Why do attempts to reclaim your health have to be so difficult? A healthy lifestyle means nurturing your body. I mean, what could be more indulgent than that? And while healthy living does require some level of discipline, it also requires a lot of self-care. And self-care feels just awesome.
Not ready to jump into the deep-end with your healthy lifestyle? Try instituting some of these fun ways to reclaim your health and feel indulgently awesome today!
1. Walk Barefoot
Our shoes drag high levels of toxins into our homes. So ditching the shoes at the doorway is a great healthy habit.
Not to mention that walking barefoot grounds your body with the earth. This allows your body to absorb electrons which have a healthy, anti-inflammatory effect on the body. And easing inflammation is a great way to reclaim your health.
2. Snuggle With A Pet Or A Human You Love
Science shows that the need to be touched is hard-wired into us from the time we are babies. Studies with animals show that babies will choose to be cuddled over the need for food.
Touch is something we physically must have. And so cuddling has amazing benefits for good health.
3. Eat A Bowl Of Blueberries
Blueberries are full of antioxidants. Specifically, one antioxidant that is plentiful in blueberries that help protect against premature aging. So eating sweet and juicy berries daily are a wonderful step in rebuilding health.
4. Drink Spa Water
One of my favorite extra perks of going to a spa is getting to drink the water filled with fresh orange, cucumber and lime slices. There is something about that water that feels relaxing.
Drinking it is a blissful way to release stress and reach your water quota for the day. And easing stress levels and hydrating the body are essential steps to reclaim your health.
5. Eat Raw Cacao Or Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is a great source of anti-inflammatory antioxidants. Add to that that some studies show that chocolate can elicit a similar hormonal response to falling in love.
Just make sure to consume in moderation and look at the sugar content. The raw, low-added-sugar, no artificial sweetener options are the only options that are truly health supportive.
6. Sleep In Until Noon
You’re very likely getting too little sleep. And sleep deprivation has all sorts of negative health consequences. So, if possible, give yourself one morning a week where you can sleep as long as your body needs.
This is more difficult when you have little kids. Parents of young children should take naps when given the opportunity.
7. Grab The Spice Shaker
Turmeric is good for liver detoxification. Cinnamon is good for blood sugar stabilization. Ginger is good for digestion. Fennel can relieve indigestion. Oregano can be good for menstrual and urinary tract disorders.
Just make sure your dried spices are fresh as spices will lose their potency with time.
Consuming supportive spices on a daily basis can play an important role in building health.
8. Take A Vacation
Modern lifestyles can make us feel like the key to discipline is a 24-hour-a-day work schedule. But with time, that can slow us down, create stress-breakdown within the body and cause exhaustion and inflammation.
A vacation doesn’t have to mean at trip to the Caribbean if that isn’t in the budget. Any aberration from the constant of your life’s daily demands will help reclaim your health.
9. Walk In Nature
A walk in nature can ease stress, help you become centered, and get your body moving. This is a win-win on many levels. Stress causes inflammation within the body which contributes to weight gain and disease. Exercise is anti-inflammatory, good for weight loss, and good for the heart.
Just make sure to bundle up in colder weather.
10. Breathe
Too many of us operate on such a level of stress that we barely even breathe. Try this exercise.
Observe yourself as you take a deep breathe. Did you notice your shoulders move? That is an indication of shallow breathing meaning you aren’t fulfilling your basic oxygen needs.
Try diaphragmatic breathing instead. Place your hand on your stomach just below your rib cage. Take in a deep breath. You should feel the air push your hand out as you breathe if you are breathing from your diaphragm.
How do these practices help you reclaim your health?
They fight inflammation, de-stress and nourish the body. And these are things that many of us need desperately. When we get the feeling that our health isn’t 100% what it used to be, this is an early warning sign of health consequences to come. Don’t let it get to that point.
Reclaim your health now. Take time for yourself and create healthy habits like these that are enjoyable and nourishing to your body and soul.
