may in your body
now that april showers are behind us, may is a month of beauty and bloom. here in the middle of spring, we’ve begun to clear out the stagnation of winter and thaw the cold, hard blockages. it’s a fabulous time to set yourself up for success for the daylight and warmth of summer, so let’s get after it…
lifestyle & routine
the sun is rising earlier (and so are the birds)— here on the sunnier side of the year is a wonderful opportunity to get started with your day sooner and really seize that jawn. the first few moments after wake-up are prime time to set an intention and start on the right foot (even before you put your feet on the floor). before you grab for your phone, try asking yourself this: “how do I want to feel about myself when I get into bed tonight?”
because springtime is a time to thaw, clear, and cleanse from the dark, cold winter, little habits like oil puling or tongue scraping take very little commitment and aid in clearing the wastes that accumulate from your body’s nightly cleaning. if you’re really looking to dive in to a new habit, try neti pot (which helps with clearing allergens from the sinuses).
good routine in the season of sun, growth, and light sets the stage for ample success in your days. not every moment (nor every day) will be high, positive, and progress— but finding 5 minutes in your morning to set the stage will support with stress response and resilience in the immediate moment, and health and flow in the long run.
diet staples
temperatures are still volatile (especially in early may) and clearing and cleansing is still priority. but with summer right around the corner, some staple food stuffs for the month include those with dilating, cooling, and hydrating properties. what goes on inside of us reflects what’s going on around us. and while the body is adaptive, modifying your diet for the season supports your systems so your energy can be directed towards more prudent tasks.
light and bitter greens like asparagus, brussel sprouts, or arugula are chok full of vitamins and minerals and offer a bitter taste to body tonify your insides skins and stimulate the peristalsis that keeps your wastes moving through your channels of elimination.
as the weather gets warmer, cooling foods like lime, cucumber, avocado will provide the nutrients our bodies need while keeping the system from over heating. in a nutshell, your liver processes all of the byproducts of digestion, filtering out waste before sending the good stuff into the blood stream. because blood is “hot” (from an eastern perspective), late spring diet into summer should consist of cooler foods to keep your liver function more stable/less over-taxed.
finally, as the heat kicks up, your body begins sweating and flushing that heat through your skin organ (like how that sounds? skin organ). we need electrolytes quite literally to exist properly, so berries, melons, pineapples (tropical fruits) are robust sources for hydrating sweetness.
what’s next
the soon-to-arrive summer is the season for being social, being in the sun, and making plans. may is a fabulous month to not only plan vacations, but also to plan for rest and recovery. sleep/rest/recovery time is important always but falls to the wayside when the outside is nice and it’s fun to go play. chill, vibe, and live wholly my friends.
