Taking Care Of Yourself

"Take care of yourself". 

We hear these words so much in our day to day lives but do we actually ever take any notice of it or are we all on autopilot?

Recently I’ve been on a massive health kick, both mentally and physically.

I’ve made some subtle and some dramatic changes to my daily routine and my overall lifestyle after getting fed up with how my health was deteriorating.

Here are the ways in which I’ve made a change and I hope that maybe it might inspire you to make any changes you have been considering for you to also take care of yourself.

Taking a multivitamin

Such a simple thing to do that takes absolutely minimal effort. I find it really hard to get all the right vitamins and minerals that I need to get my body in good working order, I have a fairly low immune system so this is a way to know that I have a base of good stuff going in. I do not use it as a substitute though. I still try and consume healthy food and drink but at least I know that I have that to fall back on if I happen to have a bad day. But we should never rely on them alone.

Yoga

I have become an absolute yoga addict! I always had this vision of being one of those healthy healthy fitness freaks who just loveeee to do yoga but every time I tried it in the past it would last a week and I’d be bored. The key to yoga is routine. You have to keep it up to reap the benefits. I’ve been doing yoga every single night and if I can fit two sessions in one day I will. I did yoga when I woke up this morning and I’ll do it again this evening before bed. The way that I’ve managed to make it routine is by taking it easy. I simply go on YouTube and type in 15 minute yoga and there is a huge selection of videos to try out. It's not all the same, you can choose targeted body parts that you want to work on. The thing I love about yoga is that you feel so relaxed whilst doing it and although you can feel the stretches, it’s quite a toned down chilled out exercise which focuses heavily on breathing and stretching but you sure feel it afterwards. It just seems like an easier type of exercise to fit in if you already have a hectic lifestyle. It fits around my work schedule perfectly and I'm noticing huge improvement in the tightness of my muscles.

Correcting my posture

By doing yoga and simply being more aware of my posture I’m improving it. Because I’m quite an anxious person naturally I tend to hold a lot of tension in my shoulders which hunches my back over and I’ve been wanting to fix it for ages. Now I set myself little goals like stand absolutely straight for the next ten minutes. Or while I’m walking to work, don’t slouch at all and keep your head high. The yoga I’m doing focuses on your posture too. Hopefully after a while it will just come natural to sit up straight rather than curling over. I always sleep like a foetus and that’s no good for your posture too so I’ve been making more of an effort to sleep on my back with a pillow underneath my knees. Apparently that helps?

Meditation

Alongside being a yoga addict for my physical heath, I have also become a meditation addict for my mental health. One thing I never found helpful for my anxiety was breathing exercises but I think you really have to be open minded with meditation. I really recommend apps like Calm, Headspace and my personal favourite Simple Habit. They have short 5 minute meditation sessions where you just sit, relax and listen to what you're told to do. A lot of it is breathing but the more you do it, the more helpful it becomes. I have felt SO MUCH CALMER since I’ve been meditating and I know my loved ones would say the same thing! Such a huge difference and I truly do put it down to meditating twice a day. I actually wake up excited for my day, simply to meditate. This is something sustainable that I can see myself doing religiously for the foreseeable future. I’m really really enjoying it. Simple Habit also tracks how long you’ve been meditating for which is super helpful if you want to keep track of it!

Saving money

As I’m sure a lot of you have noticed I’ve been working all the hours under the sun recently. It's been getting ridiculous so that’s my next step on things to change but for now it’s been great for saving money. I won’t go into how much I’ve managed to save over the past year but it’s more than I thought possible. This really helps any mental health issues because worrying about money definitely can take it’s toll on your health. Knowing I have a back up of emergency money is always good for keeping me calm because I see it as one less thing to worry about. It’s worth breaking your back working all the hours if you can secure yourself a home and money for food and have that knowledge that if things went tits up that you can look after yourself.

Doctors

If you have an issue that needs fixing, mentally or physically and you cannot cure it yourself, go to the doctors. I have an appointment with my doctor to talk about my mental health and meanwhile I am taking my anti-depressants and this keeps me sane. I don’t want to rely on medication or have it long-term but short-term it’s working wonders and so why not? It’s one of the many ways I’m taking care of myself.

Keeping the house clean

A tidy home is a tidy mind. I recently moved house and it took me forever and a day to get everything unpacked and in place because I never seemed to be getting any days off to crack on with it. I’ve only recently properly got everything sorted and it’s still a struggle to keep up with the bloody housework when I’m working so much but now that I have more energy from my new fitness kick, I am making more of an effort to keep on top of it. It feels more like a home now.

Keeping to your hygiene routine

By this I mean always making sure you stick to a routine morning and night. We all have those one off lazy days where you think meh…can’t be arsed to moisturise tonight, I’m too tired but it’s those little things that make me feel more human. The simple things like putting my eye cream on makes me feel like I have my life together. It does wonders for your skin too giving you more confidence. Therefore making you happier day to day.

Getting out and about

One thing I’m guilty of is never leaving the house. I'm always at work or in the flat. I never seem to have days out and it’s something I need to change. I recently went for a deep explore into Cornwall and found this hidden little gem, a beach that was completely empty on a ridiculously sunny day. It was the best day ever. It encouraged me to get out and about more. Sometimes fresh air is all you need. I’m such a nature lover and just sitting on the edge of the waterside and watching the boats go by is one of my favourite things to do. It seems such a shame that I live in such a picturesque place and yet I don’t take advantage of it’s beauty.

Sun exposure

Speaking of getting out and about, another benefit this time of year is all the sun! I’ve been LOVING it. This will surprise a lot of people too because I am notorious for staying indoors all of summer because I hate it. Wasps and stuff. The fact I burn so so easily puts me off but this year I’ve built up some intolerance to burning and I’ve been getting my daily dose of vitamin D. It’s amazing how much energy the sun can give you and it helps you sleep better too, granted it’s not too hot and sticky! The important thing to remember is your SPF. I’ve been wearing factor 20 while it’s been hot and on the really ridiculous days I’ve been wearing factor 30 and I’ve still managed to get a nice tan. So many people have been saying how well I look! Not only do I have some colour in my cheeks, the sun has cleared my skin too!

Sleep

I’ve had a much better sleep routine since moving into my new flat. I’m usually in bed by 10.30pm which is huge for me. We all know I’m the one to stay up till 4am but I’ve sorted it out lately. I have more energy throughout the day and don’t nap as much as I used to. However when I can get a lie in between all my shifts I do take advantage. I didn’t get up till 2pm today. Do I give a damn? I surely do not.

Seeing friends

I’ve been a lot more sociable lately and been out with my friends more. Nights out, meals, trips to the local and it’s been really nice making summer memories. Living alone can be very lonely (believe it or not :’) ) and so I’m making more of an effort to make plans with my nearest and dearest. It’s good for the soul.

Quit drinking

This isn't something you have to do. Just something I want to do. I've never been a big drinker. We all tend to drink a bit more when the sun is out and this summer I've drank more than I usually would and all it did was make me emotional so I'm just giving up. Not a big deal and super easy when I was never a big drinker anyway. 

Fruit smoothies

I’m crap at eating my fruit and veg. I mean really appalling so I’ve been having so many smoothies. You have to be careful because a lot of them are full of sugar but if you get all natural ones without additives it’s a great way to get a lot of fruit. You can even try making your own! It’s a nice little easy hack to getting your 5 a day.

Eating more and eating healthier

Working so many hours has caused me to lose weight so I’ve been eating as much as I can and picking the right foods for my goals. Lots of carbs and protein. After my yoga sessions I always have a protein shake. I’m currently loving my rhubarb and custard MyProtein impact whey powder and I mix it with creatine monohydrate to bulk me up a bit quicker. I’m still in progress with my weight gain and so I’ll share results with that when I’m happy with myself.

I hope this has been a helpful list of ways to make your daily routine a bit 'happier and healthier'

I'm hoping to add more fitness posts to my blog, as well as travel posts. Let me know if there's anything in particular you want to see! 

Take care,