We've talked a lot about your mental health needs, but what about making healthy choices for your body as a way to tackle your self care? Getting "Back to Basics" so to speak. Tune in over the next few weeks as we dive in deeper to each of these topics; Nutrition, Sleep, Water, and Exercise.
⮞ Nutrition: A well balanced diet is key to properly fueling your body and can have a large factor on you mental wellbeing as well. This weekend why not try some healthy "swap outs", riced cauliflower instead of white rice. Oatmeal instead of a sugary cereal, or sliced roasted veggies instead of chips. If you can keep up with these little changes, they can make a big difference!
⮞ Sleep: Use music, reading or journaling to relax before your bedtime. In today’s busy world, we forget to calm our bodies and minds before we hit the hay. Try listening to music, reading or practicing mindfulness to get into the right frame of mind for sleep.
⮞ Water: It's key to drink enough water throughout the day as dehydration can have have lots of negative effects on your body such as an increase of headaches. Perhaps setting reminders throughout the day would be a great first step.
⮞ Exercise: Exercise increases cardiovascular activity, burns extra calories, but most importantly, it releases endorphins in the brain, which have a role in reducing stress and managing depression. Start small, pick a few days out of the week you can commit to and decide how you want to get your heart pumping. From Zumba games to hitting the gym, remember something is always better than nothing when it comes to fitness.
Why do we do we care about balancing these imbalances in our lives? Research suggests self-care promotes positive health outcomes, such as fostering resilience, living longer, and becoming better equipped to manage stress. You can't do it all in a day, pick something to focus on the upcoming week and do your best to make some positive changes in your life where you can.