12 Life-Changing Wellness Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle

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You have heard it said, “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” There’s a great debate on whether or not this applies but as humans, we all have our limitations. Just like a car can’t run on empty for long, neither can we. I have found that the healthier I am (and I am not just talking about physical health), the better I can serve and love others including my family and friends.

One of my goals for Simple Purposeful Living is for us each to enjoy our daily lives because our days add up to the way we live our life. The good news is we can create a healthy lifestyle and enjoy the health benefits with a few key simple + purposeful healthy choices every single day. You can give me today, can’t you? Don’t worry about tomorrow, just today!

12 Life-Changing Wellness Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle

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Get Enough Sleep

The best way to improve your overall wellness is something we all should be doing but we don’t just go to bed. Did you know that before 1879 when Edison invented the lightbulb, the average human got 11 hours of sleep? Now, the average person gets less than 7 hours of sleep a night. Kids should get between 10-12 hours of sleep, teens should get between 8-10 hours of sleep, and adults at the very minimum should get 7 hours of sleep a night. How are you doing with that? Not getting enough sleep affects your immune system, overall energy levels and so much more. So, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to go to bed!

I always tell my husband that if someone is cranky, it’s usually solved by eating or sleeping. When we don’t get adequate sleep, our moods suffer (hello crabbiness), we don’t make good food choices (hello caffeine and sugar) and our body doesn’t have a chance to recover.

Make sure you are getting good sleep as well. One of the simplest ways to do that is to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, our bodies like a rhythm. It’s why when you go on vacation and don’t set the alarm, your body still generally wakes at the same time. Make sure your room is dark and quiet and you set yourself up for success by going to bed on time and turning off any distractions like lights, your phone, and the tv.

Stay Hydrated

This is another easy way to kickstart your healthy lifestyle, drink a glass of water. In fact, multiple studies report that 75% of adults in the U.S. suffer from chronic dehydration, drinking only 2.5 cups a day on average.” Dehydration can lead to moodiness, hunger, poor sleep, fatigue, brain fog, constipation, weight gain, and more. If you don’t love the idea of drinking water, check out these 10 simple tips to get more water in your diet.

One of my favorite ways to drink more water is I have a big stainless steel tumbler with a straw. Not sure what it is about the straw but I drink way more with one. I decorated the tumbler with stickers from all of our travels so it’s a fun accessory and I always add some lime juice to my water for a fun refreshing taste.

As part of my healthy habits, I try to fill my water up first thing in the morning and refill it 1-2 times per day. I take it everywhere I go so I won’t be tempted to stop for a sugary drink that won’t hydrate me as water will. Most people agree that you should drink at least half your body weight in ounces a day as part of a healthy diet.

Get Some Sunshine + Fresh Air

Never underestimate the power of getting outside and breathing in some fresh air. Getting outside as part of your everyday life is vital in boosting your mood, calming your spirit, and helping you focus. Have you ever felt frustrated and then stepped away for a quick walk around the block? It’s crazy how getting outside and breathing in a little fresh air will help reduce stress levels and rejuvenate your soul.

Not to mention, the vitamin D from the sunshine. I crave it in the wintertime. Soaking up some much-needed sunshine boosts vitamin D, decreases our blood pressure, strengthens our immune system, and helps us sleep better. Yes, please.

So, if you want to focus on better health consider parking a little further from the store and breathing in that fresh air and sunshine, take a walk around the block at lunch or after dinner as a family, or sit on the back deck. Take a moment to get outside, your long-term health will thank you.

Get Regular Exercise

As a person who has recovered from an eating disorder, I am not a proponent for strict diet or exercise regimes. I workout regularly mostly for my emotional health. Give me all the endorphins. It’s important that we include some regular physical activity into our daily routine. Regular exercise doesn’t mean you need an hour long sweat session at the gym. One of my favorite ways to get a workout in is a walk with a girlfriend or my husband. We can solve a lot of the worlds problems and get a lot of steps in the process. Plus, you are getting outside and getting some sunshine and fresh air which are also good for you.

Regular exercise as you know helps you maintain a healthy weight, and maintain cardiovascular wellness which is important especially as we age, reduces the risk of chronic diseases and reduces chronic stress plus you will get good-quality sleep as a result. Even as little as 5-10 minutes a day will help so do a few push-ups while you are brushing your teeth at night, and do a plank when you wake up. Some are better than nothing!

Make Time for Quiet

The world is a noisy place. Heck, most of the time my house is a noisy place with 4 kids running around and I love it but sometimes it’s hard to think and process. I have found I do my best thinking and even writing (like this) when I make room for quiet in my life.

Some of the simplest ways I make room for quiet is when I am in the car all alone. I turn off the radio and podcasts and just sit and think. It feels weird at first but it’s a great way to process through and reflect on what’s on your mind. I also find walking helps too and when my kids were young, even stepping into the shower and just letting the water run down my back while I stood in thought was helpful.

If you have something on your mind, maybe a big decision, or not-so-big decision, try making time to just sit in your thoughts and process. It’s really helpful to your overall health when we process and reflect on our lives rather than just rushing ahead & brushing it under the rug. You know what happens when you do that, it doesn’t stay under the rug for long!

Need help cultivating a bible study routine, read here.

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Practice Gratitude + A Good Attitude

One of my favorite quotes to recite to my kids is this, “life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond.” We can really only focus on one thing at a time so if we focus on what we are grateful for, we have less time to grumble. Having a positive attitude not only affects our lives but affects others, much like the converse. You have met a negative person, they repel you. The negative effects of a bad attitude are shed on to others. You might have been in a good mood and then you met them, and now you are in a bad mood. While on the flip side, a grateful person is magnetic, you want what they have.

In today’s world, there’s a lot that can discourage us so, it’s a good reason to add gratitude as part of your daily life. A great place to start is listing 3-5 things you are grateful for every morning when you wake up or every night before you go to bed.

“The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude.”

Consider Saying No

Anne Lamott is famous for saying “no is a complete sentence.” I am a people pleaser too but when we say to one thing, we are inevitably saying no to something else. So, make sure your yes is a yes out of desire and not out of guilt or obligation. I have gotten in the practice of telling others, “let me consult my schedule.” This takes the pressure off of having to say yes in the moment which I am more likely to do and then regret it. I can truly look at my calendar and determine if that commitment is worth the time, energy and cost it would require.

If you want to read more about what’s on your plate, check out this article.

Reduce Screen Time

You knew this one was coming. Did you know the average person picks up their phone 2617 times a day and is on their phone at least 2.5 hours a day? Have you ever kept track of your screen time? I have and it’s shocking. If you are looking for simple ways to reduce screen time, check out this post. Our phones not only distract us from life, they are addicting. It’s important to be aware of how screen time plays a role in our life.

Simple Daily Routines

Do you have a good morning routines? Rhythms and routines bring peace to our soul. When we know what to expect, it gives us peace and we don’t have to make as many decisions because we know what’s next. Yay for less decision fatigue.

When I get up, I always have my coffee first before waking up the kids. While my routine might not be at the exact same time everyday, the flow is so helpful. What daily routines do you have? What could you add into your daily routine from this list that would enhance a healthy life style? Put your phone away at a certain time at night, adopt a morning walk time?

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Eat Healthy Meals

We all know food is fuel for our body and fruits and vegetables are better fuel than processed food. Again, I am not asking you to prescribe to a specific diet. Restricting anything is a trigger for me but I have found by meal planning and eating at home, we eat more healthy foods. When we plan our meals, we tend to plan more variety and eating at home means we are eating less ultra-processed foods which can be hard for our body to process. If you want more tips on how to get started meal planning, check out this post.

Nurture Your Relationships

Studies show those with healthy and close relationships with family members and close friends are healthier and live longer. I know in this busy world, you might feel like there’s little time for friendship but get creative. Instead of inviting a family over for a meal, invite them over for dessert. Instead of lunch with a friend, ask them to go on a walk. Consider joining a bible study or meet up at a park for a play-date. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

If we want friends, we have to be the friend we want and invite others to do things with us. You might be in the stage of life where you need to make friends with the people you are sitting on the sidelines of games with, introduce yourself and put yourself out there. Friendship is like dating but you will find your people but friendships like any relationships take work.

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Make a Game Plan

If how we spend our days is how we spend our lives, let’s make some goals to get us where we want to go! They don’t have to be big lofty goals, maybe it’s simply, implementing one of these wellness tips into your daily routine. Goal setting has an uncanny way of holding you accountable. While accountability gets a bad rap, it’s actually so helpful for us and allows us the opportunity to follow through on what we set out to do and find success. To read more about goal-setting and finding success, check out this post.

If you are feeling overwhelmed on a daily basis, create a road map for the day by doing a quick brain dump exercise. This exercise takes all that on your mind and puts it down on paper so that you can look at it and make a purposeful plan for the day. Read more about the brain dump exercise here.

Just Remember…

There you have it my best wellness tips, nothing too hard, I promise! When it comes to implementing any new habits, start simple on purpose. It’s better to implement imperfectly than not at all. Any intention and action to improve your mental health and overall health is one of the most important things you can do not only for yourself but for those you care about too.

When we are healthy, we can better love and serve those around us. So, choose one of these health tips and try adding it to your daily routine. Here’s to healthy living for the mind, body and soul!