It’s time to spring clean our house and our health

Ah, spring! That favoured time of the year when we gladly farewell winter and welcome the warmer weather with its lovely sunshine, fresh air and budding plants.

Just as our awakening gardens start to show signs of renewed growth, we too shed the cumbersome layers of winter and emerge with enthusiasm and energy to start afresh. Off come the winter woollies, gone are the boots and hats. And as warm breezes begin to waft through open windows, we tackle spring cleaning tasks with vim and vigour. 

Often, it’s not just spring cleaning the house on our minds when the weather improves. As we get back into our gardens or take our early morning walks once more, we are reminded of our sense of wellbeing and the importance of being fit and active, and in control of our health. We might plan to walk every morning to shed a kilo or two of winter weight, and we review our diet while setting some healthy eating goals.

Yes, spring is a great time to clean and declutter everything – from our homes to ourselves, inside and out. There are plenty of easy ways to get started:

1. Spring Clean Our Homes

Flinging open the doors and windows on a sunny day and giving the house a really good clean is liberating!

Sure, we feel physically tired at the end of the day, but we are also happy and satisfied, and mentally refreshed.

TIP: Declutter first – when we clean out kitchen cupboards and wardrobes and get rid of household clutter, we are also spring cleaning our minds and decluttering our mental wellbeing for a fresh outlook on life.

2. Spring Clean Our Health Goals

What better time of year is there to re-evaluate our physical and mental wellbeing and pay particular attention to our health habits – both good and bad?

Warm, sunny days invite us outdoors, so spring is the perfect time to commit to walking more often or taking up a new activity such as swimming, yoga, tennis or personalised gym classes. 

We might decide to plant a veggie patch this year and enjoy fresh food straight from the garden. It’s also a good time to implement new routines with respect to managing our supplement and medication intakes.

It might also be time to evaluate our medications and vitamins and if they are truly giving us the maximum benefit. Say goodbye to the winter saviors like Echinacea, Zinc and Black Elderberry.

TIP: If you find it hard to be organised with monitoring your daily intake of supplements and medications, try a personalised medication pack and delivery service. 

3. Spring Clean Our Junk Trunks!

Calorie-laden winter comfort foods be gone – it’s time to enjoy a fresh and healthy diet once again.

Studies show that if junk food and unhealthy foods are in our cupboards, we are likely to succumb to eating treats and less-than-healthy eats.

TIP: Removing temptation is the best way to overcome the urge to eat unhealthy processed foods. Throw them out or give them away if you don’t want to waste them and replace them with fresh and healthy natural alternatives like nuts, vegetables and fruit.

4. Spring Clean Our Minds

Being aware of our physical health and our environment is important, but it’s also vital not to forget about our minds.

Taking time to practise gratitude, connect with others, celebrate successes or simply being kind to ourselves makes a big difference to our mental wellbeing. Yoga, meditation and practising mindfulness are all proven ways to look after our mental health and reduce stress.

TIP: Stress and a full mind can often prevent us from remembering things like our medication. Finding ways to ease your mental load such as utilising free medication packing and pharmacy delivery services is a good way to help us stay on track with our health. My Aspect Health’s personalised medication pack is an easy way to relieve that daily worry of ‘did I take all my medications today?’ or ‘did I forget one?’

 Your springtime checklist

A springtime check of how we are managing all aspects of our health and wellbeing is important for over-60’s. How many can you tick?

• Being physically active on a daily basis.
• Maintaining social connections.
• Eating well.
• Keeping my mind engaged and stimulated.
• Safely managing my supplements and medications.

If the last item is a challenge, remember My Aspect Health medication management services are free. They take all the stress and worry about medication management away, and they give us peace of mind that our medications are under control – both at home and on holiday.

If you’re looking for more ways to take control of your health and live well for longer, you may also like to consider downloading the helpful free eguide put together by Starts at 60 in partnership with My Aspect Health ‘Taking control of your health: The easy steps to living younger longer‘. This free online handbook is packed with helpful tips and useful information to help live a healthier and happier retirement on your terms.

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.