The term ‘wellness’ is thrown around a lot these days, but what does it really mean? Simply put, wellness means the ability to live your life in the best way possible for you. This includes feeling good about yourself and how you are living your life. Unlocking your health and wellness potential must include strong mental and physical health. This includes regular exercise, healthy eating habits and learning to manage and cope with stress effectively. These three steps will get you started.
1. It All Starts With A Healthy Diet
A healthy diet is the foundation of all-around wellness. Working on this area first can go a long way to helping you achieve all of your health goals.
To ensure that you are getting the essential nutrients for good physical and mental health, eat a well-balanced diet every day. This includes meals and snacks that include plenty of fruit and vegetables. For breakfast, think whole grain toast or cereal and fruit. Lunch might be a salad or sandwich made with whole grain bread with plenty of vegetables. For dinner lean protein like grilled chicken or fish served with two vegetables such as steamed broccoli and carrots will fill you up and give you the vitamins and minerals you need.
The key to a successful healthy diet is consistency. As you begin to substitute healthier food choices on a regular basis you will find you feel better and have more energy. The longer you maintain a healthy diet the easier it is to become a lifestyle rather than a “diet”. Be creative! Buy yourself a healthy cookbook and try some new recipes. Eating healthy does not have to be boring.
2. Mental Wellness Is Important
Mental health is just as important as physical health and should not be ignored. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the business of life and forget to take time to take care of our mental and emotional needs. Doing so will also make making other wellness changes easier. It’s harder to watch our diet when we’re exhausted or upset.
There are several ways to look after your mental wellbeing. Begin by scheduling regular breaks throughout the day and spend that time resting, relaxing and/or doing things you enjoy doing. To relax try using an app that provides guided meditation, or mindfulness. Read the book you’ve been wanting to read, or spend ten minutes working on a project you enjoy doing.
It’s also important to spend time with friends and family. Choose people you enjoy and feel relaxed around.
Going for a mental health screening is also a good idea. Doing so can help to find any underlying problems or issues that you may not be aware of.
When it comes down to mental health and wellness, there are many simple things that we can do every day without thinking too much about them to improve our overall sense of wellbeing, such as going for a walk, or calling a friend. We thin we can’t afford to take the time, but we can’t afford not to take the time if we want to improve our health and wellness.
3. Physical Fitness
Physical health is the third part of unlocking your health and wellness potential. When you make it a part of your day, every day, the benefits are enormous.
There are many ways to improve your overall fitness. Choose some physical activity that you enjoy doing. Enjoying the process will help you stick with it. Then do this form of exercise every day, even if only for a short period. What you choose need not be a long or intensive workout. You might choose, for example, to take the stairs up to your office every day instead of the elevator, or walk to your local shops rather than drive. These small changes done over a long period of time can make a big difference in your physical wellness.
It’s also important not to neglect yourself if you’re feeling unwell. Our body needs recovery time as well. If you take a long walk one day you may want to take a short walk the next day. Listen to your body’s signals and follow its lead.
Putting these three elements together — a balanced diet, regular exercise, and looking after mental health — are the keys to unlock your potential for feeling good about yourself; achieving all-around wellness. And with a few simple changes, you will soon feel like a new person!
Happy 2022!
