The mornings come earlier and brighter. A new clarity has settled over the air and the night winds don’t bite sharply but rather whisper gently through my bedroom window. Spring is here and I am ready to slip out of my winter cocoon and step into the sunshine. Every year winter seems to bring opportunities to grow and learn about the new depths and heights my mind can reach. I wrap myself tightly in my thoughts and burrow into my kitchen amongst the stained cookbooks and overstocked baking cupboard. I keep busy with small things and explore my inner world, sometimes too much, and recently this has been a trigger for anxiety and second-guessing my own happiness.
At the end of winter I am ready for spring. I await the First of September with the same anticipation I feel on Christmas morning. I know a date is really arbitrary when it comes to the actual season, but it is there, a marker, ready to announce that warmer weather and kinder, longer hours of sunshine are here. The dry, bone-aching winter nights are ready to be washed away by spring thunderstorms that nourish the earth and encourage the buds of my garden to burst.
Spring is also a time to sweep out the old. Break the cobwebs of the cosy season and send dust and excess possession scuttling out of my house. Spring is a time of putting into practice all that I have learned over the winter and expressing a new way of and commitment to nourishing my body, mind, and soul.
Today I present you with a list of some of my spring inspirations for nourishing every aspect of my life.
Nourished Body:
I ran outside in winter this year. Pulled on my beanie and my hooded sweatshirt and braved the cool mornings with podcasts or music in my ears to accompany the crunching of the frost-brushed grass beneath my feet. However, despite the running, there was also a matching increase in the consumption of buttercream frosting and decrease in my strength training. This spring I am recommitting to my healthy lifestyle, especially incorporating weight sessions into my weekly training schedule. To fit in around my schedule I need short, sharp weights sessions that I can fit in post-run or before bed. I have been squeezing in three minutes of ab work (it’s a start!) after my run most days, using this YouTube video.
On weekends I am planning on using this longer version, which actually looks like fun.
As for the rest of my body – I love Jillian Michaels’ DVDs and I have modified some of her moves to use in the gym after my treadmill sessions.
I have also planned my next race! I will be competing in the January 2014 Cadbury Half Marathon, and after my great experience last year in Hobart I can’t wait to return.
Nourished Mind:
I have books stacked seventeen deep on my floor and three deep on the bookshelf, but why not keep adding to my ‘to read’ list? This article about Gill Hornby’s first novel has my interest piqued ). At the moment I am plowing my way through ‘The Shining Girls’ – I have finally moved out of my ‘can’t finish a book’ rut. Bring on the summer binge reading sessions.
Do you think it’s ever appropriate for a boss to comment on your weight or suggest that you take better care of yourself? This article from The New York Post had me wondering about whether that conversation is ever appropriate with an employee. As a former weight loss intervention dietitian I don’t know how I would ever broach the subject with someone who didn’t ask my advice first.
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Nourished Soul:
If I ever have a daughter (or a son for that matter) I hope that I can follow this advice from Sarah Koppelkam. I think the advice is also useful in the way we talk about ourselves with our other female intimates. How many times does an innocent meet-up over coffee with girlfriends descend into a whinge-fest about “nanna flab” under our arms, our less-than-taught tummies, or the thickness of our thighs? I don’t think it’s about being perfect in our relationship to our bodies all the time, but being conscious of how we approach speech about ourselves is a huge first step.
Also nourishing my soul this spring is the thought of having one of these cocktails on a Friday after work accompanied by a slice of this Grilled Asparagus and Ricotta Pizza and followed by one of these Roasted Strawberry and Toasted Coconut Popsicles for dessert (our strawberry season has been epic!).
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So dear reader, how do you feel when spring approaches? Any cocktail advice for someone who is usually a white wine drinker?
