There are mountains of material things we will possess over our lifetimes. We'll buy hundreds of pairs of shoes (we hope), cycle through 50-plus pairs of jeans and throw out myriad accessories that we'll only wear once.
Material goods come and go. When they lose their luster, they're easily upgraded. But your body? Your body is forever.
We only get one body, and that body needs to be cared for. It can't be replaced, so we have to preserve it as best we can.
Yet if we approach caring for our bodies in an extreme way, it can overwhelm us. Crash dieting is a crash course in failure because it's impossible to keep up. Hitting the gym seven days a week is an unrealistic goal because life gets in the way.
It's best to break down our wellness into smaller, achievable improvements that we can tackle every single day. That way, taking care of our bodies won't seem like an insurmountable goal. You'll feel accomplished because you're doing something to continuously upgrade your sense of well-being.
How can you get going? It's not as daunting as you might think if you start by incorporating these 10 daily improvements. Your body will thank you for it.
Stretch.
We used to make fun of our middle school gym teachers for espousing the importance of stretching, but we know better now. Stretching your muscles will set you up for success by releasing the tension in your body and keeping you limber. When you're properly stretched, you'll be ready to tackle anything that comes your way.
Read a book before bedtime.
Thirty minutes before you ideally want slumber to hit, settle down in your bed and cuddle up with a good book. Reading will immerse you in a different world without stimulating your senses the way your phone does. It'll lead to a better night's sleep, which is an upgrade we could all use. You never know, it might even spark some pleasant dreams.
Meditate.
In the same way stretching eases your muscles, meditation eases your mind. If you take time each day to quietly meditate and reflect, overall you will be less stressed — and we all know how bad stress is on our bodies. Besides, in this busy world we live in, meditation is the perfect excuse to keep 'me time' on your daily to-do list.
Eat meals that are actually well-balanced.
For me, a typical day begins with the decision of whether I'm going to eat healthfully, which — for me, at least — means consuming lots of fruits and vegetables. Though I'm resolute in my decisions through breakfast and lunch, come dinnertime, my willpower breaks and I eat something that's processed and teeming with artificial ingredients.
Instead, I should be striving to eat meals that are well-balanced. If I were to ensure that each plate has greens, fruit, protein and carbs, I would be far less likely to binge at all. Moderation in everything, as they say.
Take the stairs.
Elevators and escalators are wonderful modern inventions, I know. But if you opt for the stairs, you'll get where you need to go, and you'll exercise in the process.
Bonus: The stairs are a great way to tone your butt and thighs, giving the phrase “step it up” a whole new meaning.
Really look at yourself in the mirror.
This article is about getting our bodies to thank us, but a huge part of that is thanking our bodies. We should stand in front of the mirror each morning and really look at ourselves. We need to love our own reflection. The sooner we do that, the better shape we'll be in — inside and out.
Count your blessings.
Our mental state is a huge factor in the health of our bodies. When we're living day to day, focused on what we're dealing with in the moment, we lose sight of all the good we have. Let's commit to counting our blessings every day so we're reminded that we always have something to celebrate.
Hydrate.
Dehydration is not a fun situation. The headaches alone are, well, a headache.
Stay hydrated throughout the day by consuming a steady stream of water. You'll ward off the symptoms of dehydration and feel refreshed from morning to night.
Eat a piece of dark chocolate.
Is it possible to go through a day without craving something sweet? I don't know anybody who has conquered the beast of longing for a piece of chocolate.
The good news is that it's totally okay for us to indulge when we're consuming dark chocolate. Eat a handful a day and your taste buds will be thanking you along with your body.
Journal.
Journaling isn't just for 12-year-old girls to write about their crush-du-jour. It's actually a super helpful tool that promotes mindfulness.
Journaling can help us keep track of our health as well as major life events. We can keep record patterns to tell our doctors, and hopefully use the information to make necessary tweaks in the future.
When we have a million obligations pulling at us, it's hard to remember the value of focusing on ourselves. But these daily improvements will help us to do just that: Put our bodies first and show them some love every single day.
Compensation for this post was provided by CLEAR CARE® via Elite Daily. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of CLEAR CARE® or Elite Daily.
