5 Simple & Free Ways to Practice Wellness Every Day
Wellness is feeling healthy in the mind, body and soul. It’s about creating a lifestyle of positive behavioral patterns that make you feel happy, fulfilled, and balanced, both short-term and long-term. While certain areas of wellness cost money, some of the most beneficial practices are completely free and widely accessible. Here is a list of my favorite free ways to incorporate wellness into your every day.
1. Practice Deep Breathing
Deep breathing allows your body to fully exchange incoming oxygen with outgoing carbon dioxide, improving blood flow. Simply taking 3 minutes a day to slow down and breathe deeply activates the parasympathetic (rest and digest system) and the lymphatic system and detoxifies and calms the body. It is an effective method of reducing stress and anxiety, stabilizing blood pressure and slowing your heartbeat. The best part? You can do it anywhere, anytime, with even just 10 seconds. Find a comfortable position and breathe in slowly through your nose while actively pushing out the stomach, hold for a few seconds, then slowly let your breath out through your nose, letting your stomach go down.
2. Take Walks
Research has proven there are many physical and mental health benefits to walking. From easing joint pain and increasing muscle strength, to boosting immune function and energy, and supporting creative thinking and focus, walking more is an easy way to improve our wellbeing. Grab a friend for one-on-one time or walk alone to clear your mind and be with yourself (a rarity in today’s busy world).
Bonus: walking outside in nature provides the added benefits of Vitamin D from the sun, cleansing fresh air, and studies show that even just seeing greenery increases our happiness!
3. Stay Hydrated
Water is incredibly important to our health, along with eat lots of real, whole foods like fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and protein. Drinking water affects our energy, weight, nutrition, focus, and much more. The best method to hydrate is to sip water throughout the day. Our cells need to remain hydrated to keep us functioning at our best! Keep your favorite reusable water bottle close to you at all times to prevent dehydration, and use my rubber band trick to help. For a deeper dive into hydration, check out this blog post.
4. Make Sleep a Priority
Sleep, particularly quality sleep, is one of the most important aspects of health and wellbeing. We like to say that quality of sleep translates to quality of life. Our body needs good sleep in the same way it needs water and healthy foods in order to function at its best. Sleep gives our body time to reset, destress, process information, and rejuvenate. Poor sleep is linked to a variety of negative conditions including obesity and mental health problems. Establish a bedtime routine that feels good for you (even if its just 5 minutes), and prioritize your sleep above all else.
5. Practice Gratitude
Practicing gratitude is scientifically proven to improve your life and can literally change the way your brain works. We all have the capability to be grateful each day. Take time to acknowledge the positive things in your life, what went well today, and what you appreciate. Whether you do this in the morning or as a way to review and end your day with an evening routine, it’s one of the simplest ways to improve your wellbeing.
Practicing small acts like these every day to keep ourselves well pays off tenfold. As you create these daily habits, keep in mind that wellness is your own personal journey. Creating small healthy habits in our daily lives that make us feel good help to build a resilient and healthy lifestyle. Continue to do what feels good for you and notice the positive progress in your everyday wellbeing.
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>>> Tell me in the comments below which small daily healthy habits you will commit to!
