Make wellbeing part of your routine
While the COVID-19 lockdowns were tough for most of us, one of the benefits was that more people had more time to devote to wellbeing. Whether it was taking a walk or doing yoga, we were able to make exercise and wellness activities a part of our normal routines.
But that was then and this is now. With life returning to relatively normal patterns, we’ve got more to do, more places to go and more people to see. We’re busy and for a lot of people that has meant that wellbeing isn’t a priority any longer.
How can you be disciplined and make your physical and mental health a priority, even when you are busy? Let’s take a look at a few tips that will hopefully help get you back into a healthy way of life.
9 ways to make health a priority
- When you are busy, finding an hour to devote to wellbeing can be difficult. So, instead of trying to find a lengthy block of time, look for short periods. Go for a walk while you’re on a phone call, walk up and down the stairs a few times while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil, take a short break at your desk and do breathing exercises for five minutes. These small blocks of exercise and wellbeing activities soon add up.
- Get up earlier to fit in a session of yoga or a run. Okay, we understand this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and it’s likely to be tough for a while before you make it part of your routine, but if you get up 30 or more minutes before you normally do, you’ll have time to devote to wellbeing. It’s well documented that successful people often rise early. Benjamin Franklin woke up around 5am while for Apple CEO Tim Cook it was 4.30am!
- If you have kids, go to the park to kick the soccer ball or football, throw some hoops or walk the dog. It can be difficult to get kids off technology, but often they enjoy this family time even more than you.
- If you commute to work, cycle, walk or run on every second day or a couple of times a week. You’ll not only get fitter, but you’ll also save money and reduce emissions.
- Once you make the commitment to improve your physical and mental health, you’ll be part way there. So, stop making excuses. Instead, make regular times in your calendar for a jog, walk, swim, yoga session, meditation or massage. And once it’s in your calendar, keep the appointment. Barring emergency, nothing should stand in the way of your me time.
- If you work in the Melbourne CBD, use your lunch break to go for a walk or do a workout at a gym. These days, some workplaces have on-site gyms, which makes it even easier.
- Next time you’re about to hit the button to summon the lift, hit the stairs instead. Same goes if you have a choice between an escalator and stairs. Like point 1, these relatively minor decisions can help get your fitter.
- Exercise or do mindfulness with someone else. Not only is this more fun for a lot of people, but it’s also much harder to cancel when you are letting someone else down.
- It sounds simple, but choose activities that you enjoy. If you enjoy what you do you’ll likely stick at it.
Yoga, meditation and wellness in Bayside Melbourne
Another tip to you make physical and mental health a routine is to use facilities close to where you live, and if you live in Bayside Melbourne, The Karma Studio can help.
The Karma Studio in Sandringham offers a range of activities that will improve your physical and mental health, such as yoga, meditation, massage, foot reflexology and Japanese needling. We offer small class sizes, one-on-one sessions and online sessions as well, so no matter which option suits you, we can help.
Contact The Karma Studio by phoning 9502 1044 for more information on any of our services.
IMAGE CAPTION:
How can you make a commitment to improved physical and mental health when busy? See our nine tips. Credit Sebastian Pichler Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/sblp4evk2gs