Get Your Health Back On Track With These 4 Simple Steps
Whether you’ve had some time off, are coming back from an injury or simply fell off the health wagon, these four simple steps can all be implemented today to help you get your health back on track.
1. Nutrition
In my eyes, nutrition is the foundation of good health. You can start slowly by increasing your vegetable intake or go the whole mile by cutting out processed foods, beverages and sugars. Choose whole grains like brown rice over white rice and always drink plenty of water to help flush out toxins and keep your cells hydrated.
2. Movement
If you haven’t exercised in awhile, start slowly to get the body acclimated to movement again. Go for morning walks around your neighbourhood, practise yoga or mobility training or resistance train with bodyweight, light weights or less volume. There are a million ways you can go about it - choose what’s right for you. To make it a habit find ways to keep yourself accountable like a daily checklist or exercising with a friend.
3. Sleep
Create a relaxing sleep environment with blackout curtains, fresh bedding and calming fragrances. Avoid screens at least 30 minutes before bed and implement relaxing techniques like meditation and deep breathing to calm your nervous system. It’s important to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night to aid in healing, cognitive functioning and overall well-being.
4. Mindfulness
Mindfulness isn’t just about meditation and deep breathing. It extends to being present in moments throughout your day like brushing your teeth or engaging your senses to bring awareness into your surroundings. You may often find yourself on autopilot so redirecting your attention to the present moment can help improve clarity of mind, enhance self-awareness and reduce stress and anxiety.
When getting your health back on track it’s important to set yourself realistic goals to keep yourself motivated and also to keep you going as the motivation wanes and grows. Sustaining health is a lifelong process and you may need to implement these strategies at multiple stages in life and that’s okay. Be gentle yet firm with yourself and remain consistent.
