Personal Wellness Routines for Everyday Life

Definition of Wellness

Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices towards a healthy and fulfilling life. Wellness is more than being free from illness; it is a dynamic process of change and holistic growth.

Dimensions of PERSONAL wellness: Change your habits, change your life

People often think about wellness in terms of physical health, nutrition, exercise, weight management, etc, but it is much more than that. Wellness is a holistic approach of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, fueling the body, engaging the mind, and nurturing the spirit. Although it always includes striving for health, it’s more about living a fulfilling life, and is “a lifestyle and a personalized approach to living life in a way that… allows you to become the best version of yourself that your potentials, circumstances, and fate will allow”.

Wellness necessitates good self-stewardship, for us and for those we care about and who care about us. For those in the helping professions, such as Doctors, nurses, etc wellness is a professional as well as personal responsibility. 

Wellness covers 8 mutually interdependent dimensions: physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, financial, and environmental. Attention must be given to all the dimensions, as neglect of any one over time will affect the others, and ultimately one’s health, well-being, and quality of life. They do not, however, have to be equally balanced. We should aim, instead, to strive for a “personal harmony” that feels most real to us. 

Dimensions of wellness

Making the right choices for health and well-being can be very challenging. Although we know what is good for us and how we can do — and be — better, we may not act on it, or if we do, we may, in due course, slide back to known ways. Human behavior — what we do, how we do it, and whether we will succeed — is influenced by many factors, 2 of which are of particular relevance when it comes to wellness which is self-regulation and habits.

Self-regulation is “our ability to direct our behavior and control our impulses so that we meet certain standards, achieve certain goals, or reach certain ideals” The challenge is self-regulation requires mental energy, and the brain is always looking for ways to conserve energy (i.e., save effort) 

Habits are very powerful. With about 40% of our everyday behavior repeated in the form of habits, they shape our very existence, and ultimately, our future which is key to wellness. Habits very much influence health, well-being, and quality of life and to improve these, you need to change your habits for the better which will change your life for better.

Wellness is a dynamic, ever-changing, fluctuating process .It is a lifestyle, a personalized approach to living life in a way that allows you to become the best version of yourself.

Here are few routines one should follow in Everyday life for their Personal Wellness:

Kitchen Tips

1. Eat One Green Food per Day

Eating one green vegetable per day or one leafy green is a great way to get you healthier in the kitchen without doing too much. It can be a cup of broccoli at dinner or Spinach vegetable… Anything counts, just make sure it’s green, natural, and from the soil. These foods provide us with more nutrition than any other food. They alkalize our bodies, promote mental wellness, and protect us from various diseases.

2. Drink a Glass of Water When You Wake Up

A new health practice that many observe, drinking water is essential to hydrating your body first thing when you wake up after a night long fast. It is an excellent way to flush out your body first thing to keep you regular, a key part of staying healthy. Remember, your body contains and needs more water than most of us realize. Make sure you give it enough, starting first thing — even before the coffee!

3. Ditch the Sugary Food

Sugary foods are not part of a healthy diet, mostly because they’re processed, void of nutrients, and can be addictive. Instead of choosing something with sugar, have an apple, some berries, and fresh fruits or just enjoy sweet veggies like carrots instead.  Sugar ages your skin, messes with your digestion, makes you moody, lethargic and doesn’t satisfy your appetite. Ditch it; you’ll feel better in no time!

Activity Tips

4. Aim to get in a 20-30 Minute Walk or Jog

This sounds difficult but is easier than we all think. Getting up just 30 minutes earlier in the morning will give you time to get in a good walk or jog. If you like to run, even better, but walking is beneficial too. Moving first thing in the day boosts your serotonin levels, gives energy to the body, and also helps you focus better throughout the day. It is also a great way to improve your metabolism to help manage your weight.

5. Spend a Little Time outside Daily

Take a stroll around your neighborhood or walk through a local park each day if you live close by. If you have a dog, take them for a ten minute spin down the street. Or, maybe you have the option to exercise outside — do it; it’s rejuvenating compared to indoor treadmills! Being active outside, even just for a few minutes, is a great way to enlighten your spirits without even trying. It puts you in touch with nature, which can actually benefit our brains, prevent depression, and exposes us to the most natural source of vitamin D available to us: the sun.

6. Try Yoga

While not everyone may enjoy yoga, its many benefits are so profound that we should all at least try doing the simple asana. It’s actually just a fluid way of moving your body, stretching everything out, and being kinder to your body through movement or postures. While weight training at the gym is great for pumping muscles, yoga is a nice change of pace that reduces cortisol level in the body. This lowers stress around the clock and reduces insulin spikes that are caused by high cortisol levels. 

Mind and Mood tips

8. Eat Good Fats

Healthy fats are promotes a healthy mood. Healthy fats also promote good heart health, and reduces cholesterol .Go for raw coconut, avocados, almonds, walnuts, acai fruit, flax seeds, cashews, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds or tahini, pecans, and olives. 

9. Ditch the Negative Self Talk

Consistently telling yourself reasons why you can’t do something, don’t deserve something, are never going to get you where you want to be or deserve. Ditch the negative self-talk and start creating positive messages instead. When you change your mindset, you have the ability/power to change your life. This is one of the most important things that everyone can do for better mood and mental health daily.

Lifestyle Tips

10. Get Social

We are all social creatures by nature.  Corresponding with others can relieve stress, enhance our mood, and even promote long life. Even just spending time with friends, family, or chatting with someone at the gym or the office is an important way to fulfill your social needs daily.

11. Learn to Love Sleep

Sleep is a gift which is as important as the food on our plate and our exercise habits. It’s the time of the day that our body resets itself, detoxifies, and allows us to be able to triumph over the next day ahead. Depression, weight gain, stress, and sugar cravings can all occur when we don’t get enough rest. 

12. Bring Energy in a Room Instead of Taking it away

No matter what is going on in our lives, one of the most important things we can all do is bring energy, not take it away. This means maintaining a positive outlook and energy towards life no matter what the situation is. This is important for our health, along with the wellbeing of others around us. If everyone practiced this regularly, the world would like be a more energetic, happier and peaceful place. 

Remember, wellness is a gift you choose to give yourself that begins with one simple choice after another. It’s never too late to start your wellness journey.

References :

https://shcs.ucdavis.edu/wellness/what-is-wellness

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5508938/

https://www.rwu.edu/undergraduate/student-life/health-and-counseling/health-education-program/dimensions-wellness