Eventually, I realized my true health is all about a feeling and I wanted to feel amazing every day.
Yes, amazing, every day. For me, wellness is a feeling and it can be found in the things that make you feel fulfilled physically, spiritually and emotionally.
And, I know first hand that coming up with a new routine can seem overwhelming at first, but it is the key to your state of being.
Creating a new healthy routine is about freeing yourself from cycles that no longer serve you (force) and adopting healthy habits that make you feel peace, complete and balanced. (flow)
The fact is, if you love your routine, you'll stick with it!
If you love your meal plan, it's fun to get in the kitchen every night and if you love your new workout, you'll actually get to the gym. The other part is that if you give yourself permission to enjoy your life, there's no need to over-indulge anymore.
This took me SO long to get but the reason we "splurge" or fail on a "diet" is because we restrict our every day way of being. For example, we say no to drinks on Tuesday because it's a work night or we don't clean after work because we're tired - but saying no to fun and being tired after work is a sign that you are unbalanced. Don't get me wrong rest is important but there's a difference between being tired and uninspired.
To be "inspired" means to be "in spirit". It means you are enjoying the essence of simply being and flowing with all of your daily activities. When you are un-inspired, chances are you are booked up with tasks that no longer ignite your soul, you are no longer having fun and you are no longer "in balance" or in the flow of your routine which can leave us feeling emotionally, physically and spiritually, exhausted.
This is why building a balanced wellness routine is so important for your health, so you can get back to a state of genuinely enjoying everything you do each day! From mundane tasks to exciting tasks, there is a way to enjoy it all, we just have to find your wellness mix.
Here are my top tips to getting organized, staying balanced and taking control of your every day routine.
“Wealth is the ability to experience life fully."
1. No phones in the morning - Hit your alarm and then hide your phone. I know, it's not as easy as it sounds, especially if you have to be informed or take calls but the most important part of your morning is regaining your conscious mind and awareness.
If you are the type of person that loves to be in your burrito blanket and scroll social, there is no shame in that, just don't do it right away in the morning.
Collecting your mind and refocusing your energy for the day before it is swept away in the endless digital messages is essential to building a healthy state of mind. Take your time to collect your thoughts, each morning, through awareness. Overtime, you will naturally collect your peace, become more aware of your surroundings, your environment, your body, things to be grateful for and it is the fastest way to harness more power and focus throughout your day.
2. Find your favorite healthy workout + do it everyday
Remember: Wealth is the ability to experience life fully; so if you take care of your health, the rest takes care of itself. The main tip is to just find a workout you LOVE that makes you feel like you are taking care of yourself.
For me, the elliptical is my favorite machine and I know if I can get 45 minutes in a day, I will maintain a healthy weight. As a person who loves cooking and enjoys food, it also allows me to eat what I love without being stressed.
Finding your "stress-less" exercise is the key to your well being. I'm not talking about exercising to tone or burn calories or have this no pain no gain, there's a time and a place for that. I'm talking about an exercise that makes you FEEL the most balanced and accomplished that you know you can stick to everyday for the rest of your life. Try out zumba, hot yoga, a new gym, soul cycle, walking in nature - there are so many amazing exercises to try - but you just want to do the exercise that works for you.
From there, you can add more but finding that real base exercise is so important for your health.
Another personal tip for you, as you try news things, just pay attention to how you feel! It may sound crazy but if I was on the elliptical longer (like 60 minutes) I would feel stressed out and that would not be a manageable time for me to do every day. On the flip side, if I was on the elliptical for a shorter period of time (like 25 or 30 minutes) I wouldn't feel confident that it is keeping me in shape. So find YOUR sweet spot, it honestly only needs to make sense for you because you're the one that has to believe in it. When you feel excited about your workout, when you feel relaxed heading to the gym, when you find yourself looking forward to it, you know you've found your healthy workout.
3. Tea is the key: This is that tip I used to skip over too, but tea is so great for your body.
You get all the hydration with added essential herbs that not only detox you but also revitalize you and give you a ton of energy. If you're looking for a "natural" stress reliever, blood sugar balance , fat flush, metabolism boost or simply to hydrate- you can find it just by drinking tea a few times a day; no diet required, you can still eat and hydrate as you usually would - but tea is one of the best things you can add to your daily routine.
Here's a great tea combo: Dandelion: in the morning | Green Tea: afternoon | Chamomile: at night | Add lemon wheels + orange wheels + edible flowers
4. L-Theanine - Stressed? Tense? Feeling up-tight? That's most of us - and trust me, I've tried all the remedies you can think of, (insert xanax joke here) and all the natural remedies you can think of....the lavender balms, the essential oil sprays, the weird music stretch thing and nothing works better for your nervous system than l-theanine. I take 200mg a day in the morning and it has completed relieved my stress.
If you are looking for a natural way to de-stress your life. Try L-Theanine. You will be less stressed, more alert and focused.
5. Apple Cider Vinegar - I take BRAGGS: Apple Cider Vinegar, first thing in the morning, every morning to help balance my ph-levels, gut bacteria, digestive system and overall mood.
Overtime, I've noticed a huge difference in how I feel if I don't do this in the morning. I feel lighter, more energized and calm. I would highly recommend adding it to at least 12 ounces of water (hot or cold) with some cinnamon and lemon juice to start.
6. Take a Break - I used to glorify working through my lunch break but taking a break is essential for your mentality. Take a walk, listen to something inspiring, meditate for a few minutes, but taking a much needed break to stretch and grab some fuel is so important for your health. Don't skip on your breaks.
7. Fasting + Hydrating - I never in a million year thought I'd be able to fast but now it is so essential to most of my days. Not every day, but for the most part, I love just having a clean "hydrating" morning. So here's what I approve on my "fast" between the early morning and around 11am.
(sleeping counts as fasting) so I continue this "fast" until about 11am. From wake up - 11am: I stick to teas, coffee, water, raw fruit and raw vegetables.
When I first started losing weight, I was exhausted counting calories, at the same time I was looking to include more fruits and vegetables into my diet without it being painful or strict- so I started making breakfast a "fruit only" meal. Overtime, I began to feel so much better; lighter, energized, satisfied and my skin started to glow. This is when I did more research and I realized I was "clean eating fasting" without knowing it. There are so many ways to fast so just look up what works best for you, but if you want to eat more fruit and veggies, a "clean fast" once a week, might be a great way to get started.
Pro tip: Don't make your fast boring or stricy or painful because then you'll be sad eating your banana and you'll give up. Make it an experience, cut up strawberries and bananas, make a nice mix, add some sliced oranges or grapes. You can blend frozen fruit together for a "berry bowl" and add fruit fruit on top. It's not about being on a grapefruit diet, it's just about building a healthy, nutritious habit - so treat this as if you were making it for a toddler, add some variety and enjoy fruit in the morning once or a few times a week, it really does add up to healthier habits.
8. Cleaning Daily - Daily movement is so important but being active in your life is not just about hitting the gym, it's also about taking care of your daily tasks around the house and staying organized.
I used to prefer to relax after work and save cleaning, laundry and errands for certain days. Now I just do what needs to be done that day without over thinking it. Honestly, this will save you so much time and money in the long run. Instead of big grocery hauls, I pick up what I need as needed for the next few days. Instead of laundry piling up, I throw in a load as needed before I start dinner; even getting into a "wipe down" routine will save you from these big spring cleaning events we can sometimes get stuck doing on the weekends.
Here's a time savings time for cleaning: Put cleaning wipes under all the sinks, that way you always have access to quickly wipe something down. It sounds crazy, but I used to be on the second floor and skip wiping down a counter top or bathroom because I was just too tired from work to keep running up and down the stairs to clean. So it really does make or break you actually wiping down the upstairs bathroom versus just saving it for Saturday mornings cleaning list.
9. Hot Shower + Hot Tub - Steam is the enemy of stress. After a long day of work, working out, errands, all these activities; steam it out and go relax.
At night, always take a hot shower or hot tub to release the stress of the day; even if you're a morning shower person, steaming out the stress of your day, at the end of the day is essential to feeling better.
10. Listen To Reiki Energy Healing Music- I do this once a day. Sometimes in the A.M or at night for about 3-5 minutes. Lay down in a relaxing space and take 3 deep breaths. Put your headphones in and play this sound healing video for a few minutes or anything you may find relaxing. Here is another soothing sound healing video here
11. New book + New show + New game = Learn something new - Always do something fun at night! Whether that's looking forward to your new book because you can't wait to see what's going to happen next or your new show you're obsessed with or simply just learning something new that really excites you, having some type of daily practice that is simply FUN is a great way to stimulate your brain while you enjoy your life. Sure, we have work, hobbies, friends, family, exercise, cleaning, events and daily life all mixed in but always remember that the whole point is to live!
12. Schedule it on a weekday- Take back your week! And, schedule it on a weekday.
This is essential to balancing it all. Between busy schedules and trying to make it all work, never leave anything up to the weekends. Learn to have fun NOW. Book that massage on a Monday, schedule that dinner plan for Wednesday, say yes to event on a Saturday, book your hair appointment on a Thursday; but stop saving your "fun taco margarita" plans for Saturday, you can have fun everyday by mixing in the things you genuinely love to do during the work week.
Personal tip: Having more fun everyday, also helped me remove the "binge" mentality that I was struggling with; thinking that I could only have pizza on a cheat day or I could only drink wine on the weekends was actually causing me to overindulge. Once I began to say "yes" to life during the week, I naturally began to have more balance again and stopped overindulging in everything.
My final tip, just have fun and do what makes sense for you!
We're all different, different lifestyles, schedules, body types, personalities - and wellness is all about how YOU feel, not about how anyone else feels. I personally, love to be organized and I view health as my #1 priority so putting these items in placed every day really helped me "shape up" not just physically, but mentally and spiritually. Overtime, I naturally started to take back my days. My weeks back. My life back. And it no longer centered around just my job or just exercise or just cleaning or just insert weekend event here. One day at a time. I began to finally find balance in my routine so give this exercise below a try and see if it helps you enjoy your day.
7 Day | FEEL GOOD EXERCISE
For the next 7 days, write down your favorite part of the day, it can be anything but write down the one item that made you feel the best. For example: "I feel best when...." (or) "I felt best when...." | Another example: "I feel best when I sleep in on Saturdays"... "I felt best when I had a shake for breakfast"
At the end of the 7 days, see if you found any "matches" and then circle the items you want to keep trying in week 2.
As you begin to practice your new "feel good" items, you'll naturally begin to focus on feeling better and you will free up more energy, space and time for the things you genuinely enjoy that make you feel really well.
Hopefully you found my daily wellness tips helpful and I'll be back to post soon! :) Don't forget, you can always find me on the podcast xox - Chelsea