Nutrition and Well-Being: The fifth letter in S.P.R.I.N.T.
Well-being is an active state of health in which we move toward balancing our physical, social and emotional health.
Fall in love with caring for yourself first… in your mind, in your body and in your spirit.
Do you ever forget to take care of yourself? I DO! The problem is, when I do forget, I don’t show up in this world the way I intend to.
I am a wife, I am a mother, I am a friend, I am a co-worker, I am an aunt, I am a daughter and I am a sister. The point is, I have many roles in this beautiful life and why not show up the BEST version in each one of these roles? For me, it starts with ME!! Taking time to care for myself helps everything else fall into place.
Simple ideas that make a difference in my life:
1. Move my body
I truly believe I reap numerous benefits from moving my body at least 30 minutes a day. Studies right from Mayo Clinic show benefits include; combating health conditions and disease, improving mood, boosting energy, better sleep, spark up your sex life, control weight, and even connect with family and friends.
2. Pray/Meditate
When I meditate and pray I feel the benefits in the form of improved mood and reduced stress. Meditation actually calms my soul. I am virtually taking the time to focus and concentrate on being present in that very moment. Minimizing random thoughts can be very difficult and it has taken me a long time and a lot of practice to feel the impact.
3. Pause-breath deeply
I use three deep breaths on a regular basis. If I feel anxious, if I feel my heart pulsating, or if I feel out of control, I pause and focus on my breathing. Studies have shown that just three deep breaths can help you balance yourself. It calms my body, quiets my mind and brings me back to feeling present right where I am at.
4. Choose Happy
Something beautiful happens when we choose happiness. It starts from within. In order for me to feel happy, I do believe that I must feel good on a mental, physical and emotional level. I feel happiest when I am operating as my best self when I am present and in the moment. When I am in a state of happiness, I know it and I feel it. I create it, I capture it and I seize it. Life is not always filled with happy moments, but the attitude I choose as I react to those moments impacts my whole outlook on life.
5. Sleep 8 hours
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; sleep plays such a vital role in good health and well being throughout your life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life and safety. Sleep helps your brain work properly. Lack of sleep can alter decision making, solving problems, controlling your emotions and even coping with change. Sleep is involved in healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels and it also helps to keep your hormones balanced along with supporting a healthy immune system. I have always felt my best with at least eight hours of sleep!!
6. Water, Water, Water
Water makes up 60% to 70% of your body weight. Your body depends on it for survival. It is essential to your health to replace the water you lose each day. Every cell, every tissue and every organ in our body needs water to work properly. There is so much information and advice on the consumption of water, what I try to do each day is drink a full glass of water before eating each meal and have a goal of drinking at lease half my body weight in ounces of water.
7. Gratitude
Gratitude is more than feeling thankful for something. Gratitude for me is the DEEPEST appreciation you can have for something or someone. It happens when I focus on acknowledging the goodness and the graces in my life. I know I am feeling grateful when my heart literally feels like its filling up. Gratitude brings raw emotions for me that are frequently partnered with tears.
8. Laughter
Do you ever take notice how you really feel after a nice good belly laugh? It doesn’t just lighten your load at the moment, laughter can actually create a physical change in your body. I know, for myself, laughter literally improves my mood, relieves pain, helps me connect with others, lessens tension, relaxes me and just makes me feel GOOD! Go ahead, give it a try.
9. Inspiring Environment
The people and the environment around you matter!!! We need mentors, family and friends who challenge us and who make us better. If we are around a group of successful positive individuals, we can become a proactive individual that shapes our own successes. If we are around pessimistic individuals, we will descend into a pool of negativity. Your community matters. Surround yourself with people who lift you up. People who inspire you. People who, when you walk away from them, you feel happier and healthier about yourself.
10. Mindful Nutrition Choices
I once read an article that stuck with me about mindful nutrition choices. It talked about “clean eating”. What I remember most is being mindful about trying to eat as many whole foods as you can. When thinking about “whole” it explained these are foods that are mostly unchanged. We get the most benefit if we can stay away from countless processed foods and try to eat as many foods as possible that come directly out of the ground or how nature gave them to us.
***Start by doing ONE push up. Start by drinking ONE cup of water. Start by paying toward ONE debt. Start by reading ONE page. Start by deleting ONE old contact. Start by walking ONE lap. Start by attending ONE event. Start by writing ONE paragraph. Start by taking ONE deep breath. Start today…repeat tomorrow!!***