Yes, Spring is almost here. As each season is only 3 months, what can you determine to get accomplished, maybe finish, or start, continue, and/or achieve in 3 months time? Spring is always the best time to clean up: clean out closets, rearrange another room, clean out the garage, get rid of excess storage, get the garden fixed up, and a host of other things we think about in Spring.

Many people often think of a 'spring cleanse' for the body. We drink juices, or liquids, or take supplemental drinks, or  use different products to attempt to achieve a more 'clean' inside our bodies. Some are for the liver, some for releasing heavy metals, some are intestinal, and on and on. There are many things to choose from in the marketplace. You can start this process by simply beginning to choose to purchase (and eat) foods that are more 'clean.' Yes, cleaner eating will begin the detoxifying process.

Cleanses are popular and lots of people have tried at least one. They are pretty straightforward: consume this, and not that. Do this now, and do that then. Most cleanse instructions are easy to understand. What is not as popular, are emotional cleanses. Great to get your body fit and healthy. And that is a great place to start getting your entire life fit. Once you get to a level in which you are comfortable with your body, then another step in getting your life fit would be to do some ‘emotional’ cleansing. Getting your life 'fit' is always a great transformation, and ultimately, it will bring you more happiness. How fit is your life compared to your body?

Is there something different you can do this Spring? Focus on something that you've wanted to change for a long time. What can you 'clean out?' Think of it like recycling and/or trash: what are you still not recycling, and what is truly trash? When we recycle, we let things go, to be used in a different way. When it's trash, it is simply time to dump it back into the earth. It will eventually become something entirely different on it's own, and in it's own time. It no longer has use in it's present form.

Is there something you still have not achieved that you’ve wanted to accomplish for a while? How are your fitness and lifestyle goals going for you? Are you where you want to be yet? If not, what can you do different to reboot your body, and begin getting results again? This is always a great first step to getting your life 'fit.' (If this is something you want/need, get a hold of me and let’s set an appointment time to chat about it. It could be just a small change can begin the reset process.)

An issue most people have, that can always be more 'fit,' is getting adequate sleep. If you still have not been sleeping enough because you just go to bed late, what steps can you take to remedy going to bed earlier? Here are a few things you can do to help with sleep:

1) Write your to-do list for the day, and if you don’t get it all done, let it go. Attempting to cram everything into the day, because it is on your list, creates more stress, thereby making it harder to sleep in the first place. Going to bed earlier might not matter if you are thinking about what you did not do and can’t get to sleep because of it;

2) Turn off all electronics and let your body decompress without the extra stimulation (yes, the studies have been done on this one. Late night electronic use keeps us awake longer when we finally attempt to fall asleep;

3) If you must eat late because you were not able to get in your last meal earlier, make it smaller. Food in your stomach upon laying down is the wrong way to get it digested;

4) If you go to bed angry, upset, or frustrated because you were not able to resolve a conflict you had earlier, fix it the next day. You will have a hard time getting to sleep every night that you go to bed with conflict. Yes, it takes courage to speak up. For some of us this is easier than for others. However, for most, it is not easy…ever. Once you do this (speak to the person/s involved), you will feel so much stronger, and the stress of the situation will be gone.

If you don’t do something about your sleep, who will? This is one of those situations where ‘talking about it with your friends’ isn’t really going to resolve it. They can, however, have ideas that might lead you to find the help you need. This is part of self-care is a great way to begin getting your life more 'fit.'

Think of anything else that might be getting in the way of restful sleep. If you chronically wake up in the middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep, see a specialist. There are alternate ways of dealing with it, thus, often avoiding medications. Sometimes one simple change can make a huge difference.

In the end, nobody is more responsible than we are, for our state of well-being. Having a roomful or closetful of ‘stuff’ that you no longer use (and most probably no longer need) can create stress that you are not even aware is affecting you. It is. Not getting enough sleep is affecting you. What else is there that you need/want to change? Take one step in the direction to resolve it. Taking care of ourselves, truly, is more than what we eat and the exercise we get. Our emotional bodies are usually the most neglected. And guess where most of our issues come from…(yep, right answer).

See what you can do in the Spring to make a change that you no longer want/need. Write it down to help make it more solid. You will be more accountable to yourself when you actually see it in written form. Post it somewhere so you can see it every day. This will make a huge difference in your actually getting it accomplished. Be accountable to yourself. Create the change you want to see.

See you in class.

Clara E Minor
Master Trainer/Instructor
Minorsan Self-Defense & Fitness
(See Contact Page to send her a message)