With Spring just around the corner, I wanted to share 5 healthy lifestyle tips that I use weekly to keep not only my body healthy but also my mind! These 5 tips hit all the major areas of health that I value: mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual. Plus, added a gut health tip in there for anyone out there as obsessed with gut health as I am! Hope you guys enjoy and let me know your favorite healthy lifestyle tip in the comments! Also there’s a fun new muffin recipe in here too!

1. Walks with my fam

My favorite thing in the world is to spend time outside with my little family! This may be the most basic tip ever but seriously if you don’t do this, try to start. It’s easy to incorporate an easy walk into your routine. Wake up 30 minutes earlier, skip a tv show one evening and go for an after-dinner walk, don’t sleep in one morning on the weekend, or go for a walk before going out to dinner on the weekends.

Also leave your phone at home or put it on airplane mode. Having 30 minutes outside, getting fresh air, no phones- it allows you to connect with your partner (or you can do this with roomies! I did it with my college roommates all the time). Plus, you get some exercise. I live in the Midwest so once winter is behind us you better believe I’m getting my booty outside and appreciating the sunshine and warmth!! Haha.

2. Adding Prunes Into My Diet

Sharing a super easy meal prep recipe so you can easily add some prunes into your diet. I made some paleo, gluten free cinnamon prune muffins that everyone in the family will love! They add the perfect texture to the muffins + the perfect amount of sweetness. Sub in some prunes for chocolate chips in your go to muffin or cookie recipes! Sharing the recipe below.

Why California Prunes?

California Prunes are so different than most people’s idea of them. To be honest, until I started cooking a few years ago, I would never have thought I’d be eating a muffin that had prunes in them. But what I didn’t realize is how naturally sweet they are- they’re a dried fruit after all! So, you get the sweetness that you crave in a sweet treat without adding a bunch of sugar into a recipe.

Beyond just the taste of California Prunes though, I added these in because I wanted these muffins to be packed with nutrients. California Prunes are a great option if you’re looking to improve your gut health. More on the health benefits of prunes below.

Benefits of California Prunes:

California Prunes are mostly known for being great aids for your digestion, which they are. They’re packed with fiber which helps keep you regular. Gut health is such a popular health topic right now and for good reason. So many studies are being done about the relation between gut health and other aspects of our health. So, if you’re looking to keep your gut healthy, adding some California Prunes into your diet is a step in the right direction.

Beyond just being good aids in digestion, they’re packed with vitamins and minerals. We all probably know how important it is to eat a variety of fruits and veggies to get lots of different vitamins and minerals in our bodies. Prunes are a good source of potassium, iron, and vitamin K. I get anemic easily so making sure I get enough iron is something I’m always aware of. I’ll throw California Prunes into baked goods to up their iron levels + get that extra fiber in there. Check out my Avocado California Prune Brownies here.

They have a lot more benefits than I’m talking about here (think: skin health, bone health, and more!) but one last thing I’ll talk about is their sugar content. Ahhh! Sugar! Another very big health topic today is sugar and how it impacts our bodies. Prunes have a low glycemic index, meaning that it raises your blood sugar slowly. So adding them into baked goods allows you to get more sweetness without spiking your blood sugar. A win-win in my book!

Other Uses for California Prunes

You don’t have to limit the California Prunes to just this recipe. You can eat them in so many other ways! They’re great to grab as a snack because they’re a fruit that doesn’t go bad after a day. You can put some in a baggie or by a prepacked mini pack and keep in your purse for when the hanger strikes. Especially now that Spring is almost here, I’ll be out and about much more!

3. Yoga Videos At Home

Okay, I am NOT a yoga girl. Give me a HITT class, an outdoor run, an outdoor walk (tip 1!), or an at home strength workout. I like a workout that is so tough that I’m only thinking about getting to the next point or finishing. With yoga, it’s the exact opposite. You are in your head more and it can be intimidating. To be honest, I still don’t love yoga, but I value what it gives me after doing a video. I feel relaxed, refreshed, my muscles feel better, and overall, I feel more energized. But I still dread it most of the time haha.

Instead of spending money going to a class that I really don’t want to go to, I do at home yoga videos! I try to do a 15-minute videos 3 mornings a week. It’s free and I feel more comfortable doing terrible poses in the comfort of only the judgy eyes of my dog haha. But seriously, it’s way better and more motivating for me to get on the mat at home. My favorite yoga video is this one by Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube.

4. Gratitude Journaling

This tip helps both with my mental health and spiritual health. I try to do this every morning:; it takes literally a minute to do. Find a quiet space and sit down with a journal. I like this bullet journal but you can even write it in the notes app on your phone. I write 10-15 things I’m thankful for, big or small. It can be as deep as something I’ve personally got going on or as simple as saying ‘sunshine’ because it’s sunny out that day. Whatever you are thankful for that day counts.

It helps me start my day off in a better mindset, remembering all the good I have in my life.

5. Veggies at 2 Meals a Day

This final tip is pretty straight forward. I like to eat veggies at least twice a day. Sometimes I’ll eat a big breakfast salad- egg, avocado, sweet potato all on a bed of spinach. If I don’t do this, I’ll have a big salad for lunch or dinner and then a salad as a side for another meal. Basically, I’m just trying to pack in my dark leafy greens. Smoothies are also a great way to do this!

It’s so important to get enough fiber in your diet. Getting my greens in helps so much with my digestion (also adding some California Prunes!). I feel way better on days I’m eating tons of fresh veggies and fruits so that’s my motivation behind making it a priority to get them in.

*Thanks to California Prunes for partnering with me on this post and for making great prunes for us to enjoy!*

Cinnamon Prune Muffins Recipe:

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