In order to be our best selves, our body needs many things to stay healthy. We have our physical health, how we eat, and exercise to stay on top of our game. We also have our mental health which plays a large part in our overall health. Let’s explore some ideas.

This post is an overview of the series of posts to follow that will go into more detail about what our body needs to stay healthy.

Staying healthy isn’t just about eating all vegetables, being a vegetarian, or refraining from sugar. That’s not realistic for everyone. Eating healthy is about making better choices, the little ones each meal that adds up to the bigger sum. We all know what is bad for our health, we’ve had that pounded in for years, what’s important is moderation.

If you like chocolate, which has been shown to be good for you, eat a piece each day, just don’t eat several pieces or the whole bar. If you like cake, treat yourself once a month to a piece, not each week. If cookies are your thing, treat yourself one week then refrain for the next several weeks. It’s all about moderation and anticipation. Like the item is a treat.

Many people fail when it comes to eating healthy because they think it’s an all or nothing. If you neglect the food items you love you will fall back into old habits. Eating pasta is great, not every day, and not a huge plate full. Add a little less parmesan cheese to it to make it less fattening. Little steps.

Eating more greens is difficult for some because they haven’t tried them or have not had them cooked properly. Take the food you like to cook, say an Asain dish and add some Bok Choy. It doesn’t have to be a lot, make sure to cut all the huge ribs off. This will give your dish more flavor, add your greens and not leave the greens as a side dish until you find what you like.

Kale is another good example, it’s great in pasta dishes and can make them much healthier by adding. You still get the great pasta and sauce taste just with an added texture.

Every day try to look at what you eating and drinking, be aware of the calories and make the little steps to improve your health.

One of the most important items or body needs is water, lot’s of it. It flushes out the toxins in our bodies. Every organ in our body including our skin needs water. Some people like to drink water at room temperature, others like it cold and some don’t like it at all. To those who don’t like the taste or lack of add some low-calorie flavored nutrients in a flavor you like.

In my next post, we will dive deeper into what we need to eat, vitamins, and supplements we need to stay healthy.

Everyone needs physical activity but that doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon or pump iron. The more physical activity we get the healthier we are, but any amount is still good for you. If you go from no activity to walking around your block once a week, that’s more. The same with food, we have to look for opportunities to add some activity to our day. Instead of sitting down while talking on the phone, walk around the house.

Take the laundry upstairs in smaller loads to get in more steps. You get the laundry put away and some extra physical activity.

Walk to the mailbox instead of stopping by in your car, it’s simple steps that can add to better physical health.

All physical activity is good for us, the more we do the better it is for our health.

In follow-up posts, we will discuss ways to get our body moving regardless of time constraints or medical conditions.

Mental health is often overlooked as something we need to be healthy but it’s critical to our overall health. We live in a high-paced, full-on, 24/7 world which is quite stressful. Maybe more stressful than you know. The key is to stop and assess where you are, how stressed are you, are you sleeping, are you anxious, are you snapping at everyone around you? Or maybe you’ve become withdrawn.

Self-care is critical to your mental health and it comes in many forms.

In future posts, we will take a deep dive into how our mental health plays a critical role in our overall health and how to achieve it.

Each topic is an overview, a jump start that we will break down in future posts.

Melinda

Happy Tuesday. I hope you’re off to a great start or end depending on where you live.

Melinda

Everyone has undoubtedly experienced struggles this year, your friends included. And so, if you’re wondering what thoughtful gifts to buy this year to cheer up your closest, the solution lies in getting them something that will help bring on relaxation. And below, we’ve got just the ticket, in the form of gift ideas to consider giving this year.

Pajamas

Pajamas are the ultimate pieces of clothing associated with relaxation and sleep. Gift your friend some super-soft pajamas to snuggle into this Christmas, and you’re sure to increase their comfort and make them feel more relaxed in an instant.

Weighted Blanket

Find a snuggly blanket for your friend, preferably one that feels heavy. Heavy blankets help to reduce anxiety in sufferers because they emulate the feeling of a big warm hug.

Lavender Oil

Lavender oil is an essential oil that can help your best friend unwind. Lavender is a natural sleep aid, which can tempt over-thinkers and anxious friends to sleep with ease. 

Dark Chocolate

Chocolate will never go down a miss with anyone. The delicious edible is also proven to positively impact a person’s wellbeing, improving their mood and immunity. 

Therapy Putty

Therapy putty is the perfect gift for your friend who needs stress relief on the go. Squishing therapy putty between your fingers is great for reducing stress levels and can help your friend feel more at ease.

Journal

Stress and anxiety strike at any moment. Often at inconvenient times when there’s no one around to talk to, to help rationalize and organize their thoughts. As a remedy, gift a journal to your overthinking friend so that they can write down what they feel when you’re not around to listen. 

Plant

A few indoor plants are well-known for reducing stress. Greenery, in general, is excellent for your well-being. Snake and basil plants have calming properties that put their owners at ease. If your friend has office space at home, suggest they pop it on their desk to help them manage their stress throughout the day.

Bath Bomb

A scented bath bomb will encourage your friend to use your gift by taking a hot bath, which is all part of your ploy to help them to relieve stress. 

Candle

A soothing aroma can make a world of difference to how we feel. And having flickering candles around the room is relaxing to see. From tea lights to a large Yankee candle, there’s a lot of candles out there that would make an ideal relaxing gift for your friend.

Suppose your friend is going through a rough patch or seems particularly down or stressed as of late. You don’t need to wait until Christmas to send them one of the thoughtful gifts above. Most of the ideas above you can order online and get sent directly to your friend. 

Melinda