Easy Wellness Tips That Will Keep You Healthy & Energized

What are the best routines you do to support your health? What type of exercise and diet help you feel your best?

These are questions that are very important to ask yourself to get started on your health journey. And though the answer will vary from one person to another, I have some basic tips that can help you build the foundation to the new healthy you!

And fortunately, these are very simple to implement into your daily life.

Through this article, I will share with you three very easy wellness tips that will help you keep strong and healthy.

IS THIS YOU?

It's a new day, you wake up tired and feel like you didn't get any sleep. 

As you get ready for work, you make some coffee and run out the door because you're late.

Out of the house, you take your car and sip on your coffee to get some energy for the day.

Got to work, you start dealing with the busy day ahead of you, already thinking about snuggling on the couch after work. During your lunch break, you eat a small salad in front of your computer, answering some emails. 

Quickly getting back to work so you don't get late in your tasks.

It's now time for a short coffee break. You opt for a little treat to help you get through the last two hours of your work day.

Once work is done, you rush out of work to go to the gym. You go for a strong cardio workout.

Then you rush home exhausted, order takeout and eat it on the couch watching a movie. 

The same cycle is on repeat day after day. And you feel exhausted, stressed and hopeless.

What I have just described is a routine that is viewed as normal. And I sure have followed this pattern myself.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING

In order to understand how to feel rested and energized, we need to identify what patterns we need to break.

Your energy levels throughout the day depends mostly on how you spend it.

Stable energy is the key for a happy life. It helps you make better decisions, uplifts your mood and simply makes you happy.

It's also essential for keeping a healthy body.

But how does it all work?

Our body's preferred state of being is calm and relaxed.

Most of us, are wired to be on fight or flight mode all the time.

Once in the routine, it's hard for us to see that our body is asking us to slow down and rest.

But when we start adopting healthier habits that helps our body slow down and breathe, we then realize how unsustainable our lifestyle was. And this endless rollercoaster of doing and crashing is slowing down and comes to a stop.

A rapid rise of cortisol and adrenaline, our stress hormones, can cause a lot of damage in our bodies. 

Over time this can cause adrenaline fatigue, burn out, depression, chronic fatigue, etc. This also increases the risk of chronic illnesses.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

A simple yet very effective way to support our body's stress levels is by getting enough sleep. 

A combination of a solid 7-9 hours of sleep and a good amount of rest throughout your day will help you recover from feeling overwhelmed.

You can refer to this previous blog post if you would like to learn how yoga can help you relax.

And now let's talk about how exercise can be the most supportive or the most damaging thing you can do to your health.

EXERCISE

The first type of exercise that usually comes to mind when we think about working out is running or cardio. Many of us practice it and it is very good for supporting your heart, but it can also be a cause for your stress.

There is a belief that if you don't do any cardio then you are not going to be healthy. Obviously, this is not an encouragement to live a sedentary life and cardio can be extremely beneficial for some people, but think about it. After being in constant rush, stress and exhaustion, do you think that practicing a stimulating activity is going to help you relax or add in to the stress you are in?

In reality anything that will increase your imbalance, will only make you feel worse.

What to avoid - activities that make you feel more stressed and tired.

Best exercise swaps for stress relief

Running - A nice little walk around your neighbourhood before or after work. TIP: add it to your schedule. You will be more likely to do it if it's part of your daily tasks.

OR

Sit in a park, at the beach or in your garden, .... and spend some time noticing your breath. You could do some stretching to help release the tensions in your muscles. Listen to some relaxing music to put you in a good mood.

Cardio workout - A gentle pilates class OR a calm yoga session

Spinning - Take your bike and go at a calm pace, enjoying being outdoors

HIIT - find a low impact workout that won't make you feel exhausted afterwards but will make you feel energized instead

DIET

A quick and easy option is always the first choice when we are in a rush, tired and hungry. But these quick on-the-go meals are probably causing your energy to crash mid-morning and in the afternoon.

What to avoid - coffee, sugar, highly processed foods, salty and high fat snacks, white bread and pasta, calorie deficit foods

Best food swaps for energy levels

White bread and pasta - Wholegrain bread and pasta with vegetables and a healthy protein source. Mash up an avocado or spread some hummus at the base to make it taste amazing.

Calorie deficit meals - Bring your own food from home to make sure that you get all the calories and nutritional value that you need. Make it colourful, with some healthy protein and fat to sustain your energy until the next meal.

Unhealthy snacks - Fruits, veggies with hummus, wholegrain crackers, trail mix

And if you didn't have time to cook your own food, always opt for meals that include a wholegrain, protein, healthy fat and fruits or veggies.

These tips are really easy but so powerful, they have drastically improved my health. Small changes can make the biggest difference 😊

If you're looking for some more healthy habits ideas read this article.