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If there is one thing no one looks forward to this time of year it’s Spring Cleaning. Finally, it’s nice outside and you’re telling me we need to dedicate at least one weekend indoors getting rid of everything we accumulated during our winter hibernation?

Well, yes. But there is some good news – It turns out that cleaning is as good for your health as it is for your house.

To start with, clutter is mentally exhausting. Not only does it make things difficult to find, but it can also accumulate dust and bacteria as well as invite other not-so-welcome critters like mice into your home. Scenarios like this can lead to worsening allergies, illness and increased incidents of friends no longer stopping by. Get rid of the clutter and you can safely get rid of this risk.

Mentally, you will be much more at ease and decrease stress the more you clear out. We think it’s safe to say that there’s at least once closet around the house stuffed to the brim with stuff. Take some time to clear it out. Organizing the materials will help clear your mind, make it easier to find what you’re looking for and free up space for those workout sneakers sitting by the door.

There are also some physical benefits of cleaning. Similar to gardening, even mild exercise like cleaning for 20 minutes can increase the number of calories your body burns throughout the day. Clean the house a few times a month and those burned calories really start to add up.

Lastly, cleaning has been proven to help release endorphins. Maybe it’s the sense of accomplishment, or the fact that you finally found where that smell was coming from inside the refrigerator, either way, you’ll literally be happier once you’re all done.

The great thing about these tips is that they don’t just apply to your home. You can use the same ideas around the office, in the car or even your gym locker. With that in mind, it’s time to get started with the Spring Cleaning – We’re looking at you, desk.

It goes without saying that spring is the perfect time of year to get your home garden growing. The weather is perfect and it’s easy to enjoy a variety of high quality, fresh produce grown right in your own yard! But harvesting your own herbs and produce isn’t just great for your wallet – it can also improve health in more ways than you think.

As home gardening grows in popularity, more people are discovering the benefits of the outdoors. Here are just a few of the ways home gardening can improve your health.

Stress Relief

• Caring for and maintaining a garden can help focus your mind on a productive and gratifying process. All too often, either at work or around the house, we don’t get credit for the hard work we put in just to keep things moving. But with a garden, we can literally eat the fruits of our labor!
• Make your garden your own by filling it with plants, produce or design features that you enjoy. This will make a small, Zen-like space all your own. You can grow what you want, how you want.
• No more shopping for produce only to have it go bad. Now you can pick a tomato as you need it without running to the store!
• A sense of accomplishment. Serving fresh veggies and herbs makes every meal great and will have the whole table asking what your secret ingredient is.

Physical Benefits

• Gardening can actually be quiet the workout. Low impact and moderately paced, maintaining you garden can be a great way to stay active in the heat without overdoing it.
• More strenuous activates (like a complete overhaul of the backyard) can burn up to 600 calories after a full day’s work pulling weeds, digging holes and further improving your garden.
• Gardening has even been found to help improve flexibility by help strengthening underused muscle groups and joints.

Nutrition

• This may be one of the best perks of having your own garden, not only do you get to choose what to grow – but you get to choose how to grow it. Don’t like pesticides or artificial fertilizers? Well, don’t use ‘em. You’ll have organic produce right at your fingertips.
• Feed your family the freshest produce possible. No need for frozen or canned spinach when you have it in the back yard!
• Herbs, spices and other easy-to-grow plants can add some hidden nutritional value to any meal as well as a little flavor. Did you know cilantro is being praised for its anti-inflammatory value? Or that parsley can boost antioxidant levels in your blood? It’s true and they’re easy to grow!

So now that (hopefully) all the April showers are out of the way, let’s get started with the flowers part of spring. You might just be surprised how much you’ll save, how healthy you’ll feel and how much a home garden can benefit your healthy lifestyle.

There’s been a lot of excitement around the APOGEE Challenge – and with just so many more days left in April, we’re pumped to find out who our first winner will be. Then, it’s on to May’s challenge.

Now, we know there are some people who were on the fence about signing up to try their hand at 28 days of exercise – it’s not exactly an easy task. But we also know a little motivation can go a long way for next month. With the right mindset, you can accomplish anything.

That’s why we want to hear from you. We want to know how you stay motivated to keep moving in this busy world. And, because it’s still our birthday month, one participant will receive a $50 credit to use at the Apogee White Plains Spa. We think you deserve it after all you do – now let us know how you do it!

It doesn’t have to be about exercise, although if you’re a challenge participant we’d love to know how you keep going! Maybe you finally finished that book that’s been sitting on the coffee table. Or maybe you just found the time to sign up for night classes – whatever it is, we want to know what drives you.

For some it can be as simple as a line of poetry or a favorite movie scene. For others, it’s family and friends that keep them motivated. So do us a favor, spread the motivation and post pictures, type out your favorite poem or link to a video on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

The key to life is happiness and the things that make us happy are what keep us moving. So why not share what drives you and win a $50 spa credit in the process? We can’t wait to see what you got. We’ll get things moving with this:

Always keep moving!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
-Marianne Williamson

We’ve spoken about motivation in the past as well as the benefits of consistency when it comes to exercise and health. That’s why we’re happy to announce the success of our APOGEE Challenge.

If you’re not familiar with our challenge, it’s a competition where one member will win a Whole Foods gift card. Participants must complete 28 days of exercise within one month in order to be eligible. Not an easy task by any means – But that hasn’t stopped these motivated members from kickn’ butt and rocking steady! In no particular order, here are our challenge participants all of whom are still in the running to win:

But, if we had to guess, we’d say they were motivated by something more than just a gift card (although it doesn’t hurt!).  So keep up the motivation, guys! Every challenge becomes a stepping stone once we overcome it.

And, for those of you who need proof that consistency pays off, here’s a wonderful letter we received from a member, Allison who want’s everyone to know just how much Pilates has improved her already stellar tennis game.

“As a recreational and competitive tennis player, I am always looking for ways to improve my game. I started taking group tower classes at Apogee Pilates studio in White Plains. I started with a once weekly class. I quickly saw improvement in my core strength on the court and in daily activities. My posture improved and I realized that I needed more. I now do a minimum of two private sessions per week. The outcome is tremendous. I am capable of so much more on the tennis court with increased speed, endurance and accuracy. I also believe that Pilates has helped strengthen me and has saved me from injury. I highly recommend a commitment to pure Pilates for competition in any sport and for longevity.”

Allison McCarthy

White Plains, NY

So, just to be clear, we want there to be tons of names to choose from for this month’s winner and we want even more names next month. Great job, everybody!

Imagine a day without your cellphone. Not possible, you say? How about your MP3 player? If it’s not already plugged into your ears, we’d bet that it probably will be at some point today.

Gadgets and technology surround us – there’s no denying that. But for the sake of our health and in honor of Earth Month, we thought it may be a good idea to reexamine our technology addiction and see how getting off the grid can be good for both our, and Mother Nature’s health.

Let’s start with computers. Work and play, computers seem to be a part of everything we do. But using one for too long can lead to serious health issues like Carpal Tunnel, headaches, eye fatigue and back pain. Take a look at your posture while you’re reading this. Go ahead, we’ll wait . . . Done?

Chances are you were slouched over and your head was resting on your hand – Not good for your back, neck or complexion. And not exactly good for the environment either. It may sound strange, but internet use releases around 300 million tons of CO2 per year. That’s a pretty hefty number. So by logging off and shutting down your computer (all the way down, not just powering down your monitor) you can truly make an impact on your own health and the sustainability of our environment.

Now on to cellphones and MP3 players – seems like a long day when you forget one at home, right? Well, maybe that’s a good thing. The use of cellphones and music devices isolates us from the world. Taking the time to talk face-to-face with a friend might end up making us happier than that last “LOL” message did. An active social life is vital to a healthy existence.

In-ear headphones and Bluetooth devices can lead to permanent hearing loss and even the painful tearing of your eardrum. And, although not fully recognized by the FDA, research shows that the increased radiation from cellphones and other such items correlates directly to an increased risk of brain cancer and other health issues.

The batteries of these devices are notoriously difficult to dispose of and the plastics they contain often end up in landfills. Considering the average life span of a cellphone is only 9 months, it may be time we reexamine how often we power down and write a letter in place of a text.

Technology makes our world better. It has improved our standard of living and is capable of things we could only imagine a few years ago. But this Earth Month, let’s remember to unwind, unplug and take a mini vacation for our planet and ourselves.