Low Pain, Maximum Gain: Easy Health Tips for Busy Routines
Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links, and, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Please be assured that I only recommend products that I believe in & have personally tried or used. Your support is greatly appreciated!
It’s always a pleasure to connect with others who are passionate about sharing realistic ways to achieving holistic well-being. This guest article from Jennifer McGregor includes the best head-to-toe health tips that can be easily incorporated into everyday life to inspire you to take charge of your own wellness.
It’s hard to be fit, eat nutritious food, and make healthy choices when you’re living the typical modern lifestyle. Many of us work long, grueling days, and come home too exhausted to work out. We also often forgo home-cooked meals in the favor of food that’s easier to make – and, by its very high-convenience nature, bad for you.
Needless to say, this isn’t a sustainable state of affairs. Your body was born to move, reports Psychology Today. Not getting enough exercise is how you end up developing crippling health issues, including mental imbalances like depression. Eating bad food is adding fuel to the fire – it lowers your energy, tanks your enthusiasm, and generally keeps you trapped in a low-fitness cycle.
Here are some tips to get you back on track for living your best life:
Simple tweaks to your routine can make you healthy
Fortunately, it’s possible to be healthy by tweaking your everyday routine just a little. You can make small changes, essentially, that will collectively improve and transform your overall health with time. These changes won’t be time-consuming, can fit into the busiest of schedules, and won’t ask a lot of you. See below:
Sleeping more restfully
The amount and quality of the sleep you get shapes your day. Nothing influences your mood, weight, immune system, and even intelligence levels like sleep. By sleeping better – more restfully, longer, and deeper – you can dramatically improve your health. Here is how you can enjoy a better quality of sleep without going out of your way too much, courtesy of Headspace:
Don’t look at your phone when it’s bedtime.
Sleep at the same time each night.
Bathe with warm water before to ease tensed muscles.
Listen to music to help your mind wind down.
Make your room as dark as possible to prep your body for rest.
Avoid eating before going to bed.
Stretching hard when you wake up
When you sleep, your body shuts down. Your body temperature, blood flow, and heart rate generally reduce, and your muscles often get locked into place. That’s why you should “pandiculate” as soon as you wake up – just like cats and dogs do. A simple, half-minute yawn-and-stretch is enough. It boosts your blood flow, frees up tight muscles, makes you feel better, and gives you a huge energy boost, making for a great start to your day.
Breathing better
Do you need to be taught how to breathe? We know how to breathe until we’re 3 years old, science says, and then we forget. The Guardian points out that learning how to breathe again will change your life – it automatically improves your sleep, digestion, energy, and immune system. It’s also a great stress and anxiety buster. Some suggestions:
Pay attention to your breath and the rise and fall of your diaphragm.
Breathe through your nose for four counts, hold for two, and breathe out for six.
Breathe as deeply as you can, stop, and breathe out.
Breathe with your lungs and stomach consciously.
Take in positivity and think positive thoughts when you breathe in.
Learn to release the tenseness in your body when you breathe out.
Include Your Kids
In addition to your own well-being, it’s important to keep your kids healthy as well. Remember that their brains are like sponges, observing most everything we do, so set a good example with all these tips as well as exercising on a regular basis. Make staying physically active convenient by exercising at home, whether it’s in a home gym or simply having fun in the backyard. If you need to purchase any products for your family – like an exercise bike or a treadmill – you should read in-depth product reviews from unbiased sources to get an informed idea of an item’s quality, durability, and affordability.
Practicing gratitude
When was the last time you were grateful for your life and everything you have? It’s human nature to focus on what we lack instead of what we don’t – which creates unhappiness and pain. By shifting your focus, PositivePsychology.com notes, you can be happier, less fatigued, more resilient, and in better health. Some suggestions:
Be thankful for the good things that have happened this week.
Think of a negative event and be grateful you got out of it.
Think about someone you are grateful for.
See the good that others do for you.
Say thank you more.
Cultivate a more positive attitude in the home.
Keep a gratitude journal.
Being more relaxed at work
Your work is where you’re going to spend a large portion of your day. You should, ideally, work in a relaxed, calm, and centered way. Stress can’t be avoided – and it can even help in moderate doses – but it should be managed. Below are some suggestions on how to work better, with less stress:
Prioritize – focus on what matters and what you can control.
Take breaks – they are necessary and make you more productive.
Work standing up sometimes instead of sitting. It’s good for your body and can help you to focus.
Learn to manage distractions and stay in work mode.
Stretch ever so often. Simple desk yoga poses can keep your body energetic.
Invest in ergonomic furniture. It’s worth it.
You’ll also be better off if you have health insurance, as this will give you peace of mind knowing you’re covered at some level, whether that’s annual checkups or necessary visits to the doctor. Even if you don’t have a traditional employer, you still have options.
Of course, you may not work in a fulfilling workplace – or a fulfilling job, for that matter. If you’re not being challenged or just need to start a new chapter in your career, for whatever reason, don’t be afraid to make the switch. It will be a boon for your mental (and overall) health. What if the job you want requires a degree you don’t have? You could go back to school to acquire a new degree – and open more doors!
Eating smarter
Simple changes to your eating habits will go a long way toward keeping you healthy. Not only will you feel better all day, but it will help you stave off diseases and ill health long-term. And if you’re smart about it, you can indulge your taste buds while you’re at it. Here are some suggestions from the experts:
Drink a glass of water when you eat. It helps you to feel full and is good for you.
Use a smaller plate when you eat. This trick helps you avoid overeating.
Find healthier snacking alternatives. They taste just as good as junk snacks.
Replace fizzy sugary drinks with fizzy natural drinks. They taste similar and are good for you.
Don’t grocery shop on an empty stomach. You get greedy and buy bad food.
Learn how to cook high-nutrition, high-convenience foods.
Conclusion
As you can see, making a few simple changes here and there can and will dramatically improve your overall well-being. To make the changes more likely to stick, start small. Well-being is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. Maybe introduce a new change every week and build up your momentum over time.
Image via Unsplash
