5 Things to do Right Now to Improve Your Well Being
What’s stopping you from achieving your optimum health? For many of us, it’s a need for perfectionism. You’ve decided to start (insert “dieting” or “exercising” here) next week, next month, when things are less hectic, when the kids are back in school, when that deadline at work has been met, etc. Truth be told, the stars are never going to be in perfect alignment. It’s about progress, rather than perfection. Improving your health isn’t an all or nothing proposition. Any step you take is a step in the right direction. Good health is a combination of how you feel physically, intellectually, psychologically and spiritually.
Here are a few things you can do RIGHT NOW to improve your well being:
- Spend the first 15 minutes each day with yourself (not your to do list, not your social media or the newspaper or your inbox).Enjoy a cup of hot water with lemon while you let your mind adjust to a new day.
- Drink more water. Dehydration can trigger headaches, constipation, skin irritations, sleep disturbances, hunger, muscle cramps, irritability and more.
- Every time you’re thinking about snacking, use it as a prompt to check in with your water bottle.
- Aim for 50% of your weight in ounces every day.
- Insert a glass of water in between all alcoholic or caffeinated drinks as they are dehydrating.
- Switch “I should” to “I get to”. It is a privilege to be able to afford and have access to healthy food options. Tune into your gratitude. .A shift in perception is a shift in your reality.
- MOVE your body every day as much as you can. Take a brisk walk as part of your lunch break. Take the stairs, instead of the elevator, every time, everywhere. Park farther away from your destination. Walk the shopping cart back to store after you’ve unloaded your groceries. DON’T SKIP THE COMMERCIALS: use them as an opportunity to clean, stretch or do some pushups.
- Go to bed earlier. Aim to get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep every night. Turn off all electronics at least an hour before you go to bed. Use that time to indulge in a good book, a spiritual practice, like meditation, or to listen to some soothing music and take a bath.
