Last Wednesday I shared how I stay healthy under stress, some of which could really be applied to every day – the simple steps toward a healthy lifestyle. Here are some of mine:
Eat real food. as unprocessed as possible, as natural as possible, and as colorful as possible – veggies and fruits in abundance! Stick to healthy fats, lean proteins, natural sugars.
Exercise! Cardio workouts, even as little as 20-30 minutes a day, have a big impact on health and wellness. Add weight lifting to that cardio for additional benefits, like increased metabolism. Another very important aspect of exercise – not overdoing it. when your body needs rest, listen to it. if you have an injury, follow docs orders for “working through” it or keeping off of it. Fuel your body properly for exercise.
Recognizing and managing stress, setting aside time for yourself is critical.
Sleeping for the number of hours your body requires. Lack of adequate sleep … just makes me tired thinking about it!
Drink a lot of water – while working with naturopaths, I often hear them say “drink half of your body weight in ounces per day” and I try to do this. I always have a water bottle with me, and sometimes enhance it with flavor: fresh mint, lemon wedges, apple cider vinegar, cucumber slices, ginger.
What are some of your tips for a healthy lifestyle?
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Of course I follow all those tips, or try to, by exercising, eating a plant-based diet and always (ALWAYS) having a big water bottle with me. I haven’t had pop in more than 20 years and gave up coffee about 8 years ago. It’s also so important to keep things in perspective and remember to give yourself a break.
My issue is with no overdoing things, namely the exercise, and reaching out for help when I need it. I’m a constant work in progress…
I’m not a soda fan either (except soda water – I drink that a lot), and have coffee every now and then… lately more than normal.
and constant work in progress? aren’t we all? well, we should be, that’s a good thing.
There’s nothing wrong with drinking a lot of water, but I don’t think we need to force ourselves to if we’re following the first rule. Fruit and vegetables provide a lot of water already. And if you drink tea, or eat soup, that’s even more. I really don’t drink water unless I’m thirsty or working out.
you are absolutely right, Caroline! and yes, I do count my tea in my water intake as well!
These are some great tips. I for one am definitely suffering from lack of vegetables this week! Maybe it’s time for some sort of raw shredded carrot-beet something for lunch…
oh, that sounds delicious!
These are great tips.
One thing that has helped me most is having a grateful attitude.
oh, Angie I completely agree.
I think you hit the nail on the head with this one! Managing my stress is the hardest part right not. I really need to work on that…
you and be both, sister
I try to follow all the suggestions you’ve listed above. I find it hardest to allow myself a rest day from exercise without feeling guilty, even though I *know* that rest days are important for training.
I definitely know what you mean, especially when you REALLY enjoy whatever that may be – running, etcetera. when I was playing tennis back in college, I’d play EVERY day – sometimes several times
I love these tips and I did a similar post when I was getting particularly stress back in December: eat well, exercise, sleep, dance parties, taking care of yourself. I agree with it all because it works. It’s not always easy to do, but it does work.
Also, I wanted to let you know I’ve been thinking of you, and I hope everything went well for you and your father on Thursday.
thank you so much, Meghan – I appreciate that. Dad made it through the surgery well (it was 10+ hours!) and is recovering now.
Glad to hear it. That must have been an absolutely exhausting day.
it has been a pretty rough week, but we’re relaxing a bit now. thank you again XO
i’m pretty much the same. I need a weekend away too. Maybe just for fresh air and to debug my brain!
de-bugging is ALWAYS good. XXO
I try to do all this, but don’t manage all the time. Particularly the exercise and sleep parts can use some improvement! I often have the problem that I get entangled in useless stuff and then all my nice day structure falls apart.
So time management (= accounting for regular breaks and times for meals) is a key ingredient for me as well.
I would definitely say all of the same things. I have a tendency to overdo the exercise because I view it as a stress release, so there is a bit of a conflict there in putting stress on my body while taking it off of my mind.
I’ve been thinking a lot about mental health lately, and how we also need to focus on that. Finding someone to talk to, getting sunlight every day…and I think Vitamin B has been helping my moods.
vitamin B is great! I am glad you are thinking about mental health (um, not because of anything with you…), it is definitely an important aspect for everyone to focus on. especially in times of stress…