Spring Reset: Step Into the Season Refreshed

Written by Natalie Pirolli, MS, RDN, LDN, RYT | April 2025

The start of a new season always feels like a good time for me to "reset." Whether it's that beginning of fall/school year sense of getting into a routine, goal setting we associate with January, or this urge to refresh, clean, and energize that comes with the spring, something about the change of season seems to bring a sense of hope and positivity.

As we shift from one season to the next, it allows for a pause to reflect on our current habits and routines, set goals, and assess how our current habits (or potential new habits) will align with these goals. And these goals don't have to be super lofty; that's the good thing about goals—we can use them to be a "work in progress." They can help us continually look for ways to better our physical and mental well-being year after year.

If you are like me and heading into spring ready to shake off the winter and boost your physical and mental well-being, here are a few key areas that we can consider together:

Getting Quality Sleep

I will almost always choose to watch one more episode, read one more chapter, scroll for 15 more minutes rather than close my tired eyes and go to bed. Why is that? Well, I'm learning that as an adult your day is made up of a lot of to-dos, and they are mostly for other people. Your boss, your coworkers, your children, your spouse, your house, your refrigerator (thinking about figuratively feeding my fridge groceries)... Sometimes by the time we get through the workday, take care of everyone else, make dinner and finally sit on the couch without any responsibilities, it's like a little rebellious teenager in our head says "I'm not going to bed yet and you can't make me!" It is finally time to just be, it's finally me-time. No wonder we don't want to spend it asleep!

Or what if you do go to bed, but feel wired and tired? For some reason bed time feels like the perfect time for our mind to remind us of all we didn't get done that day, still have to do tomorrow, that upcoming birthday we need to get a gift for, the embarrassing thing we said in the 7th grade, something about an ex—any one will do... Our body is tired but our mind is ready to CHAT. Or we can fall asleep, but wake in that 2-4 AM window or several times in the night. It's frustrating! The good news is we can work on it; difficulty falling or staying asleep can be related to stress and anxiety, but also to our eating patterns and nutrient status.

Sleep is not only important for getting rest and helping us have more energy the next day, but for our thinking, learning, memory, immune system functioning, metabolic health, mental health and more. But knowing this information isn't always enough to change our habits. We have to acknowledge what might be deterring us from getting to bed earlier and/or interrupting our quality sleep. Here are some ideas to get started:

• The need for me-time: how can you incorporate this during day?

  • Do you have a 20-30 minute window in the day to do something you enjoy like walk, stretch, read a book or blog you love, do a face mask, etc.? Do you need to shift time around elsewhere to make this happen? (example: scrolling less)

  • If the evening hours are the only time slot that work, how can you make this time more special and fulfilling? For example, cozying up with a nice blanket and cup of tea, putting on your comfiest clothes, and/or mindfully eating a fun snack while you watch your show.

• Trouble falling or staying asleep: what's missing?

  • Would it help to make a to-do list or do a mind dump before bed?

  • Are you hungry? Check that dinner is a balanced meal and if it's a handful of hours before bed, see if a balanced snack 1-2 hours before getting into bed would help.

  • Do you need magnesium or a boost of other stress or sleep-supporting nutrients?

  • What if you shift to think about all that you did accomplish that day and a couple of things you're grateful for?

Getting Time Outside

One of my goals this spring is to get outside, even if it's just for 5-minutes, most days. It might sound small, but when you work from home and are in front of computer screen most of the day, it is shocking just how much time can go by before you realize how long it's been since you stood up or saw the sun. The phrase "a breath of fresh air" is defined as a person or thing that constitutes a refreshing change. It's no wonder spending time outdoors is linked to so many benefits like reducing stress, improving sleep (!), cognition, and concentration, and reducing blood pressure and chronic disease risk.

This one also piggy-backs off the "me time" we just chatted about, as getting outside provides a nice break from the day-to-day. To get outside, we have to quite literally remove ourselves from our home/work, allowing time to detach from the to-dos and be a little more mindful. Here are some ways we can sneak in outdoor time:

• Take your lunch, snack, or coffee break outside

• Take your time when letting the dog out to feel the fresh air around you

• Take your physical activity outdoors: go for a walk, bring your yoga mat or free weights outside for a workout

• Take to-dos outside: sit and make your grocery list, take a work call in the sun, sit in a shady spot to respond to emails

• Take advantage of free time outdoors: plan to find an outdoor spot to read, go for a hike, or tidy the yard on a weekend

Incorporating Movement Regularly

Another goal that can be combined with the first two—movement can allow us some me-time and be done outside to get even more refreshing boost (does this make three birds, one stone a thing?). Making time for physical activity most days can feel tough with so many of those adulting to-dos. One thing that has been helpful for me and my clients is developing a broader definition of what "counts" as activity. When we have the mindset that in order for exercise to "count" it has to look like 30-60 minutes of cardio, weights, or a class, or an activity that produces a lot of sweat, it can be very limiting. If we had a 20 minute window between meetings and wanted to get fresh air and go for a short walk or do a 15-20 minute exercise circuit, we'd be more apt to do nothing with the rigid mindset that this wouldn't "count" because it's not an hour, going to make us very sweaty, etc. But wouldn't it have been better to get 20 minutes of some kind of movement in instead of 0 that day?

This is why I use the word "movement," meaning moving my body in any way that feels good and energy producing: walking, stretching, doing yoga or pilates, using free weights, cycling, hiking, cleaning the house, etc. It allows me to look at my day and see where I can fit in movement, whether it is that 30-60 minute organized workout, or pockets of 10-20 minutes where I might be able to get up and move.

In the past my main motivator to move was to make my body look a certain way or be a certain size. Now I'm motivated by exercise's benefits of increasing my strength and stamina, reducing stress and anxiety, boosting my mood, and increasing energy levels, concentration, and my sense of self-worth. Regular physical activity is also linked to decreased risk of chronic disease, better sleep (!), improved bone density and more.

If moving more aligns with your health goals, here are some ideas to help incorporate movement more regularly:

• Look at your schedule for the day or week and schedule time to move whether it's signing up for a class or blocking your calendar for an at-home workout

• If 30-60 minutes feels like a lot of time to set aside, can you find two 15-minute windows or two or three 20-minute windows in your day to move?

• Incorporate it into your to-dos: take calls/meetings walking if able, park further away from stores when running errands, take the stairs when available, do a morning, afternoon, and/or before bed stretch.

• Know that every little bit counts and adds up!

Making Mindset Shifts

Mindset matters—it can shape our attitudes, feelings, and beliefs and be the driving force behind behaviors (both helpful and unhelpful ones). Here are some helpful mindset shifts I'm trying to work on:

• I get to vs. I have to

  • With the change of one word we can look at our day-to-day with more gratitude and appreciation. This is especially helpful when incorporating new habits. "I get to exercise today" vs. "I have to exercise" allows us to view this habit as privilege and an opportunity to work on our health and well-being rather than an obligation.

• What could go right?

  • I'll be honest, my mind is rarely going here. I tend to live in: "What could go wrong? Oh, I'm so glad you asked. Here's what I've come up with so far..." Shifting to "what could go right?" is a tough one for me but one that instantly provides more lightness and hopefulness. When I starting going down the worrying what-if path, I'm trying to follow up with this reframe.

• Listing accomplishments of the day

  • At the end of the day we're more apt to think about what we weren't able to get done or still need to do tomorrow or this week. Rather than ending the day thinking about or "failures," what if we listed all that we did get done and/or feel proud of? Like that same sense of accomplishment we get when crossing something off of our to-do list, this mindset can feel more motivating rather than daunting (and potentially help us get to sleep quicker!).

• Recalling at least one thing you're grateful for

  • The benefits of a gratitude practice have been linked to improving self esteem, mental well-being, and even positively altering brain chemistry. When listing things you're grateful for it helps to be specific and feel the feelings associated with that thing. For example, instead of "I'm so grateful for my family," it could be "I'm so grateful for my nephew's excited greeting and big hug today" while letting yourself feel the love of that hug again.

• More of this, please

  • This is like an in-the-moment gratitude practice for when you're feeling, seeing, experiencing something enjoyable and want to ask the universe to keep this good stuff coming. Like recalling things we're grateful for, noticing these glimmers in our day to day can help us be on the lookout for more positives, helping us focus less on the negatives.

The keyword here with mindset shifting is trying. It takes repetition and practice to form new thought pathways. Try not to get discouraged and know that overtime these can start to feel more natural.

Focusing on Food as Nourishment

With all of the conflicting, ever-changing, and often ridiculous messages out there about how we should be eating, we can forget to view food for what it is supposed to be: nourishing. Instead of making our plate with worry or concern for how the food might make our body look, what if we thought about how the food might make us feel? What if we focused on fueling ourselves in enjoyable ways that not only meet our nutrient needs, but boosted our physical and mental well-being? This might look like:

• Adding more color (fruits and veggies)

• Aiming for a balance of protein, carbs, and fats with the goal of satiety and satisfaction

• Incorporating flavorful nourishing boosts with additions like nuts, seeds, sprouts, or fresh herbs to meals

• Honoring our preferences and practicing flexibility

• Slowing down and eating more mindfully with less distractions

• Tuning in and listening to our hunger and fullness cues

• Going into meals with the mindset that our food is going to nourish our bodies—providing energy, essential nutrients, health-boosting components, and enjoyment

I could write a whole blog on this one (and plan to!), in the meantime check out 5 key areas your diet might lacking to help with this focus on nourishment. One of the reasons I'm going into more detail on the other areas of wellness is because they often get overlooked and we think it's just a diet change we need to feel better. As a reminder, nutrition is an important pieces of our health puzzle, but not the only one!

If you're really getting into this spring reset and want to be out with the old and in with the new, check out my blog on spring cleaning for better well-being, too.

Have a happy and healthy spring! :)