Be Well WITH LAUREN DECKARD

By Lauren Deckard, LMT, NASM-CPT Owner of Peak Mobility

5 Ways To Spring Clean Your Health

1. Get outside.

When living by the beach, the wind makes or breaks the day. Even if it’s a sunny day, we might not be able to feel our noses with the nippy wind. For a lot of people, cloudier winter days mean staying indoors. Now that the weather is getting warmer and we’re running out of excuses, we need to get outside daily. Why? Vitamin D is a huge factor in a healthy immune system by boosting mental health, strengthening bones, and absorbing calcium. Morning sun is ideal - between 8am and 10am for about 15 to 20 minutes. Absorbing the sun for just this short amount of time will even help you sleep better at night.

2. Move it, move it!

Most people spend more time sitting in the winter than usual. Most obviously, because it’s so cold outside and the perfect time to snuggle up and binge-watch TV… with snacks. A huge reason why we need to get up and move is our lymphatic system; the very system that’s responsible for removing bacteria, viruses, and toxins from the body. The crazy thing is, it doesn’t have a pump. Without lymph movement, it stays stagnant and leads to disease and other chronic issues. What helps it move? You do! Literally, every step you take helps it do its job. Take a walk on the boards, Downtown, over the bridge, or on the beach. Be careful of how long you’re sitting each day. Just an hour’s walk a day will help the lymph fluid move throughout your body.

3. Detox.

In the winter we tend to rely on comfort foods and eating whatever we want to get through those colder months –especially around the holidays! However, now is the perfect time to start a cleanse and detox. There are many different options online, but if you want to support local like we always do, visit Goji on Asbury and ask about their juice cleanse. They have different levels and options to fit your lifestyle.

4. Revamp your sleep schedule.

Aside from absorbing sunlight during the day and getting exercise in, it’s super important to stop looking at your phone two hours before bedtime. Yup, two. This is important not only because of the mental health effects of nighttime doomscrolling, but how blue light affects our bodies. The blue light on our phones mimics daylight, which can be helpful in keeping us alert during the day, but while we’re scrolling at night, it’s the opposite of what we want. It’s tricking our brains into thinking it’s still daytime, which of course will impact our circadian rhythm. Plus, while scrolling you may come across some anxiety-inducing content that will prevent you from sleeping well. Unsurprisingly, stress and anxiety are commonly two major reasons for disrupted sleep. So put that phone away and focus on some zzzs.

5. Up that self-care.

Were you able to keep up with everything important to you that was just for you? Self-care is crucial to our well-being and it means taking the time to do things that we love to take care of our minds, bodies, and souls. If you haven’t, it’s time to start! Take a morning walk on the beach, book a massage, acupuncture, or a facial, start journaling, order your favorite meal, or book your favorite workout class at the gym. Self-care doesn’t have to be extravagant – just a daily practice or occasional activity that relaxes you and brings you true happiness!