As we transition into spring, many of us will now be looking forward to longer, and hopefully sunnier days. This presents us with an ever-growing opportunity to gradually keep increasing our activity levels and keep working towards the recommended amount of physical activity.
For some, Easter also offers a double bank holiday weekend (Friday, April 7th – Monday, April 10th), allowing us to take some time for ourselves, catch up on activities we may have been putting off or not had time for, and generally look after our health and wellbeing.
For those of us who have been practicing lent, which finishes on the Easter weekend (Saturday, April 8th), this may also be a time in which we are integrating certain foods, drinks, or activities back into our lives.
How can we get the most out of Spring?
Longer, sunnier days
On Sunday, March 20th, we officially entered spring. We can hopefully now look forward to a change in the weather and enjoy days that are getting progressively longer, using this to our advantage as it opens ample new opportunities for us to engage in activities that will help boost our health and wellbeing.
Enjoying the early morning sun offers numerous health benefits. Exposing our eyes to natural light sends a signal to our brains that it is time to stop producing melatonin, the sleep hormone, and also restarts our internal body clock, to start melatonin secretion again in 14-16 hours. For most, this will lead to a better night’s sleep as our bodies will be in tune with the environmental signals that control our sleep-wake cycles.
More activity
We can use the hopefully sunnier, warmer days as encouragement to get outside and be a bit more active. Of course, we want to be active all year round, but the change in season will allow us to do so in ways that we might have been restricted from in recent months. For those of us that have not been as active recently, maybe it’s time to dust off the trainers/bike/gardening gloves and get back outside, doing whatever it is you love most.
Lent
The Easter weekend will also see the end of Lent, a period in which some of us may have given up certain things, with the aim of improving our health. Whilst this is very commendable for any that manage it, we should be careful to not to let the pendulum swing back the other way when reintegrating foods, drinks, or activities back into our lives. When reintroducing these things back into our daily life, we should do so gradually. Alternatively, if you have seen the benefits of restricting certain things, now you’ve managed it for 40 days, can you keep it going to continue improving your health and wellbeing?
A long weekend – for some!
For many, the Easter period incorporates several bank holidays into our work schedules. This should hopefully allow us some time to escape the hustle and bustle of our work environments and devote some time to our health and wellbeing.
We could use this time to do some extra activity or try something new. Try and take some time to think of what you would like to achieve over the next few days, weeks, or months, and assess how you could reach these milestones, whether that’s allowing yourself some extra time to devote to the task or integrating a new habit into your daily life.
Whatever you do over Easter, make sure it’s something you enjoy that will also benefit your health and wellbeing.
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