1) Exercise
You don’t have to be a serious athlete and you don’t even have to be in great shape to feel the benefits of exercise, but you do have to do it. If you haven’t been very active recently, start slow and work your way up. Start out by going on a walk one or two days a week. Start taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
Simply put, make conscious decisions to do the little things that keep you active and that will quickly become habit. Once you’ve got that down, slowly build that up to walking three or four days a week.
Maybe start riding your bike on one of those days instead of walking, or even ride your bike to and from work a day or two a week. Eventually, work up to going on a short jog or even keep it mellow but do it more often. It’s not so much about how hard you exercise but how often. Just do a little bit every day or every other day, and don’t worry too much about pushing yourself too hard. You will quickly see how much better you feel, and you will notice a desire to do more naturally.
Another great way to get motivated to exercise is to join a recreational sports league or sign up for lessons. I started out with local tennis lessons and eventually joined tennis league, which I have now been in for 3 years. The natural endorphins released by your brain during exercise have shown to reduce stress, relieve anxiety and depression, boost self-esteem and improve sleep.
2) Eat Healthy
You’ve probably heard the saying you are what you eat, but maybe you haven’t ever given it much thought. The truth is, we’ve become accustomed to pre-packaged foods and meals that take little to no preparation. But these foods are often highly processed and contain massive amounts of preservatives, which do not serve us well in our quest for improving health and well-being. Eating healthy is a very challenging step for many people, and while the benefits may take some time to feel, they are absolutely worth the effort.
The easiest first step for me, was to replace my morning sugar-filled cereal with a good vegan gluten free granola and mixing it with unsweetened organic yogurt and fresh fruit.
After making just that one small change in my diet, I quickly became interested in seeking out other healthy foods to improve my well-being by learning about the benefits of different foods. I like to mostly eat raw foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. In my case, sticking to a raw food diet can effectively lower inflammation, improve digestion, provide more dietary fiber, prevent cancer, treat constipation, provide my body more energy, clear up skin conditions, help maintain a healthy body weight and a whole lot more.
If you know exactly what kind of benefits you are looking for to improve your well-being, a little research can go a long way in helping you identify which foods you should be putting in your body. The main point here is to stay away from processed foods, preservatives, processed sugars, and just about anything from a drive through, a deep fryer, or a microwave.
3) Natural Medicine
Do you suffer from anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain or some other ailment that is bringing you down? If so, don’t be so quick to call the doctor for a prescription medication. It is always worth your time to explore natural solutions that are safe, non-addictive and have less undesirable side effects.
There are literally hundreds of natural remedies for just about any ailment. For instance, CBD (Cannabidiol) is becoming an increasingly popular natural medicine. This extract of cannabis has a plethora of medical uses, is non-addictive and is completely legal for use when extracted from hemp. In fact, as of yesterday, CBD is no longer banned for professional athletes by the World Anti-Doping Agency, allowing this specific natural medicine to enter the $11 billion market of sports nutrition.
Many people use CBD oil for anxiety, insomnia, pain relief, depression, inflammation, and even eating disorders. Garlic, ginger, turmeric, ginseng, milk thistle, ginkgo biloba, and aloe vera are just a few other natural medicinal sources worth looking into. Rest assured, whatever ailment you may be suffering from, there is a natural remedy out there you should research and try before heading to the doctor for a prescription
4) Online Programs
Are you looking to improve your productivity, relieve chronic pain, or simply learn a new skill to improve your overall well-being? In our current day and age, the internet is full of exclusive online programs that fit any niche. For those suffering from sciatica or disc herniation, this program teaches the McKenzie exercises and a plethora of other related exercises combined with expert knowledge to help you relieve your back pain from home. On the other hand, maybe you need to work on your self-confidence.
Udemy offers a vast library of online courses for just about anything you can imagine, including improving self-confidence. Another common issue affecting an individual’s well-being is sleep quality. If you are looking to improve the quality of your sleep, this sleep health program could help. Whatever it is that is affecting your well-being negatively, there are essentially unlimited resources online to help you help yourself
5) Meditate
Meditation is an often overlooked method for improving one’s well-being. Some people just don’t believe in it and others just don’t feel like it’s something they can do. The truth is it’s a skill, and it takes time, dedication, and practice. But there is no doubt that meditation can improve your life. Meditation has proven to reduce stress, improve concentration, increase self-awareness and increase happiness.
It also benefits cardiovascular and immune health by inducing relaxation, allowing blood vessels to open up and lower blood pressure. And as I mentioned before, you better bet there’s a bunch of online courses and programs that will teach you effective meditation practices and techniques to really hone in your skills and improve your well-being. It’s easy enough to do your own research here, but here is one free 10 chapter online meditation course that comes highly recommended for beginners.
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