Spring Into Health: Seasonal Tips for Movement, Nutrition, and Wellbeing
Ice plant in spring in the central coast of California. Am I the only one who can’t resist taking picture of spring flowers?
As the chill of winter starts to fade and the days start to grow longer, spring offers a fresh opportunity to reset our mind and body in alignment with the emerging spring buds. I’ve always been drawn to living with more alignment with natures natural rhythms and cues. So, I wonder what can we do to better align with the earths rhythms this spring? I am excited to compile and share my list of go-to strategies that I come back to year after year, greatly inspired by my fitness, wellness, and yoga experiences the last 20 years.
Spring brings forward themes of EMERGENCE and RENEWAL. This is a great time for fresh starts, new ideas, and planning. Energy levels can begin to rise, making it a great phase for brainstorming, strategy development, and initiating new projects. It's the best time for trying new things and setting intentions. This season is the perfect time to embrace more regular movement, nourish our bodies with seasonal foods, and rejuvenate our overall well-being.
Tips To Align With Vibrant Energy Of Spring
Embrace Outdoor Movement
I might have bribed my kiddos for this picture
The warmer weather and blossoming landscapes make spring an ideal time to spend more time outside. Time outside helps regulate the sympathetic nervous system (turning down the fight or flight response), improves sleep quality, and helps you synthesize vitamin D which you may be lacking after the darker winter months.
Tips for getting more movement time outside:
Take Nature Walks
Commute Green
Try Outdoor Workouts
Gardening
Kick it Up A Notch
Share The Love
Refresh Your Diet with Seasonal Spring Foods
Eat more of what’s in season to help your body adjust to the shifts in weather and season
Spring is a perfect time to refresh your diet with vibrant, seasonal foods that nourish your body and awaken your senses. As nature comes back to life, so do farmers' markets, bursting with fresh, nutrient-rich produce like leafy greens, crisp asparagus, juicy berries, and sweet peas. These foods are packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber, helping to support digestion, boost energy, and strengthen the immune system after the sluggish winter months. Lighter meals filled with fresh fruits and vegetables can leave you feeling revitalized, while the natural shift in season encourages a renewed focus on health and well-being. Embracing spring’s bounty is a delicious way to reset your eating habits and welcome the warmth and vitality of the season.
In general, remember, lighten your meals in quantity and quality, and favor more vegetable based, warm, light, and dry foods to counterbalance the heavy and excess moisture of spring (Kapha season according to Ayurveda). Opt for more these nutrient-rich seasonal foods:
Focus On Seasonal, Bitter, and Astringent Foods – Leafy greens (spinach, arugula, kale) and legumes help cleanse the body and reduce mucus (Kapha) accumulation. These foods are packed with vitamins and perfect for light, refreshing salads.
Spring Vegetables – Asparagus, peas, radishes, and artichokes bring vibrant flavors and essential nutrients. I love asparagus grilled and snacking on fresh snap peas with hummus. My friend used to make a great asparagus stir fry with diced sausage, asparagus, diced, pitted dates, and a sprinkle of feta. Yummy, I swear!
Citrus Fruits and Berries – Strawberries, lemons, and oranges offer an antioxidant boost and a taste of sunshine. My kids are obsessed with the strawberries and mandarin oranges from my local farmer’s market lately.
Herbs & Spices – Fresh herbs like mint, basil, and dill add flavor and digestive benefits to meals. Dried or fresh herbs like ginger, turmeric, black pepper, and cinnamon help ignite digestion (Agni) more fully and clear mucus accumulation from winter.
Cleanse and Rejuvenate
Spring is our chance RENEW, making it the perfect time to cleanse not just your body, but also your mind and environment. After months of winter sluggishness, a gentle detox—through nourishing, whole foods and plenty of hydration—can help flush out toxins, boost energy, and support overall well-being. Mentally, spring is an opportunity to release stress, adopt a positive mindset, and refresh your goals with a sense of clarity and purpose. Decluttering your home and workspace can also create a more peaceful, productive environment, allowing fresh energy to flow into your daily life. By embracing a full-body, mind, and space cleanse, you can step into the new season feeling lighter, clearer, and ready to embrace all that spring has to offer.
Taking a break from excessive inputs - foods, media, and nonsense - can be good for the soul
Hydrate More – Increase your water intake to support digestion and flush out toxins. I like to drink warm water with lemon in the mornings sometimes too. Especially when my baby lemon tree is producing fruit.
Declutter Your Physical Space – A tidy environment promotes mental clarity and a fresh mindset. I like to shoot for all of my storage spaces to be only 2/3 full. We need a little space to digest and create!
Declutter Your Mental Space – Embrace mindfulness practices such as meditation, journaling, or simply spending time outdoors. I meditate every day and it’s been a game changer for me in this challenging parenting phase of life I’m in. Walking meditation or guided meditation using an app are readily accessible. You can also take some space and time to review your life goals, current priorities and projects, and decide if you are spending your energy on the things that matter most. Make adjustments as needed. Sometimes a simple social media fast can be very healing as well.
Try a Gentle Detox or Cleanse – Spring is an ideal time for a little internal cleansing and I have often found that my body thrives during a clean eating phase during spring more so than other times of year. Take some time to eat a clean diet, reset digestion and eliminate toxins. This can be as simple as avoiding wheat, dairy, and sugar as little as 3 or as long as 30 days. Maybe I’ll write another post on successful ways to detox as I have been doing this successfully for many years and it really helps alleviate inflammation, bloating, and lighten any pain from my chronic health conditions.
Limit Dairy - If you find yourself suffering from excessive mucus and congestion, it might be worth cutting back on dairy for a bit, hopefully just as a temporary measure, until you feel less congested. I am a complete cheese-a-holic and this is always so hard for me, but it really helps, unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your perspective. You can try to focus on more fresh, less aged dairy products and see if that’s enough to help. You can also try goat or sheep’s dairy foods and try to pay attention to what seems to trigger congestion. Or you might need a full on dairy break for a bit. Sometimes, it seems easier for me to cut all dairy out for a time than to permit some. It’s like a gateway food drug for me in that way.
Limit Sugar - I know, I know. Bearer of more bad news. I find minimizing sugar greatly helps my congestion and inflammation, when it’s flared. I have a little arthritis and am also working on healing prediabetes, so I am probably more sensitive to sugar than most. I avoid most carb like foods including (processed) grains, fruits, sugars, and alcohol. If I have any carbs it’s usually a small serving of legumes, roasted potatoes or berries. Do what you will with this information and invitation.
Bonus Practices – Try Dry Brushing, an Ayurvedic technique that stimulates lymphatic drainage, exfoliates the skin, and promotes circulation, helping to clear excess Kapha / congestion. Hot and cold therapy, or contrast therapy, offers numerous benefits for pain relief, muscle recovery, and overall well-being, including reducing pain, inflammation, and swelling, improving circulation, and enhancing flexibility and mobility.
Adjust Your Sleep and Energy Levels
With longer daylight hours, your sleep patterns may shift. Maintain balanced energy by:
Getting Morning Sunlight – Exposure to natural light in the morning helps regulate your circadian rhythm.
Creating a Wind-Down Routine – Reduce screen time and relax before bed to ensure quality sleep.
Listening to Your Body – Adjust your activity levels based on how your body feels each day.
Final Thoughts
Spring can be a season of growth and transformation, making it the perfect time to refresh your habits. By embracing more movement time outside, eating fresh seasonal foods, and prioritizing life and wellness appropriately, you can align with the natural rhythms of the season and feel your best. Step outside, nourish your body, and enjoy the vibrant energy of spring!
One of my rescue succulents bloomed pretty dramatically this year