Sometimes when making life changes, big or small, focusing on the WHY is a lot easier than focusing on the HOW. When it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, the “how” can seem daunting and overwhelming, especially just starting out. But if you know the “why,” it becomes a lot more realistic and even more manageable. Why do you want to live a healthier lifestyle? Are you a busy parent, trying to keep up with your kids? Do you want to enjoy outdoor activities without feeling physically and possibly emotionally uncomfortable with your current state? Or do you simply just want to feel better physically, emotionally, and mentally? Whether you’re already a gung-ho health advocate, or just wanting to make some improvements here and there, this is for you!
We put together some tips and insights on how to help maintain a healthy, well-balanced life. Because, whether we like it or not, life will continue on regardless of what we’re doing. So, we could jump ship letting life pass us by, or we can hop aboard and live life to the fullest. Hopefully, it’s the latter!
EXERCISE
One of the best ways to improve overall health and wellness is regular exercise. Even walking just 30 minutes a day can improve overall health and wellness. Although it’s always best to get your heart rate up when performing any type of exercise. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) are incredibly effective ways to get your heart rate going. A High-Intensity Interval Training workout is a full physical exertion of any cardiovascular exercise (plyometric, running, biking, jump roping, etc.) followed by a recovery period. This process is usually repeated until the person is too exhausted to continue. The overall length of a HIIT workout will vary depending on each person’s physical capabilities, but typically lasting between 10-30 minutes. For reference below, healthline.org references the average target heart rate according to age.
Any physical activity will benefit your body as long as it’s performed correctly, keeping in mind physical needs and or limitations. While we each have restrictions on what we may or may not be able to do physically, the benefits of physical exercise reach everyone. Some of the many benefits of regular exercise include:
- Increased cardiovascular health and fitness
- Reduce risk of heart disease and stroke
- Loosen stiff joints and muscles
- Reduce stress
- Improve circulation and blood flow
- Clear your mind
- Improve mental health
- Improve emotional health
- Release endorphins which trigger positive feelings in the body
Meditation
Meditation combined with yoga is a great way to exercise both your body and mind. Daily meditation clears the mind, connects the spirit with the body, and helps to re-center and refocus the body and mind on whatever task you have at hand. Many people use meditation to help improve their work ethic, productivity, decision making, and to help with mental health issues like anxiety or depression.
Nutrition
In addition to exercise and meditation, food plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There are many different diets or nutrition plans you can follow, but it’s always best to manage portion size, eat a well-balanced diet with lots of whole clean foods, and drink plenty of water. Some experts recommend drinking at least half your body weight in ounces. So someone that weighs 100lbs should drink a minimum of 50 ounces daily. Keeping your body well hydrated keeps your skin, hair, and nails healthy and nourished. Adding some Grapefruit, Catnip, Sandalwood, Peppermint, Bergamot, Cinnamon Bark, and Lemon essential oils into your nutrition are great ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle and support your metabolism.
How iTOVi Can Help
While getting your mind and body right with nutrition and exercise, it’s important to remember not to neglect your emotional health as well. Physical activity does improve and support a healthy emotional state. However, it’s always best to be aware of your feelings and practice good self-care habits. A simple way of doing this is by routinely using your iTOVi scanner, so you can always be in the know on what your body responds to most, both physically and emotionally. Starting out or even maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not always easy, but practice makes perfect! Try some of these tips out and let us know how they’ve helped you achieve your own health and wellness goals!
