My 6 Favorites for Spring

_{THIS WEEK}

Something shifts in early March in Madrid. It's subtle at first. The light stays a little longer, the air has a different quality in the morning, and something in your body that went quiet in winter starts to stir again. After months of cold and dark, there's this moment where you step outside and feel it: the season is turning.

I've been waiting for this one. This winter felt long. Not dramatically hard, just the kind of slow, grey accumulation that you don't fully notice until the light comes back and you realize how much you were operating on low. That's the thing about winter, you adapt to it. And then spring arrives and you remember what it feels like to not be adapted.

So this week is a simple one. Six things I'm genuinely reaching for as the season shifts — what I'm putting on my skin, what I'm taking, what I'm wearing, what I'm running with, and what I'm drinking more of as the days get warmer. Nothing complicated. Just the things that are making this particular transition feel good.

_{MY 5 FAVORITES FOR SPRING}

1. Skincare — Root + Renew The Quench

My skin every winter: tight, dull, asking for more than I was giving it. My skin now: this. The Quench is the moisturizer I built because I couldn't find one that actually delivered hydration without sitting heavy or leaving a film. It's the thing I reach for every morning before anything else. Clean ingredients, real hydration, works on every skin type. Spring is the right time to reset your skincare if you haven't already. Start here. Shop The Quench at rootandrenew.com

2. Movement — Runna

I've tried a lot of running apps. Most of them give you a plan and leave you alone with it. Runna builds your training around your actual life — your schedule, your goal, your current fitness — and adjusts as you go. I'm using it to build back into consistent running now that the weather makes it something I want to do again rather than something I have to talk myself into. If you're getting back into running this spring or training for something specific, this is the one. Try Runna for free for 2 weeks.

3. Wear — Daphne the Label, The Suite Cami & Flutter Shorts in Mint

I am not a person who buys things just because they're pretty. But this set. The mint color is exactly the shade of early spring. Soft, not loud, the kind of green that feels like it belongs outside. I've been wearing it as a loungewear set at home and honestly considering it for low-key errands because the fabric is that good. It's the first thing I've added to my wardrobe this season that felt like a proper seasonal upgrade rather than just a purchase. Shop at daphnethelabel.com

4. Read & Listen — Slow Down to Do Better

Two things I keep coming back to this spring as an antidote to the pressure to do more now that the energy is back. Slow Productivity by Cal Newport makes the case for doing less, better, and doing it without the guilt. It's the book version of everything we talked about in Sunday's issue on protected mornings. Pair it with the Modern Wisdom episode with Arthur Brooks on morning and evening routines for the audio version of the same idea. Both are worth your time this season.

5. Hydration — LMNT (US) / Noorcode (EU)

Warmer weather means I'm sweating more on runs and losing electrolytes I wasn't thinking about in winter. Plain water stopped being enough around the time temperatures started climbing. LMNT is what I recommend if you're in the US, the sodium-forward formula is the most effective I've tried for actual hydration rather than just flavor. If you're in Europe, Noorcode is the cleaner alternative with solid electrolyte coverage and none of the junk. Both work. Both are worth adding to your spring routine before you need them.

6. Supplement — Momentous Vitamin D

Most people don't realize they've been vitamin D deficient all winter until they start supplementing and notice the difference. Even in Madrid, where we get more sun than most, I've been supplementing through the colder months and I'm keeping it going into spring while I rebuild outdoor time. Momentous is the brand I trust for this — third-party tested, clean formulation, no unnecessary fillers. If you're not already on it, spring is the right time to start paying attention. Shop Momentous Vitamin D

Leaving behind: the heavy, inward energy of winter. The staying in because it's cold, the skipping the run because the dark makes it easier to stay on the couch, the general slowness that felt necessary in January and now just feels like a habit worth breaking.

Replacing it with: mornings outside before the city gets loud. Even 20 minutes. The light in Madrid in early spring before 9am is something specific — golden and quiet in a way that doesn't last once summer arrives. I'm trying to catch more of it this year before it becomes something I mean to do but don't.

Spring doesn't ask you to be ready for it. It just arrives and offers you something. What you do with that is up to you, but it's worth noticing when the offer is being made.

Until Sunday,
Valerie