Spring Clean Your Wellbeing 🌿

As the seasons begin to change, I love watching the trees come back to life. Fresh green
leaves start to appear, blossoms bring beautiful bursts of colour, the days become longer,
and suddenly our mornings feel a little lighter and warmer.

After months of winter, there’s something about spring that makes everything feel a little
easier.

We naturally want to get outside more, enjoy the sunshine and move our bodies again.
And I think it’s also the perfect time to ask ourselves:

What could I refresh in my life this spring?

Spring Clean Your Movement

During winter at Balance Bloom Pilates, we spend a little more time warming and stretching
the body, particularly on those crisp, cold mornings when everything can feel a little stiffer.
As we head into spring, it’s a great opportunity to look at your movement routine.

Ask yourself:

What movement am I enjoying?
What am I doing simply because I think I should?
Is there something new I’d like to try?

And perhaps most importantly:

What is no longer serving me?

You don’t necessarily need to exercise more. Sometimes you simply need to find ways of
moving that you actually enjoy.

Pilates is also a wonderful way to prepare your body for whatever life throws at you. We
move the body in all different directions – bending, twisting, reaching, pushing, pulling and
balancing, helping to build strength, flexibility and confidence in the way your body moves.

And that strength doesn’t just stay in the Pilates studio. It prepares you for the things you
want to enjoy outside it, whether that’s walking, hiking, cycling, gardening, travelling or
trying something completely new.

After all, we don’t do Pilates just to get better at Pilates. We do it so we can keep doing
the things we love in life.

For me, routine is one of the secrets to staying consistent. I like doing different forms of exercise on different days of the week, walking Baxter, strength training and, of course, Pilates.

One of my favourite weekly rituals is climbing One Tree Hill with a friend. I originally started
doing the walk a few years ago when I was preparing for a trip to Italy and wanted to get my
legs ready for all those steps and hills along the Amalfi Coast.

I enjoyed the feeling of climbing a hill so much that I kept doing it. There’s a wonderful sense of achievement when I reach the top and know I’ve had a good cardio workout – never mind the rugby team who power past me and then run up the steepest part of the hill!

I’m constantly changing what I do for exercise while remaining consistent about moving my
body every day. And I think that’s an important distinction. Consistency doesn’t have to mean doing exactly the same thing every day.

Spring Clean Your Pantry

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to stop with your exercise routine. Take a look inside your pantry.
What foods are helping you feel energised and nourished – and what foods are constantly
tempting you when you’re tired, bored or hungry?

If those chocolate-chip biscuits, chips or sweets are simply too difficult to resist, perhaps
they don’t need to live in your pantry!

Donate unopened food you don’t want to a local food bank or community organisation and
make room for foods that support how you want to feel. I also love organising pantry staples into glass jars and keeping the nutritious foods I use
regularly at eye level.

Make the healthy choice the easy choice.

Recently, I completed a month-long reset where I removed coffee, alcohol, gluten and dairy
and really focused on what I was putting into my body.
It reminded me how powerful it can be to occasionally stop and reassess our habits.

You don’t necessarily need to do what I did. Your own spring reset might simply be drinking
more water, adding more green and colourful vegetables, eating more protein, cutting back
on alcohol or preparing more meals at home.

Ask yourself:

What is one thing I could change that would help me feel more energised?

Because feeling better isn’t always about adding another Pilates class. Sometimes it starts with what we put inside our bodies. Think of your body like your car. If you want it to perform well, you need to give it the right fuel. And unlike your car, you only get one body.

Spring Clean Your Space

Finally, have a look around your home. Your pantry. Your fridge. Your wardrobe. Your office. Your cupboards. What are you holding onto that you no longer need?
What could be donated, recycled, organised or simply let go?

Our environment can have a surprising impact on how we feel. When everything around us
feels cluttered and overwhelming, we can feel that way too. Creating a little more order and space around us can sometimes create the feeling of more space within us.

So this spring, don’t think only about cleaning your house. Think about spring cleaning your movement, nutrition, routines and environment. You don’t need to change everything at once.
Choose one small thing.

Clear one cupboard.
Add one nourishing meal.
Try one new walk.
Book your Pilates classes for the week.
Let go of one habit that isn’t serving you anymore.

Spring is all about new growth – and perhaps it’s time to create a little new growth in
ourselves too.

Here’s to feeling lighter, stronger and energised this spring.

Luci x
Balance Bloom Pilates
Strong Bodies. Strong Lives.

This month my favourite healthy snack has to be Dr Libbys Brain balls. This chewy,
nutty treat is an excellent source of the monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty
acids that have the anti-inflammatory properties so necessary for healthy hearts and
brain functions.

Keep these easy to make snacks on hand for the perfect after school
snack for a burst of energy or as a source of vitamin E and zinc, beneficial for skin
and the immune system.

Check out my Instagram link for recipe:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DcWxpuMyHyW/

This recipe is from Dr Libby’s cookbook Real Food Chef. 

Brain Balls / Bliss Balls

Ingredients

 2 cups walnuts, halves and pieces
 1 cup sunflower seeds
 1 cup coconut, shredded
 2/3 cup cocoa powder
 8 fresh dates, pitted and coarsely chopped
 2 tablespoons water
 Pinch of salt
 1 to 3 drops peppermint oil or vanilla extract. (optional)

Method

1. Combine the walnuts, sunflower seeds, dates and coconut in the bowl of a
   food processor. Pulse for 30 to grind the ingredients.
2. Add the cocoa powder, salt, water and the peppermint oil to the bowl and
   process until the mixture forms a paste.
3. Form the paste into medium sized balls by rolling a portion of the paste
   between your palms. Place the finished balls on a tray lined with waxed
   paper and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Spring Timetable 🌸

Spring brings fresh new class times at Balance Bloom Pilates.

🌅 Weekday mornings: 7am & 8am classes
🌙 Evenings: 6pm & 7pm classes
🌿 Weekends: Morning classes

Check out our new Spring timetable and book up to a week ahead so you can plan your movement into your week.

A little planning makes it much easier to stay consistent, and consistency is where we start to feel the difference.