It’s much easier to feel happy and healthy when the sun is shining, the air is warm, and the world around you feels alive and green. But sometimes staying healthy can feel like an uphill battle. Thriving is all about staying positive, spending as much time outside as possible, keeping your body nourished, and getting enough sleep.
Don’t worry, health doesn’t have to be complicated. By incorporating simple healthy habits into your daily routine, you can take your health and happiness to new levels! Let’s explore some simple ways to live healthier.
Use Food as Medicine
Shifting away from processed foods and towards a diet of whole foods like fruits and vegetables is one of the easiest ways to improve your whole-body health and keep you feeling younger. Eating a nutrient-dense diet will boost your immune system, combat depression, fight fatigue, and help you sleep better. Try to eat foods rich in vitamin D if you’re not getting enough sunlight. Also, drinking fruit and vegetable smoothies is a quick and easy way to pack more vitamins and minerals into your diet!
Say No to Stress at Work and Home
Stress gets to all of us. If you’re feeling extra stressed right now, take a good hard look at your stressors. Don’t settle for a job that causes chronic stress. Quitting a stressful job and making a career change might be one of the best things you ever do for your mental and physical health. Take a second look at your home. Decluttering, adding some indoor plants, and diffusing essential oils can also lead to stress reduction.
Find Ways to Exercise Indoors
Exercising regularly is one of the best ways to combat stress and alleviate symptoms of depression. While most of us already know that exercise is important, actually getting up off the couch to work out is much easier said than done, especially when it’s nasty outside. Look for fun exercises you can do in your living room!
The hardest part about working out is committing to a 45-minute exercise session. Here’s some good news—short but intense workouts can bring some serious benefits too! Try cutting back your workout goals to just 10 minutes every day. By committing to short bursts of activity, you’ll have a much easier time keeping up your exercise plan.
Hack Your Sleep Cycle
It’s not uncommon to experience sleep problems. Changing sunlight can wreak havoc on your sleep schedule, creating feelings of lethargy during the day and restlessness at night. To get your sleep schedule back under control, you can use a light therapy lamp to help reset your circadian rhythm during the day. Supplements, such as magnesium and CBD oil, can further decrease symptoms of insomnia and help you feel more rested in the mornings.
Speaking of the morning, consider establishing a morning routine to help jump-start your day. Having a morning routine will help you shake that groggy feeling and get your day off to a positive start!
Health and happiness go hand in hand. You can hardly have one without the other. The problem is that many of us focus on improving our physical health without giving much thought to our mental wellbeing, and vice versa. In order to thrive, take a holistic, whole-body approach to wellness!