12 Tiny Steps Towards Wellness
There are times it feels like overhauling your entire life to achieve wellness will have the opposite effect: make you ill with the prospect of not being anywhere close to achieving your goal. Too much to revise! Too much to get rid of! Too expensive to begin!
We can’t all spend 4+ hours each day in a yoga practice or meditating or juicing the organic greens we’ve grown in our own sustainable gardens. As it turns out, small steps are the single best way to achieve bigger goals--including small, nuanced changes to a routine.
1.Do Nothing.
Seems easy enough but actually doing nothing is truly very difficult for most people. It means just sitting and being. No phone. No book. No journal. No phone. No to-do list. No phone. No dog walking. (Did we mention no phone?). Here’s the thing: doing nothing is a bit of a misnomer because disengaging is an act in itself. Even if it is 5 minutes of sitting by a window or stepping away from a screen or sitting quietly in the dark after the movie ends or before the day begins, it is 5 minutes of well-spent time. Our brains need a rest so they can be powerful for the really active stuff (like meetings or conversations or research or exercise). Just do nothing and discover the joy of bringing more calm into your life.
2.Water Yourself.
Drink one more cup of water each day. It is simple to do and takes almost no time to achieve. One more cup each day adds up. Water acts as a purifier, a stabilizer and leveler. Nothing to purchase!
3. Breathe Life.
Again, nothing to purchase and priceless wellness to be gained! Read up on our Breathing 101 article for more details, but the short version is, if you only breathe with intention for just 1 minute (just 60 seconds out of your day!) you are one step closer to wellness. Breathing with intention exercises the ever-important muscles of both the diaphragm and the brain.
4. Organic Swap.
Swap one item on your grocery list for its organic equivalent. This is, of course, assuming you are not buying everything organic at this time. If you are, please hire yourself out to shop for everyone else. If you are not, a simple organic swap can make a difference, especially when it comes to vegetables and fruits.
5. Clean Naturally.
Choose one cleaning product in your regime (whether it is used to clean your face, the floor, your dishes, your teeth or your hair) and go natural. Either make your own cleanser, window cleaner or soap or choose the natural variety at the store. Removing toxins from your space is daunting, but small changes have long-lasting benefits.
6. Sit Up.
It may not seem like a big shift, but sitting straight improves your overall health. Challenge yourself to sit up straight with good posture for the first 5 minutes of every phone call you have. Or even the first minute. One benefit (of the many!) of good posture is that when you align properly, your organs, too, get in correct alignment which helps them function properly. Your digestive system loves when you sit up straight.
7. Embrace Darkness.
Our bodies were created to function at peak wellness in accordance with our closest star. The sun is meant to dictate our waking and sleeping, though modern life allows in lots of light at any given time of day. Human cells work on restoration in the darkness. Allow your body to rest and restore by turning off or blocking light sources when you go to sleep during the night.
8. Say No.
Learn how to say, “no,” and internalize that the word “no” is a complete sentence. Nothing needs to be said or added to a “no” to make it more acceptable. Protect your time and energy by choosing your yes’s and your no’s wisely.
9. More Meatless.
If you’ve already gotten on the Meatless Monday bandwagon, add more meatless days to your week! Not only is meat more challenging for your body to break down and can cause myriad health issues down the road, the environmental effects of mass corporate farms raising animals for meat is devastating to the planet. If you’re a vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian, consider ways to support local, small, family farm operations that ethically raise vegetables and animals in a sustainable manner.
10. Stretch Out.
Simple stretching when changing from one position to another (for instance from laying in bed to getting up in the morning, or from sitting at a desk to standing) is an easy way to incorporate more wellness into your day. Stretching releases natural endorphins and when those are coursing through your body they help you relax. Endorphins also boost your mood and reduce the amount of stress in your body. An easy way to capture health.
11. Minute Moves.
One minute doesn’t seem like a long time...unless you’re holding in plank or sprinting in place. To energize the daily workouts that we know you’re already doing, Minute Moves are the ideal addition. Taking on a 1-minute routine is easier than a 1-hour routine! Try a 60-second wall sit, a 60-second plank hold, a 60-second squat, a 60-second high knees, 60-seconds of jumping jacks or any exercise that you’d like to add to your wellness routine.
12. Simple Servings.
After your groceries are on your counter, take 10 minutes to prep some simple servings of fruit and vegetables that are easy to grab when you feel snacky. Celery sticks, grapes, cut carrots, cucumber slices and more are easier to snack on when they’re easier to grab. Never a bad time to add more fruits and veggies to the fridge menu!
Wellness is achieved in such varied ways. It also looks different from person to person. Try all of these 12 tiny steps to wellness, or just take on one new challenge each week! If you do, in three months you may have achieved these wellness milestones:
better circulation
better snack options
better posture
stronger muscles
wiser answers
more calm
less meat
more hydration
better breathing
deeper sleep
safer home
more intention
We suggest boosting your different approaches to wellness with the following Breatherapy aromatherapy tabs:
