In our busy lives, sometimes we forget to focus on our mental and physical health. Instead, we spend all of our time on work, studies and social events and forget to spend time on ourselves alone.
Taking time to focus on health and wellbeing is incredibly important for building healthy habits and avoiding common issues like stress, anxiety and depression. Here’s how you can start prioritising your health and wellbeing today.
Join fitness classes or hire a personal trainer
It’s harder to stick to a consistent exercise routine if you’re relying on self-motivation alone. This is an issue because exercise is so important for your physical and mental health; exercise reduces your risk of developing diseases like heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes, and it also improves your mood and reduces stress hormones.
Joining a fitness class will help you stick to a consistent exercise routine because you’ll have a fixed schedule. However, if group classes aren’t your thing, then you could easily find a private personal trainer in London who’ll help you achieve your health and fitness goals.
Go for daily walks
In addition to your moderate or vigorous-intensity exercise, you should also incorporate some gentler exercise like walking. This will keep you moving without tiring you out too much.
Additionally, walking is fantastic for your mental wellbeing. Staying inside all day at home or in the office can lead to stress and low mood, but going for a walk and surrounding yourself with nature can refresh your mind. Try going for daily walks on your own or with friends or family to see how this can boost your mood!
Mindfulness and meditation
Practising mindfulness at the start of each day will clear your mind of worries and help you focus on appreciating the present moment. During mindfulness meditation, you must focus on your breathing and on the sensations around you. This stops you from worrying about the future and the past, making you feel calmer and more in control.
Prepare healthy meals
If you work long hours or have a lot of family commitments, you may be tempted to eat quick and easy meals like frozen pizzas and microwave dinners. However, these foods are often highly processed and very unhealthy. If you want to prioritise your health and wellbeing, it’s important to take the time to prepare nutritious meals – you can batch cook healthy meals at the weekend and freeze the other portions if you’re still struggling to find the time.
Reduce time on social media
Social media can be a great tool in our lives, helping us to stay in touch with old friends, meet new people with similar interests, and stay up to date on current events. However, social media can also be very harmful to people’s mental health and self-esteem due to the prevalence of negative news stories and edited photos. If you feel like going on social media makes you feel worse instead of better, you should consider reducing the amount of time you spend on it by setting time limits on your phone.
To feel happier, healthier and more fulfilled, you should prioritise health and wellbeing in your life. Follow the advice listed above to see what a difference it can make!