Wellness is more than just another recent fad. The basic principles of wellness or wellbeing have been around for many years and are grounded in scientific evidence about the benefits of good health. We should all be paying more attention to and applying wellness principle to our lives in 2018. Everyone knows they should eat better and get more exercise, but with so much contradictory information out there, it’s difficult to narrow it down to specifics. However, if you’re wondering how to increase your wellness and live your best life possible, follow these five tips.
Eat High-Quality Foods
Stop worrying about low-calorie or fat-free foods. Whether you are aiming to lose weight, stay healthy, build muscle or stave off disease, your best bet is to increase the quality of the foods you consume. This means relying on whole foods and fresh fruit and vegetables 80% of the time and reserving processed convenience foods for the occasional treat. You should also try and choose organic varieties whenever possible. If you don’t have much spare time, try preparing your meals in advance. Set aside a few hours on the weekend, or one evening when your kids are in bed and cook up a batch of easy, healthy foods to snack on during the week.
Don’t Go Hungry
You might think you’re doing your body a favour by fasting or skipping a meal, but if you wait until you’re super hungry before eating, you are more likely to consume too much in one sitting. Eating smaller amounts every 2-3 hours is far better for you, as it helps stabilise your blood sugar levels and keeps your metabolism working at its optimum level. Remember to hydrate too! Around eight glasses of water per day should be adequate, though you can include herbal teas as well for a bit of flavor variety.
Exercise More
Many of us struggle to find time to exercise, but we all know daily movement is vital to our health and wellbeing. Experts recommend you should aim for 30 minutes of medium intensity exercise per day, taken all at once or in three 10-minute spurts. You should also incorporate strength-training exercises into your regime on one or two days. It can be weight lifting at the gym, or a yoga or Pilates class to help you tone up and increase muscle mass. If motivation is the issue, an online platform like HulaHub.com could connect you to classes and activities in your area to help you find an exercise you love.
Get Enough Sleep
Don’t kid yourself that you can survive on three or four hours sleep a night. Most of us need seven to eight hours to feel at our best throughout the day and relying on coffee to give you energy won’t do you any favours in the long run! Getting enough sleep helps your body repair itself overnight, meaning your mood, immune system, and weight will be easier to maintain if you give yourself adequate time to rest.
Give Your Mind a Break
Lastly, remember to give your brain a break as well. The demands of everyday life can make it difficult to switch off at the end of a workday, so carve out time to read a book, listen to music, meditate or just enjoy the quiet space around you.
