Spring has always been a time of rebirth and regeneration. While the Toronto winter had us hunker down in stasis, spring demands that we re-emerge with renewed energy and self-betterment. It wants us to make like the High Park cherry blossoms and grow into something extraordinary. And at Harvey Kalles Real Estate, we’ve got a few tips to help you do that.
The underlying theme in these tips is straightforward: Live a more fulfilling life. Lifestyle trends of the past might have been more concerned with how we present ourselves (see: the scores of magazine articles about “how to please a partner” or “how to be the envy of your local HOA,” etc.). However, these days, it’s far more in vogue to look inward.
Contemporary lifestyle trends are all about setting aside the people-pleasing performances, reconnecting with ourselves and our natural surroundings, and fostering those big “self” terms: self-worth, self-expression, self-acceptance, and self-satisfaction.
In that spirit, we’re listing out top lifestyle tips to revamp your routine this spring.
Create an Indoor-Outdoor Flow to Reap Nature’s Many Benefits
Indoor-outdoor merging – often called “biophilic design” by architects – is a modern home design strategy to help you connect with nature. By chipping away at the barriers between our indoor domestic spaces and the wild outdoors, we put ourselves back in touch with the elements. In doing so, we reap nature’s many benefits: improved cognition, boosted moods, lower cortisol levels, vitamin D absorption, and much more.
Creating indoor-outdoor flow can be as simple as adding lush house plants to your 2024 décor. Or it can be as involved as installing large picture windows and operable glass doors, and mirroring your patio and living spaces with similarly earthy materials.
Develop an Active Routine that Balances Fitness and Mindfulness
Activity is an essential ingredient in overall health – we don’t need to convince anyone of that. However, modern lifestyle trends around activity favour a balance between fitness as a purely energy-burning pursuit, and exercise as an opportunity for mindfulness.
This spring, consider striking that balance. If you haven’t already, mix a little yoga into your cardio routine. As incongruous as it sounds, set aside some meditation time alongside your weight training regimen. You can even practice mindfulness while running; explore photo spots in Toronto or pick a route through one of Toronto’s many lush parks, and let go of any attachments. The results might surprise you.
Cook in Concert with Your Surroundings and Season
In spring, the Golden Horseshoe is a veritable cornucopia of exciting foodstuffs. If you want to revamp your meal routines, consider cooking in concert with the seasons and our gorgeous surroundings. Visit the local farmer’s markets for your food, or order weekly produce boxes from companies like FoodShare Toronto.
It’s a fun constraint that can lead to innovation in the kitchen. Use those new asparaguses, garlic scapes, and local burrata for a farmhouse tart. Spin those new potatoes into a satisfying take on Patatas bravas. Or peruse our article on cooking for spring to make a delicious pesto pizza from scratch.
Give Your Spring Cleaning a Sense of Purpose
You can’t discuss spring lifestyle tips without talking about the big one: spring cleaning. However, this year, instead of treating your spring cleaning like a burdensome obligation, consider giving it a sense of purpose – an angle.
You can imbue spring cleaning with purpose in a few ways. Approach decluttering as a positive exercise in mental wellness (studies link clutter to higher stress, after all). Optimize your spaces for relaxation, activity or social hosting. Consider philosophical approaches like “Swedish death cleaning” (which really isn’t as morbid as it sounds). Or follow a faddish approach like KonMari minimalism.
These unique angles on the annual responsibility might help freshen up your efforts, allowing you to put a personal spin on cleaning.
Try a Digital Detox
“Have you tried turning it off and on again?” is an evergreen piece of advice for technology. But can it also be a personal mantra this spring?
If you feel, like most of us, duty-bound to that slim piece of metal and glass sitting in your pocket, maybe it’s the season for a digital detox. Unplug yourself from your devices, then reconnect with the world around you. Toronto has no shortage of trendy retreats, spas and wellness centres that help you do just that.
Of course, consider flipping them back on when you start selling or buying a property in Toronto this spring! While we’re always happy to meet clients face-to-face for physical meetings, phone communication allows us to act instantaneously and competitively, extending the highest level of service to our clients.
Pick Up an Artistic Hobby – Any Hobby, Really
According to Harvard Health, the key to happiness and well-being might just be the humble hobby. Citing a comprehensive study in Nature Medicine, the venerated university press suggests that higher life satisfaction is strongly linked to hobbies.
It makes sense. Humans are, by nature, curious and industrious. We need something to do, something to create and consider. These hobbies might take a creative form – painting the Gooderham building in your spare time or composing a poetic ode to Kensington Market. They can be fruitful urban pursuits like balcony gardening, home brewing or home pottery making. Or they can be contemplative in nature: bird-watching, scrapbooking, chairing a nature stewardship committee, etc.
As the last winter snow (hopefully) melts along the Six’s sidewalks, and the spring sun starts shining on our For Sale signs, we look toward revamping our routines for a healthier, happier spring. We hope you’ve enjoyed these contemporary lifestyle tips, and can put them to good use in your daily life. If home-buying or selling is on your list of spring revamps, give our expert realtors a ring. We’re always ready to spring into action.
