Creating a healthy life that matters involves discipline, routine, some quiet time as well as getting out of your comfort zone, pursuing different fitness regimes and finding a purpose in life. Tips for your overall wellbeing.
Forever fit
Fit it in your schedule to take on a June Challenge of walking/running an hour a day come sunshine, rain or grey skies. Hit the local gym — we have some of the best in east Auckland. Work on mastering a new compound move that challenges your body, mind and spirit. Want something livelier, try Zumba or a fun aerobics workout. There are loads of dance fitness Zumba classes that make you feel energic and alive. Need something quieter and more reflective, there’s Pilates and Yoga. Adding variability to a fitness training is critical.
Mindfulness
Practise mindfulness, be silent, go within. Ditch your devices for a day. Detox from Insta, TikTok and Facebook. Check out the local meditation groups, a lot of them are free. Reflect on your day and write down any magic you witnessed today in your journal. Pay attention to the synchronicity of life.
Chant a sacred mantra, listen to feel-good podcasts, read up on aromatherapy or how crystal healing can work wonders on your wellbeing. Practice calm, gratitude and acceptance. We are spiritual beings going through a human experience on planet earth. True story!
Work those grey cells
Pick up a new language during your downtime. Join the local scrabble, chess or bridge club. Play the Word game on your phone to keep those grey cells ticking. Learn how to play a new musical instrument.
When you learn something new, the neurons involved in the learning process grow new projections and form new connections. Your brain may even produce new neurons. It’s called neuroplasticity.
Food for thought
With thousands of YouTube videos on how to whip up a wholesome meal, try your hand at cooking up a new cuisine/ a different diet that may surprise your tastebuds. Look up some Moroccan/Middle Eastern/ Mexican/Mediterranean food recipes, and voila, you may be a MasterChef in the making – apart from winning brownie points from your flatmates, friends or family members.
Change things around
Find a different route to your workplace. Perhaps a different mode of transport to work this week. If you take the elevator, try the steps. Move your furniture around and change the look of your living space. Get out of your comfort zone. Accept a moment of unease as an essential part of your development.
You are my sunshine
Get your shot of Vitamin D from early morning sunshine that stimulates your bones and gives you your daily dose of Vitamin D. Take in the light. When your skin is exposed to sunlight it makes Vitamin D from cholesterol. Vitamin D instructs the cells in the gut to absorb calcium and phosphorus—minerals essential for maintaining strong and healthy bones.
Find a purpose
The purpose of life is not only to be happy but to find meaning and contribute towards humanity in some way, however small or big it is. To be compassionate, to make a difference to people and the planet, to make your life count. Having a purpose and meaning anchors us through the tough times. It connects us to other like-minded people with similar values and allows us to understand that we need to work towards a goal that is selfless and far bigger than ourselves. It gives us a sense of wellbeing.
