A New Wellness Routine

SIMPLE WAYS TO BUILD YOUR HEALTH FROM THE INSIDE OUT

We want you to look amazing but it’s even more important that you feel so on the inside!

We care about your overall health and with this in mind, we wanted to share with you a few useful tips so that you can take a more holistic approach towards your well-being.

Part of working from the inside out begins with your mindset and what you believe is true about yourself. We believe you are fabulous and that creating a simple fitness routine that works for you, your life and your schedule, goes a long way towards building a positive relationship between you and your body.

Our focus is on helping to maintain what you’ve already got and motivating you to reach for what you really want. Whatever you think or feel about yourself will be reflected in the way you think and act.

That is why from a wellness perspective, it is so important to match the way you think with the way you act. If you take care of yourself and your body, your mind will automatically make you believe you are worth taking care of.

If you do nothing to take care of yourself and your body, your mind will program you to think there is nothing of value here. Remember, there’s more to life than being a size 8. You can learn how to be well at every size and any age; wellness, after all, is a decision and an informed state of mind.

Let’s Get Physical…

Here are a few simple ways of reprogramming our minds through actions;

Exercise 1: The 15 Min Walk

What?: Just one 15 min walk a day can help to burn up 200 calories.

Benefits: Walking is inexpensive and can be done around the workplace, at the park or in your own back yard. This is also suitable for anyone at any age.

Exercise 2: Morning Stretches

What?: Neck rolls, waist-twists, knee bends, and lunges.

Benefits: Relaxes the muscles, gets energy flowing, helps jump-start circulation before eating.

Exercise 3: Stomach Crunches

What?: Stomach crunches, ab crunches–change it up by extending legs into plank and holding the position for 5 seconds.

Benefits: Loosens the spine, relaxes the muscles, eases stomach aches/pains,helps to trigger sleep.

Photo by Simon Migaj on Unsplash

Mind Over Chatter

We live in a world filled with a constant buzz made by technical gadgets and an ever-expanding population. But when was the last time you were able to leave it all behind? Finding quiet time is becoming an increasingly difficult pursuit but it’s one that is essential. When it comes to healing the mind, taking time out to still your self reduces stress, slows down the heart rate, and allows your body time to realign itself with our emotions.

In finding peace and quiet we are often our own worst enemies. We get stuck into our cars and switch the stereos on, we walk into our homes and turn on the TV; it’s almost as if our generation has lost the ability to be quiet and simply be. Think back to our ancestors who survived without emailing and blackberries; or better still to the cavemen who relied on their own bodies to take them for A to B. Granted, the world may have changed a lot over a few 100 years, but like our need for daily silence, some things never have. If you constantly suffer from stomach cramps, buzzing ears, stress-induced headaches/migraines, adopting a few simple routines make all the difference.

In order to achieve these results, you’ll have to be proactive. No point in moaning that you can’t find peace and quiet, you have to create an environment that you will allow silence to come to you.

That said, here are a few suggestions of places to practice your new routines; in the shower, in the car, in the garden, in an empty room, or in a park.

Exercise 1: Be Still

This routine requires nothing. That’s right you are aiming to do absolutely nothing for at least 3 mins. Sit still - on a chair/on the floor- wherever you are most comfortable. Now close your eyes and sit upright. Straighten your back don’t allow your shoulders to roll forwards. Concentrate fully on the sound and feeling of your breath going in and out of our body. Let everything slowly slip away–every thought, problem, and obligation. Keep fighting the desire to think. Clear your mind completely, just sit and breathe.

The first time you try this, something is bound to crop up in our mind; it’s ok you’re still learning. Just imagine a room with a floor–open that door, push that thought out and close it. Keep doing this until the room remains empty. Now sit in that empty room for at least 3 mins.

Listen to our breathing and notice yourself becoming gradually calmer. This exercise is great for when you first arrive home after a, particularly hectic day. It will help to ‘ground’ you and enable you to focus more completely before starting your tasks for your home. Aim to sit for 3 mins at first, but feel free to increase the time as your schedule will allow.

Exercise 2: Letting Go

Find yourself a quiet area and again sit upright wherever you are most comfortable. You will need a small notepad and a pen. Write down our Top 10 concerns for that day; include personal problems, arguments you might have had, worries about your children, work, and home. Take a least 5 minutes to do the first part of this exercise, ensuring that all major circumstances have been listed. Read over the list 2/3 times. Now say to yourself; “I let go of (insert an item from your list). I will not worry about it. I will give it to God. It will not rob me of my peace.”

Go through each item on your list, taking the time to think about what you are saying in our mind. When you have finished all 10 statements, close your eyes, and sit in the silence for at least 3 minutes. As you breathe out, picture yourself letting go of all the situations. This routine is a great way to wind down just before bed. It could also be done just before evening prayers.