We've been on a kick with all the Spring Cleaning tips this month. Truth is, once you really embrace a fresh start, you begin to realize other aspects of life that can benefit from a little tidying up too! If you didn't catch last week's post, be sure to check it out here where we go over a few different ways to clean up the body, mind and soul. We're picking up where we left off, and are going even deeper this time around to embark on some advice geared around decluttering your life and diet!
Simplified Eating and Meal Planning
We hinted at it last time, but there's a lot of value in pre-planning and preparing meals in advance. For starters, it takes a lot of the guesswork and temptation out of eating poorly. But that's only the beginning. Meal planning can also:
A few more ways to simplify your approach to food and groceries
Other Simple Ways to Declutter Your Life
Like we said, there are many ways to chip away at a simpler life and once you get rolling, it's hard to stop. Beyond some of the more profound pursuits of focusing in on your passions, relationships and priorities, here are some lesser, daily habits and behaviors you can try out to win back more time, clarity and energy:
Use this spring season to make positive change in your life and the world around you!
Simplified Eating and Meal Planning
We hinted at it last time, but there's a lot of value in pre-planning and preparing meals in advance. For starters, it takes a lot of the guesswork and temptation out of eating poorly. But that's only the beginning. Meal planning can also:
- Help you win back time that'd otherwise be lost in the kitchen cleaning and cooking each day
- Save you money on bulk/batch ingredients versus one-offs
- Expose you to new recipes, flavors and tried-and-true healthy options
- Empower you to the rid pantry and fridge of unnecessary, unhealthy options
- Jumpstart your metabolism
- Serve as an opportunity to host group cooking, prep evenings or date nights
- Open new doors to meal swaps and recipe sharing
A few more ways to simplify your approach to food and groceries
- Never shop hungry. It's a recipe for failure and you'll likely give into temporary cravings for junk food, salty chips or sweets.
- Consider making your grocery list online so that you can bookmark it, return to it when necessary, and you may even be able to generally use all the items over the same amount of time (eliminating timely and costly return trips to the store).
- Watch for bulk discounts on proteins and other key pillars of your plan. Buy the goods and freeze what you won't consume right away.
- See if your grocery chain offers remote shopping or grocery delivery so you can keep your schedule free to do more exercise, recovery, work or play.
Other Simple Ways to Declutter Your Life
Like we said, there are many ways to chip away at a simpler life and once you get rolling, it's hard to stop. Beyond some of the more profound pursuits of focusing in on your passions, relationships and priorities, here are some lesser, daily habits and behaviors you can try out to win back more time, clarity and energy:
- Clean up desktops, phones and apps. You may be pleasantly surprised how this little task can project a level of organization and cleanliness. Rid your computer, tablet and phone of anything that's outdated or no longer serving its original purpose.
- Use your phone or laptop's activity monitor (or download an app) to keep tabs on usage and where your time is going. This can be a really humbling experience, especially for all of us who are semi-addicted to social media.
- Make your bed. Yes, it's that simple, but there's a reason the military and even some rehabilitation centers impart this simple discipline. If you start your day with discipline and cleanliness, you embark on a day of order and regiment.
- People often associate meal planning and prep with chicken and asparagus. You can do it any way you'd like, though. Smoothies and juicing for instance, are other great options for preparing healthy, easy to pack options for a balanced diet.
- Not great at incorporating vitamins and nutrients into your diet from day to day? Make it that much easier by checking out all of our dietary supplements. Free up your options by incorporating powder, capsules or more. They're compact, travel anywhere and will help you rebalance and revitalize your way of life.
- Digitize your media. Nothing beats a physical book unless you're on a mission to tidy up your life. The same goes for DVD and movie collections. Consider transferring your libraries and albums to digital formats to save and free up physical space.
- Start saying no. It's okay to turn down some dinner dates, weekend plans and meet-ups now and then. Don't be irresponsible about it, but be honest with how busy your life is in any given season of life. It's essential that you keep a pulse on your internal bandwidth and give yourself a chance to do you now and again.
- Donate used goods to a great cause.
- Shift your purchasing behavior from buying products that serve one, and one use only, to multi-use goods. This goes for tools, cooking equipment, clothes - you name it. The more you can do with less, the better you'll be!
Use this spring season to make positive change in your life and the world around you!
