Leap Into Spring With Renewed Energy - By Stephanie Forgues, New Leaf Wellness

Spring is in the air, a time for cleansing, energizing, and moving forward, a time to enjoy more sunshine and a time to tweak that soggy attitude that may have developed over the cold winter months.

If the warmer weather and the longer days of sunshine aren’t enough to get you moving outside, use these foods to kick start your energy and get active!

Get to know the good carbs - Complex carbohydrates give you sustained energy to get you through your day free of afternoon slumps. Try varieties of whole grains such as spelt, millet, buckwheat, quinoa, oats, and rice. Also energizing with plenty of nutrients are potatoes and carrots.

Abandon the refined sugars that are stripped of their original nutrient structure. These health robbers actually give you a short burst of energy but then send you crashing soon after causing a vicious cycle of sugar dependence and health problems if you’re not careful.

Familiarize yourself with the legume family, also amazing healthful sources of complex carbohydrates- so many to choose from and they are all so versatile. The possibilities are endless when it comes to chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, and the vast array of other beans that come in dry form or canned. You can make dips, spreads, soups, stews, salads, or simply throw them into a wrap surrounded by veggies!

Speaking of vegetables, eat more of these, fruits too, to get the fibre your body needs to improve your digestion, since a sluggish digestive process can make you feel slow and lazy, get things moving on the inside to get you moving outside!

An apple actually has the same effect at perking you up in the morning as a cup of coffee does, but with far more health benefits! So crunch happily while you clear away the grogginess.

Perk up with water! You can be dehydrated before you even feel thirsty. Your body tells you to drink water in ways you may not notice. Some signs are that you feel listless, dull, or have a headache. Be sure to drink drink drink.

There’s nothing better than a power walk to refresh you through the day - the benefits of this I can list for pages and pages but here are just a few:

• It’s an aerobic activity that will get your heart pumping, and that’s vital!
• Breathing fresh air is much better for you than sitting in a stuffy building all day
• Sunshine helps your body manufacture the "happy vitamin", Vitamin D
• Walking is a great way to connect with friends or family
• You will burn more calories and have more effective weight loss when you speed it up a notch
• Clears your mind so you can think smarter and be more productive
• Enhances your digestive process to get toxins moving out
• March is National Nutrition month, but of course I think it’s a great idea to celebrate nutrition every day!

Nutrition is the pedestal in support of a healthy lifestyle, without proper nutrition, we can’t fully live life well.