Spring is well upon us, and most people are feeling the urge to reawaken their energy sources. The question I get asked most often this time of year is, how can I get more energy to allow me to do all I want to do? So here are my top 5 tips to get you going this season.

1. Drink plenty of good quality water. Many times we reach for a candy bar, or a cup of coffee to get us going, but the truth is that water is really what our body is craving. Most people are walking around chronically dehydrated and are mistaking hunger pains, or fatigue for our bodies cries for water.

2. Include plenty of dark leafy greens in your daily diet. Greens are full of vitamins and nutrients that will help lift your spirit, as well as give you energy to get all the many “to do’s” we all have in our busy days. Adding just a salad a day, filled with mixed baby greens, will do the trick.

3. Make time for some physical activity daily. Now some of you will stop reading at this point, but hang with me for a minute and let me explain. If for some reason, adding exercise to your ever-growing list of things you must do is out of the question, there’s hope. I will tell you from personal experience that adding just 10 minutes a day, and then slowly increasing from there, really makes a difference. We all realistically have 10 minutes that we could do something. Playing ball with your kids, taking a quick walk with your honey after dinner, starting your day with a simple yoga routine all count. Whatever gets you up and moving! What I’ve found is that those 10 minutes grow to 15 and so on, especially if you are having fun. So lose the chore mentality and just do something that makes you happy.

4. Get more rest and relaxation. Here’s one my couch potato readers will enjoy (and don’t think for a minute that I’m excluding myself from that description-don’t we all love to curl up on the couch?) I find though, that when I haven’t been sleeping as much as my body needs, I want to stay on that darn couch and forget about tip # 3. Then one day I made the connection and saw that my body was screaming for some down time. Even if you can’t fit another hour in your night to play catch up with sleep, you can do something relaxing for yourself, so your mind and body has time to unwind.

5. Rethink any relationships you might have in your life that zap your energy. Now this one won’t always be easy and it doesn’t mean that you have to cut all ties with those nearest and dearest to you either. But I bet we all can think of at least one person, who no matter what has a way of zapping all your optimism. Whether they are your overly critical boss, your nosy neighbor, or that coworker who just drives you crazy with all that negative whining. So what to do about those people, besides, quitting, or moving far, far away? Sometimes just realizing that you have some of these energy drainers, in your life, can cause you to shift and set healthy boundaries, or find a better way to communicate with them. Some need more drastic measures and ties do need to be cut for your emotional health, but the awareness alone can do wonders for you in the meantime. Then when you can, surround yourself with people who lift you up and support you. This is a sure fire way to put a spring in your step and get, and keep you moving in the direction you are looking to grow in.

Jennifer Wisnew, CHHC, AADP

Jennifer is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor, dedicated to her clients with a unique approach to build a life that truly brings them joy! She is the owner of Life Renovated Health Counseling, located in the lower Hudson Valley region of New York. Jennifer is an animal lover who loves cooking, reading, gardening, dancing and researching.

We’re at the end of May and summer officially begins next month but for those of us in Texas, it’s already begun and that means blueberries are ripe for the picking! These are the little blue fruits with huge health benefits. Ranging in flavor from mildly sweet to tangy and tart, blueberries are bursting with nutrients and flavor, yet very low in sugar and calories.

Blueberries are an antioxidant powerhouse, ranking among the top fruits and vegetables tested for antioxidant activity. They contain powerful phytochemicals, such as anthocyanin, which is the pigment that gives them their blue color.

Blueberries are associated with numerous health benefits including:

• Reducing the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia
• Promotion of gastrointestinal health
• Protection against colon and ovarian cancer
• protection against macular degeneration

They can help relieve both diarrhea and constipation and also promote urinary tract health.

If all of that weren’t enough, an important reason to consume blueberries right now is because they are in season, which is when all fruits and vegetables are best consumed. Not only will they be bursting with flavor when they are in season, their nutrient content will be higher and the price will be lower.

Here’s a tip that makes it easy to incorporate more nutritious foods into your daily life. If you have a habit of eating junk snacks while watching TV, replace your junk snack with this yummy, little blue powerhouse!

Alicia Castellano, CHHC, AADP

Alicia is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor with a passion for helping others transition into a healthy lifestyle and create extraordinary lives for themselves. She lives in Houston,Texas where she runs a private practice. Alicia loves to dance, loves music and has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and learning.

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