06/28/2021
⭐️ 4 Things To Help Revive And Nourish Body And Soul ⭐️
1.🔸 Be physically active.
Exercise busts stress, boosts the mood, and elevates our energy level. Believe it or not, you can exercise just about anywhere, anytime. It doesn’t have to be a scheduled class. And few minutes a day are enough. All activity counts.
1️⃣ Maybe you can ride your bike to work, or take your kids on an easy hike, or get the whole family to rake leaves with you.
2️⃣ Try a few minutes on the exercise bike in the kitchen, or dancing around your living room in your socks.
3️⃣ You can take the stairs whenever you have the option or park farther away than you need to and walk a little more.
4️⃣ If you’re going to the grocery store and you only need a few things, use a hand basket instead of a cart.
It. All. Counts. And the more, the better.
2.🔸 Eat well.
That means eat healthy. There is a mountain of studies supporting a whole-foods, plant-based diet for our health..
Stay away from inflammatory, sugar-spiking, insulin-releasing foods like processed carbohydrates (think all added sugars and anything made with flour).
Aim for things that grew on plants or trees. The more colorful the fruits or vegetables, the more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants they have and the healthier they are. Vitamin pills and other supplements just don’t work as well. We don’t have to be perfect, but the more plant-based our diets are, the better.
3. 🔸 Calm your mind.
We all have stressors in our lives. What varies is how much we let the stressors stress us. What can we do?
1️⃣ Yes, meditation works.
2️⃣ Yoga works.
3️⃣ And other calming activities. This can mean knitting, baking, walking, swimming. Anything quiet and peaceful, when one can take deep breaths and be calmly, enjoyably focused.
4. 🔸 Sleep well.
Aim for a refreshing amount of sleep. While this will differ for everyone, generally it’s about 8 hours. It’s tempting to stay up late to cram in those last household chores or answer email, but really, the world won’t end if the laundry is dirty for another day, or the dishes are piled up in the sink.
Sleep deprivation causes irritability, poor cognition, impaired reflexes and response time (think: car accidents!), and chronic sleep deprivation can contribute to depression and anxiety.
Create a short, easy bedtime routine. Stretching or yoga, prayer, or reading a book can be relaxing. But stay away from your smartphone, tablet, or laptop, as the light interferes and interrupts the natural sleep onset. Alcohol near bedtime also interferes with sleep, and is a common cause of nighttime or early-morning awakening.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Maybe we can’t do all these things every day. But if we make self-care a goal, and try to address all of these factors regularly, then we will feel and function better. The better we feel and function, the more we can do for the people and things we care about. And that is a win-win!
(c) Harvard Health
