Mind-Body Health Tips to Support New Habits
Easy does it. But do it.
January 2022. A brand-new year. Are you pressuring yourself to “change it all” in 2022? Get the mind-body health focus going? We tend to go a bit overboard – “I’m going to get fit, so I need to go to the gym (or do yoga, or run) every day for at least an hour.” If you’ve had a good habit of regular workouts and just want to increase your time, that’s probably less overwhelming than if you’ve had no exercise routine.
Starting something new that’s completely foreign to your mind and body can be challenging. Sometimes, we tire ourselves out early on, or go too strong, too quickly, and either a) injure ourselves, or b) get frustrated and quit. It’s almost like self-sabotage. So, what’s the answer?
The best way to avoid self-sabotage is to create “do-able for you” goals. Not the goals that your next-door neighbor, co-worker, or partner have, but the ones that work best for your personal mind-body health. So here are a few tips to creating good ones that we all can do, no matter our starting point.
Christopher’s “Easy 3” Mind-Body Health Tips
- Try to move 7 days per week. Whether it’s walking 10 minutes per day, doing a few sun salutation cycles each morning, 50 bodyweight squats, jumping rope for 5 minutes, 10 sprints, 50 pushups, or a combination of all of them. Just move each day, consistently and mindfully. Two keys for success are to 1) make the goal small to start with so that you don’t feel overwhelmed, and 2) build specific time slots in your calendar and make that time non-negotiable.
- Hydrate – try to drink half your body weight in ounces per day. If you weigh 150lbs, then drink 75oz of water per day. (Not coffee, tea, sodas, or fruit juice.) Use a cup or bottle that helps track intake easily, so you know that you’ve hit your daily goal.
- Improve your sleep hygiene. Go to bed at the same time every day and expose yourself to the sun or bright lights immediately upon waking. After your evening meal, keep lights as dim as possible, with zero electronics or lights on in the bedroom while sleeping. Remember: No screen time within 1 hour of sleep, and no food within 3 hours of bedtime.
Keep in mind that consistency is the key to establishing a habit. Good or bad. Be true to you and your holistic health needs, not someone else’s.
Are you ready to explore holistic health? A Nutrition-Centered program that’s specific to your mind-body health? Let’s talk.
Christopher Horan is a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor (CFNC) through the Functional Nutrition Alliance, as well as a longtime Certified Rolfer (CR). His practice offices are in Tacoma and Bellevue, Washington.