barista who hands you your coffee and shares friendly conversation. Thank that person with a text, note or kind word.
MORNING STRETCHING
Stretching your whole body before you start your day can help kickstart your body and mind, improve your focus throughout the day, improve your posture and mobility, relieve stress and reduce your risk of injury! Not sure where to start? Check out this guide from Medical News Today.
MORNING HYDRATION AND DETOXIFICATION
Most of us don’t drink enough water. A daily lemon water habit is an easy way to get your day off on the right foot. Studies have shown, consuming a full glass of lemon water every morning (before coffee)
helps you stay hydrated, aids in digestion, supplies a healthy dose of vitamin C , provides a potassium boost, and helps prevent kidney stones! Click here to learn more!
4. REACH OUT TO A FRIEND
Good friends are good for your health! Close friendships provide many benefits for your mental health such as, increasing sense of belonging and purpose, boosting your happiness, reducing stress levels, improving self-confidence, and providing support during difficult situations like, divorce, serious illness, job loss or the death of a loved one.
Did you Know?
According to Mayo Clinic, close friendships also play a significant role in your physical health. Adults with strong social connections have a reduced risk of many health problems, including depression, high blood pressure and an unhealthy body mass index (BMI). In fact, studies have found that older adults who have meaningful relationships and social support are likely to live longer than their peers with fewer connections.
Click Here to learn a few tips to help you make new friends and nurture your existing friendships.
3. MOVE YOUR BODY
It doesn’t matter if you walk, run, attend a class at your gym, or go for a bike ride, as long as you’re exercising, it doesn’t matter what you’re doing. You’re more likely to incorporate exercise into your daily routine if you pick an activity you enjoy. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, consider starting small.
You could try-
Going for a walk around the block or walking your kids to school
Doing 10 jumping jacks while your shower heats up
Holding a plank for 30 seconds
Doing a quick 10-minute yoga routine
Remember, doing something is better than doing nothing. You don’t need to work out for half an hour at the gym for your morning activity to “count.”
5. PLAN YOUR SUMMER HERB GARDEN
Benefits of Growing Your Own Herbs
The Freshest Herbs Always Available— When you have your own herb garden growing right outside (or inside), you’ll always have the right ingredients waiting for you when you need them!
Spice up Meal Time – Adding a few different herbs to a simple chicken dinner can transform it into a whole new meal! Your options are only limited to the types of herbs you decide to plant! Did you know that there are more than 30 different types of basil? Local grocery stores usually carry the most common, sweet basil. Dark opal basil, which is purple in color, is a bit more difficult to find, as are cinnamon basil, anise basil, Italian basil, and globe basil, which happens to be perfect for those of you with smaller gardens. Growing your own herb garden will allow you to sample some of the other more exotic and fun herbs that are out there!
Good For Your Health – Adding fresh herbs to your diet is a great way to boost your meal’s nutritional value, but that isn’t the only health benefit you can obtain. Gardening can be a source of exercise.
Save Money & Waste Less – Fresh herbs can be expensive when you purchase them individually at the grocery store every time you need them. Often times, the prepackaged herbs at the store contain more herbs than we need and end up spoiling in the fridge. When you grow your own herbs, you only pick what you need! No waste!
Learn as you Grow– Herb gardening is an educational experience for adults as well as for children. There is always something new to learn, whether it be a new gardening technique, a different recipe, a new and improved use for herbs, or the fascinating history of herbs that dates way back to medieval times.