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And just like that we are in a new year!
Guys, this past month has been absolutely crazy! Working in the field of hospice can be very taxing on the mind and body. Not only on a day-to-day basis, but especially during the holidays, and this past month has been no exception. And I have not been doing well at all with taking care of my overall wellness. Instead, I have been just simply going with the flow of life, from morning to night, and doing the best that I could at the time just to get by.
While there is nothing wrong with this, I do believe that your best should still include some wellness basics. The mistake I made was not ensuring that I was still including these wellness basics. Instead, I was simply focused on getting through the holiday season from one day to the next (which again there is nothing wrong with that).
As a result, I experienced a decrease in satisfaction with my overall wellness. So, as we enter into the new year, I’m making a promise to myself to not only do better, but be better. And I want you to make this promise to yourself as well.
To help all of us get started on the right foot I’m going to share with you my top wellness basics tips. This is great for anyone who is looking to transform their overall wellness for the better. The best part is that these wellness basics are wellness staples that are easy to start incorporating into your daily routine.
So, without further a-do (or delay?) let’s get into the wellness basics that I swear by to get the best running jump with successfully hitting the wellness reset button.
Wellness Basics for an Improved Health
Take Your Vitamins
The one thing that I can absolutely say that I have seen such a huge difference with in my overall health with these past few years is the consistency I get from taking my daily vitamins. Now, of course there are tons of vitamins that we all could potentially take in order to improve our overall health. This includes but is not limited to vitamins A, C, D, and B, also known as essential vitamins.
Why is it important for us to take vitamins? Vitamins do wonders for our bodies. From fighting infections, wound healing, making our bones stronger, boosting our immune system, increasing our energy, and supporting healthier hair, skin, and nails. No one vitamin, nor brand, is necessarily same. While there may be some vitamins that can provide you with multiple health benefits, not all vitamins are going to impact your body the same.
This is where experimentation and patience with finding the right vitamins for your personal health becomes important. I’m not a vitamin expert and cannot provide you with a full rundown on the different types, forms, and benefits of the many different vitamins. However, I do have a basic understanding that there are vitamins that benefit our health from the inside out, like vitamins A and C, and vitamins that strictly benefit us on the inside, like vitamin B12.
As mentioned above, there are essential vitamins to consider taking daily. However, the reality of taking vitamins is that you have to take the ones that your body craves the most. Or at least take the vitamins that realistically fit your personal wellness goals.
I have spent years experimenting with vitamins, different types and textures, all in search of finding something that I believed worked the best for me. Through all my trails and errors over the years, last year I was able to finally find the perfect vitamins for me. Currently I am taking vitamins through Care/of, which I love because they have a range of different vitamins to fit all my wellness needs.
If you’re looking to get started with creating a vitamin routine in the new year, I would definitely recommend checking them out. The best part is that you can take a short quiz for a personalized vitamin routine tailored to your specific wellness goals without making any commitments. Just click this link to go take the quiz and get started.
Protein Beyond Meat
Protein is an essential nutrient our bodies need in order to work properly. Again, I cannot provide you with a complete educational breakdown about the importance of protein, but I can tell you we need it in order for our bodies to build muscles, build strength, and provide energy throughout the day. A deficiency in protein can lead to health problems such as edema, a weakened immune system, organ failure, as well as bone and muscle loss.
One source you can be sure to get a healthy amount of daily protein is from eating variety of foods. A few foods you can eat daily to ensure you are intaking protein are eggs, various nuts, Greek yogurt, all types of beans, and of course meat. However, if for whatever reason you find that you are not getting enough daily protein from eating these foods, there are other methods to help increase your protein intake.
One way I like to intake protein is through protein shakes. For the past year I have been using a plant-based protein powder (pictured above) through Care/of. On mornings when I am not able to sit down and have breakfast, I make a protein shake with this powder. This helps to ensure that I am starting my day off with a healthy amount of protein, as well as a supplement for breakfast so that I’m not starving in the morning.
Another way to ensure you are getting a healthy amount of daily protein is through cooking. Is it my favorite thing in the world to do? Absolutely not. However, a big part of ensuring you are fueling your body properly and intaking protein is by cooking clean and healthy meals. For the upcoming year I will be exploring increasing and ensuring I’m getting a healthy amount of protein daily through various cooking practices. I plan on doing this through the Blogilates Sculpt cookbook, a protein cookbook full of yummy goodies that are completely packed with protein to help you reach your wellness goals.
We will stay tuned about how well this works out for me.
Have a Fixed Diet
Last but not least be mindful of what you are eating. Your daily diet is such an important part of your overall wellness. A healthy diet consists of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats, and nuts. There are plenty of different types of diets that you can adopt. From vegetarian, to Mediterranean, low carb, and even vegan.
Personally, I don’t believe one diet fits all, and I believe it is more than ok to try new things. While I am slowly transitioning to a vegan diet, I do believe that no matter what type of diet you are pursuing, the one thing you can do to ensure you are eating clean and healthy is to have a cookbook that suits your ideal diet preferences and lifestyle. Having a cookbook on hand is a great way to increase your nutritional education about foods, and become discipline with understanding the health benefits of ingredients in various meals.
Plus, having a variety of healthy foods to cook at home comes with other health benefits such as better weight management, food safety, portion control, and you can save on money. So, as we enter into the new year consider challenging yourself to follow a specific diet for the first 30 days of the year. Go to your local bookstore, pick up a cookbook of your choice, and stick to the diet. You’d be amaze what a little bit of a commitment to your eating lifestyle can do for your overall health.
Here’s to 2024! Good health, good habits, good food, all for an improve overall wellness. I’ll be rooting for you!