Health and Fitness

Elements that are Missing From Your Health Routine

Personal health is a broad subject with many ways to define it. Some may focus on social health while others set goals around their physical fitness. Emotional intelligence is another area of wellness that you could aspire to, as well as mental health.

How you choose to pursue health is up to you, but there could be some missing elements in your health routine. Whether you are trying to work out more, spend time each day relaxing, or make time for your friends and family, a complete routine dedicated to supporting a healthy lifestyle is needed.

If you are looking for small steps to be a part of your health journey, here are a couple of ideas to try out. 

Smoothies

If you want to pack some extra fruity punch into your diet, then you need to start drinking smoothies. With the right blender, you can turn various fruits, vegetables, yogurt, and other foods into a delicious beverage to start your day on the right foot. It is super easy to buy some frozen fruit chunks, plain greek yogurt, spinach, and combine them all into a drink that delivers key nutrients to your cells. Plus, it tastes really good, and you can always add some sweeteners like honey if you find the taste lacking. 

Motivation

Anyone who has ever set a lofty goal for improving their health will tell you that motivation matters. Your new routines may start to feel repetitive or the results you want to see are taking too long. When this happens, it could lead to a setback in your journey. Finding ways to stay motivated in reaching your health goals is crucial to getting back on track when life gets in the way. It is completely normal to feel moments of discouragement or feeling like a failure, but don’t let those obstacles turn you away from your goal. Accept that they are part of the process and implement motivational strategies to keep moving forward. 

Reading

Books are a great way to supplement your new health routines with an activity that engages your brain. Reading can help expand your vocabulary, stimulate your imagination, give you a chance to relax, and teach you new things. All of this is beneficial to mental health, but very few people include reading as a goal for improving their healthy habits. This activity is easy to include and whether you prefer fantasy, historical fiction, sci-fi, self-help, or biographical genres, pickin up a good book can only benefit your health.

Dietary Supplements

A healthy diet is an obvious factor in overall health, but you can go even further to nourish optimum cellular health. Dietary supplements can provide additional vitamins and minerals to your cells that support total health in the body. Plus, adding these products to your diet is very simple, and you can incorporate them into any meal throughout the day or even as a part of your morning routine.

Hydration

Most people know that they should be drinking more water than they currently are. Even the most fit athletes may not be getting enough hydration to make up for the natural water loss that occurs during everyday life and physical activities. It is recommended that you drink half an ounce to an ounce of water per pound of body weight every day to keep your fluids at an optimum level. This means that if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink between 75 and 150 fluid ounces each day, potentially more if you lead a very active lifestyle or live in hot climates. 

No Screens Before Bed

This is more of a habit that you need to cut out rather than add to your health routine, as looking at screens before bedtime is a harmful practice. The blue light that comes from devices tricks our brains into thinking that it is still daytime, making it take longer for sleep to arrive, or at the very least, reducing the quality of that sleep and leaving you feeling unrested the next day. It also puts a strain on your eyes that can lead to vision problems after long-term exposure, so the less time you spend looking at a screen during the day, the better. As it gets darker outside, the effect gets worse, so it is even more dangerous to stare at devices before falling asleep. 

Success Comes From the Details

Reaching your overall health goals could come down to following through on the smaller steps. These little details can make small improvements for your wellness, but when added together, the effect is much more noticeable. Start making fruit smoothies or taking a supplement in the morning to kickstart your day. Read more books and avoid screens late at night. Drink the recommended amount of water each day to replenish your fluids and incorporate motivation methods to keep on track with your goals.

If you try out some of these strategies, on top of whatever activities are pushing you closer to your main goal, you will have a higher chance of success and greater overall wellness.