12 Ways To Spring Clean Your Vegan Wellness Routine
Strawberries are in season in the spring!
Does your wellness routine need a refresh? If you want to shake off that winter weariness and happily bounce into spring with light, focused, and abundant energy, read on!
If you’re vegan, plant-forward, or working on getting there, here’s 12 reminders on how to refresh your wellness routine in the spring. Although this blog includes spring tips, they can honestly be used any season if your routine needs a tweak. A few simple changes can make a big impact in our everyday busy lives.
Here’s 12 Ways to Spring Clean Your Vegan wellness Routine:
Pantry and fridge clean-out: Hands up if last year was the last time you checked the expiration dates on your fresh food, spices, and pantry items! Set a timer and have at it. Toss out expired pre-packaged items and use those veggies on the verge for a soup, smoothie, juice, or even freeze them.
Reassess your water intake: Are you drinking half of your body weight in ounces? A fitness trainer once shared that tip and it stuck. That’s a good gauge to make sure you’re getting the proper amount of daily hydration.
Supplement sound-off: When was the last time you checked in with your regular doctor or a holistic doctor on the best supplements for your veg lifestyle? Us vegans often need to watch our iron, vitamin D, and B levels. Make sure that yours are in check!
Buy seasonal produce: It helps to maximize peak flavor and freshness. Seasonal spring produce includes: asparagus, apples, apricots, artichokes, avocados, Bok choy, broccoli, collard greens, kiwis, strawberries, Swiss chard, mushrooms, potatoes, spinach, cilantro, dill, rosemary, thyme, turnips, cabbage, mandarins, pineapple, lemons, and bananas!
Scoop up that produce at a Farmer’s Market: I probably don’t have to tell you why buying local is so important. But, in case you forgot it not only helps small, local farmers and the economy, it’s also a big plus for the environment. The less food travels, the less fuel is burned and pollution is made. The shorter the trip, the fresher the food! You’ll also get your steps in by cruising the markets, and shameless plug— if you happen to visit an L.A. Farmer’s Market you’re likely to see me and my homegrown vegan wellness products there! This includes our super cozy bamboo sleep masks and daffodil/honeysuckle candles. Hey girl, hey! Follow me on Instagram, and watch my stories, to see my Farmer’s Market schedule.
Me at a Farmer’s Market showcasing our vegan wellness goods from our shop.
6. Revamp your workout space: Now that you’ve got your steps in at the Farmer’s Market don’t stop there! Keep going by assessing your workout routine and schedule. Are there any tweaks that you can make to achieve your fitness goals? Can you do more outdoor exercise? How about that workout space? Can you create one? When was the last time you cleaned your workout mat or organized your weights? Want to join a class? Claim it! The time is now.
7. Smudging: Does your space need an energy lift after a tough winter? Consider burning sage. This ancient Egyptian and Native American practice is a sacred way to purify one’s space and your energy in it, using powerful, healing shrubs. It is believed that burning sage not only removes negative energy, but can also remove bacteria from the air, and increase one’s mood and anxiety. If you don’t have African or Native ancestry, the best way to sage in a respectful way is to ensure that you acknowledge the history around it, and burn it with intention. This means having a particular focus or goal when you burn sage. This can include clearing out a specific energy to welcome in something positive. Avoid burning sage haphazardly, just because it may be trendy. (It’s also good to buy from a Native American, or POC source.) See Tribal Trade Co. to learn more and visit our shop for sage and palo santo bundles.
Sage with eucalyptus
8. Got goals? Check them: Giving your vegan life a spring facelift also includes assessing our goals. See what’s working for you and what may need some fine tuning. Do you have places in your vegan life where you feel like you are excelling? Where are you stagnant or could use improvement? How many whole foods are you eating compared to processed meals?
9. Challenge yourself: Short, healthy challenges or fasts are good ways to reset our body and mind. If you’re a regular vegan, like me, consider doing a raw fruit and vegetable challenge, or even go alkaline. See how your body responds and if it thrives from changes in your eating habits. Make sure to consult a health professional before beginning.
A spring salad!
I made it with a cabbage/kale/brussels sprouts base, along with quinoa, turmeric tofu, orange bell peppers, cranberries, pepitas, avocado, cilantro, garlic + topped with hummus and tomatoes (not pictured).
10. Embrace the fresh: Spring is also the perfect time to enjoy the power of simplicity. Plus, our bodies naturally crave more water based foods during this time. Say yes to food with minimal ingredients like fruit and garden salads, smoothies, and juices. They are a great way for you and your family to get your daily greens in.
11. Get in bed! Rest is best in the spring, especially as we welcome Daylight Savings. For us parents in the crew, it may not feel as glorious to lose an extra hour of sleep. Make sure to check in with your sleep habits in advance. Try to help your kids go to bed in 15 minute increments earlier prior to the time change. Lavender baths work wonders, as does soothing linen spray. Make sure to grab or wear Mommafied bamboo sleep masks filled with lavender to get REM level rest. It’s good to switch up your sleep masks, like you do running shoes, and replace them every 3-5 months. We also have backless, rose quartz meditation eye masks, if you can’t commit to overnights.
12. Check in with spirit: Do you have any spiritual practices or routines? How are they going? Spring is also a good time to tap back in, or try prayer, meditation, or breathwork. Here’s a meditation guide that I created a while back. I always find it helpful to re-read when I need a reset.
One of our bamboo sleep masks, infused with fresh lavender.
Thanks for reading! For more resources for busy moms who want to lead healthier, plant-based lives: Follow me @getmommafied on Instagram, and subscribe to my bimonthly Mommafied Note.