We live in a fast paced world, but we are all also aiming to lead healthy and happy lives at the same time. Ideally, we would like to master balancing our family responsibilities, career, social life and home life, but sometimes this literally seems as a juggling act.
Here are few simple tips on how to achieve the winning balance in your daily life; it is never too late to start cultivating a balance between mind, body and spirit.
Stay hydrated
Drink water! Even though this can seem like trivial advice, we tend to forget about drinking enough liquids, especially during a busy day. Water can help to boost our brains and metabolisms by giving us energy and flushing out toxins from the body. Wherever possible, it’s better to drink natural mineral or filtered water to get the most benefit.
Feed yourself well
Many of us eat on the go during the working day, snacking quickly in between meetings or forgetting lunch entirely, only to stuff ourselves later in the evening. Eating in this disordered way doesn’t help our metabolism or energy levels.
The basic principles of eating healthily are pretty simple: just eat five to six portions of fruit and vegetables a day, eat moderately-sized meals and avoid processed foods whenever you can. A well balanced diet is a source of macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). When it comes to more specific nutrition, it’s advisable to seek guidance from an experienced professional.
Start a Yoga practice
Moving every day is vital to staying in good health, it keeps the body feeling young and has all sorts of benefits for the mind, too. Yoga is a great movement practice to try, it’s suitable for everybody regardless your age, size or experience. Practicing yoga also helps to stimulate the production of the “love hormone” Oxytocin, and the “hormone of happiness” Serotonin Yoga has become increasingly popular amongst celebrities; Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey, Brazilian beauty Gisele Bundchen, top Canadian poker pro Adrienne Rowsome and US pop star Justin Timberlake are just a few famous yoga enthusiasts.
Read more books
Picking up a book when you have a few spare moments is a really unusual thing to do in today’s technology-obsessed world. Besides the excitement you feel when reading a good story, there are also many health reasons why you should be reading more books. It is very beneficial for our brains and can greatly improve our memories, decreasing the risk of developing conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. It has even been proven that regular reading contributes to longevity.
Get more sleep
Good quality sleep is definitely not overrated, on average we generally need six to eight hours of restful sleep every night. The optimum time to go bed is before midnight, ideally in a dark, well-aired room. Of course, it’s important not to drink or eat anything stimulating before you go to bed, like a double espresso! Don’t forget to switch off all your electronic devices, too, since sleeping in a dark environment with no blue light allows the brain to maximise the production of melatonin. We can all appreciate how differently the day starts after a good night’s sleep.
Learn to meditate
Meditation used to be considered a practice that was only for Buddhist monks, however more and more people across the world from all walks of life have become aware of the power of meditation. Meditation can help to relieve the symptoms of things like depression and makes us more resilient to stress, and in some cases physical discomfort.
There are all kinds of meditation techniques that you can learn, but a really good way to start is by learning Mindfulness meditation. The basic principle of mindfulness is to pay attention to the present moment, observing our thoughts, feelings and sensations without judging any of them. You can even practice mindfulness when you’re carrying out day-to-day activities.
Feel grateful
We all want to be happy, but only some of us have a smile on our faces for the small things in life. There are plenty of things in our daily lives to be thankful for, such as our health, family, friends and peace of mind, and these can often be things we take for granted. Start writing a “Gratitude List” of things you are grateful for and you’ll see immediately that you begin to feel better about your life.
Laugh everyday
Last, but not least, is laughter. When we wake up everyday we can choose to be happy and laugh or stressed and frown. Laughter is such a health thing to do, it not only helps to release stress hormones, it also boosts our immune system. Laughter promotes physical and emotional health, increases our energy levels and also acts as a means of anti-aging. It is our most powerful tool for overcoming life’s difficult situations!
As the wise Maya Angelou said: “Laugh as much as possible, always laugh. It’s the sweetest thing one can do for oneself & one’s fellow human beings.“
