10 Steps I’ve Taken To Improve My Wellness

10 Steps I’ve Taken To Improve My Wellness

 

I don’t know if it’s when you hit a certain age, you’re like, well I guess I should start taking care of myself now. Life weighs down on you, and you think, it’s time to soothe your weary mind and start treating your body a little better.

Yeah, so after having a whirlwind few years of getting engaged and planning a wedding. I now find myself living back at my mum’s house (with my new hubby) pulling together every penny we’ve got to save a ridiculously large deposit for a house. I wouldn’t exactly say things are plain sailing.

But whilst I can’t do much to change the situation just now, I can use this time to make some lifestyle changes that will improve my overall health and wellbeing. #projecthappiness #timeforachange And I have to say, after reviewing my personal wellbeing under a microscope, I’ve had to face some hard truths.

People talk about ‘wellness’ as if it’s a thing you can switch on and off.

You can’t just turn on your wellness tap, you have to go back to the water source. Wellness is a journey. And like the Great Wall of China, it is a journey with many, many steps.

To me personally, it feels like a constant battle. Good days and bad days. Treating yourself kindly verses being a cruel critic. Knowing what will help you, but not actually doing it.

There are soooo many things I know I need to do to help me be just a little bit happier and healthier.

And although I’ve got many more steps to climb, I have started my journey. I have made a few small changes that are starting to have a big impact. So I’d like to share them with you lovely people.

Wellness tips

Here are 10 things I’ve done to improve my wellness.

  1. Weekly veg and meat delivery

Is it sad that I get almost as excited to open my veg delivery box every week as I do opening a Christmas present? There’s something that feels so good about having high-quality veggies filled with goodness delivered to your door. And it actually makes you prepare healthy meals.

I’ve really been appreciating the taste of each and every meal lately because my dinners are made from top-notch ingredients – and honestly, the meat, fish and veg really does taste better. Plus, I enjoy cooking meals each week and getting creative with the different veggies we receive. We used Riverford for a while but have recently swapped to Abel and Cole.

  1. Drastically reducing red meat consumption

I’m not slamming red meat, it’s really just something personal to me. After I’ve eaten a spag bol made from beef mince or a big steak (I do lovveee steak) I usually have digestion issues. So now I’m only going to have red meat as more of a treat.

My main diet now consists of white meats like chicken and turkey plus a healthy dose of fish. If you do want to read about how red meat can impact your health, read this article. In summary it says ‘there probably won’t ever be a definitive study of red meat and mortality’ and recommends a Mediterranean style diet.

  1. Reducing alcohol intake

Oh I do love a good glass of vino. Red wine is my tipple of choice. But you know what makes wine even more enjoyable? If you don’t have it that often. Then when you do, it’s like woahh, this shizz is amazing.

I’ve recently started to notice that when I’m with friends and on social occasions, I end up drinking wayyyy more than I need to. So I’m trying to be mindful of that. And I don’t drink anything during the week. Plus, if I can go a few weekends without drinking anything at all, bravo to me.

  1. Noticing harmful ‘future’ based thoughts

This one’s a mental challenge I’ve set to help improve my wellbeing. Those darn pesky negative thoughts are a right pain in the arse. And boy can we be cruel to ourselves. My life coach, Antonio Esposito has been helping me to have more positive future thoughts.

He says if you have a negative thought regarding the future, notice it and try to swap it for something positive. Example – thinking ‘I’m stuck living at home and all my friends own enormous houses’ is not helpful. Instead I might think, ‘I’ve saved a shit load of money which I’m proud of and I’m really close to buying my own home without any help.’

  1. Ordered a new mattress

Yassss!!! Literally the best thing ever. Getting a decent mattress changes your life. We’ve had the same cheap, thin memory foam mattress which we only got as a temporary measure for four years now. So we splashed out and bought a Time for Sleep Memory Pocket 2000 mattress. We’ve had it a few months now and it’s sooo cool and comfy.

We actually stayed in an Airbnb where we loved the mattress and se we asked the owner where it was from. When you think about it, you spend HALF your life in bed, so you may as well make yourself comfortable.

  1. Complimented a healthy diet with protein

I wrote this article a little while ago about my search for the perfect protein brand. After trying a ton of brands I came across https://herfreesoul.com/ It’s made specifically for women and their vegan protein powder tastes delicious. I’m a fan of their berry flavour. So I use protein powder to make sure I’m getting enough protein and I find it’s handy in between meals and after exercise.

  1. Not exhausting myself on every workout

OK so if I’m honest this one’s a work in progress. I’ve been exercising A LOT lately (hello Crossfit, my new friend). Like six times a week, and I feel amazing. But I’m realising that as well as doing intense exercise, I need to make time for relaxing exercise too. And it’s probably not sensible to go all guns blazing on every single workout. So I’ll pick and choose which sessions I absolutely smash, and which ones I take a bit of a step back.

  1. Sought help and advice from external sources

Sometimes, outside help is needed. And if you’ve got it within your reach, why not take advantage of it? Yes I’ve got a counsellor and a life coach. No I’m not losing the plot, I’m just doing my best to constantly improve mentally. I like to check in with my counsellor once a month to process everything in a safe environment. And my life coach is helping me to work towards my #lifegoals. I can’t thank Antonio enough, he’s an absolute genius. He’s helped me to reach personal, business and fitness goals.

  1. Reading more, phone less

As I explained the other day, I’m really struggling with my phone. I’m on it way too much, and I’d like to start doing other more meaningful, useful and relaxing things instead of checking my Instagram feed 60 times a day. So when I go to bed at night, I’m trying (it doesn’t happen every time) to read instead of going on my phone. Or better still, leaving my phone outside the bedroom entirely so I can properly switch off for at least 8 hours.

  1. Reminding myself of things I’m grateful for

It’s so easy to get stuck in the ‘woe is me’ mindset. I’m guilty of it, and a lot of other people are too. When you’re feeling crap, anxious or just really down, it can be very useful to write down all the things you are grateful for. It reinforces what we have and teaches us to be thankful.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *