How to Improve Your Health and Wellness
Health is one of my top priorities because I have been paralysed, had multiple surgeries, complicated pregnancies and so on.
Experiencing extreme illness, disease or disability makes you truly appreciate your health and do what you can to improve it.
Prevention is better than cure so anything you can do now to improve your health and wellness is much better than trying to fix things when you are sick, injured or worse.
For this article, health and wellness is about the physical aspects. I have covered tips for mental health in another article.
Nutrition, sleep, movement etc are all covered.
What is Your Why?
Why does health and wellness matter to you?
What are the specific goals you have or things you want to improve.
For me, as the mother of a large, blended mixed race family who is almost 40 and about to have my fifth biological child (unexpected but super excited) and someone who has faced extreme health issues before, my reasons/points of focus are:
– Increase longevity and quality of life as I age. I want to be here as long as I can in a healthy capacity for my kids and any children they might have.
– Movement such as flexibility and mobility because if I don’t take care of things now, I won’t be a healthy, mobile 70+ year old.
– Travel and life experiences. I want to continue to experience life and give my kids amazing memories.
– Family history issues including cancer, stroke, heart attack etc that can be avoided with a focus on health.
Because those are my areas of focus, I know the areas in my life that require me to learn more and make changes.
Take the time to work out your reason why and what you want to focus on.
Then pick one thing and make incremental changes so they stick.
1. Prioritize Sleep
The general recommendation is 7 to 9 hours a night but the quality of your sleep matters as well.
How much sleep you specifically need can be different and it isn’t only the time spent asleep, it is the quality and the sleep stages.
How active you are during the day, how emotionally charged the day was, and numerous other factors can impact your quality of sleep as well as how much you need to recover.
Sleep is crucial for our bodies to recover, our memories to lock in and various other things.
My sleep has been an issue most of my life so I looked at everything I could and made changes to improve it.
A few basics such as a great mattress that suits you and your needs, quality linen, the right pillow for your sleep position make a huge difference.
The temperature in your room, air flow and overall fell all impact it too.
Make your room a sanctuary, somewhere you can relax easily and that you are not doing work in, scrolling on social media or anything similar.
Read my 5 tips for dealing with sleep deprivation and 8 tips to improve your sleep.
What Improved My Sleep
The article above covers it all in more detail but here are a few things.
A Fitbit Charge 5 to track everything and make adjustments. I chose this one specifically because it was recommended due to my heart issues.
A diffuser and this spray (and oil) to assist with a gentle relaxing atmosphere.
Silk pillowcase, bonnet and eye mask, for both comfort and to improve my skin and hair.
Sleep music (this helps my kids sleep faster and better too).
Take magnesium glycinate to help with sleep. Check with your health professional first.
Indoor plants, I love them throughout my house in general but there are specific ones that are fantastic for the bedroom.
Once my teens started doing all of this, they slept much better too, although since they have Polynesian hair they use larger bonnets.
My younger kids love being part of it and doing skincare etc before too. They have their own eye masks and take care of all their sleep things well.
2. Exercise Regularly
Being active doesn’t have to mean hours at the gym, it’s about movement, increasing cardio, strength, mobility, endurance and enjoying it.
Find exercise you enjoy but also look for activities that will increase your strength and that increase your heart rate.
Personally, I enjoy doing weights a few times a week, cardio such as dance, yoga for mobility and being active outside.
I aim for 10,000 steps a day (preferably 15,000) on top of whatever workout I do.
At first this seemed to be excessive but I noticed my overall health improved with that level and doing housework, taking my kids where they need to go plus a little extra covered that many steps.
Activities such as hiking or bushwalking, swimming, snorkelling, diving, stand up paddleboarding, playing at the park etc are all things we enjoy as a family.
Exercise is part of my morning routine. On days I don’t exercise I feel less energetic and achieve less.
3. Drink Plenty of Water
How much water you need depends on your size and what you do throughout the day.
Most of us are not drinking enough water and while the general recommendation has been at least 2L of water, drinking 3 to 4L (about a gallon) is better.
Our bodies are mostly water so being dehydrated impacts everything, including our decision making ability.
I use a few drink bottles as I like my water fridge cold, so I rotate them throughout the day e.g this insulated one.
By working out first thing in the morning, I have usually had 1L before breakfast and 2 to 3L by lunch time.
Drinking more during the morning and early afternoon helps prevent getting up in the night as I drank too much water too late.
4. Eat Whole, Nutrient-Dense Foods
Growing up pasta dishes or meat and 3 vegetables were the common meals.
They can be good but there are better ways to eat and improve your health.
Eating a variety of foods, learning about protein, fibre and other nutrients, adding things such as kimchi for the probiotics and improve gut health all matter.
I shared changes I made in how I got pregnant despite PCOS.
I watched a few documentaries, read books and podcasts, spoke with my doctor and implemented changes under medical supervision.
A few of the things I watched and read include:
Live to 100 which is a Netflix series and there are books about it e.g the recipe book with 100 recipes, you can do the 4 week challenge or read The Blue Zones Secrets for Living Longer from the Healthiest Places on Earth.
While I haven’t live The Blue Zones lifestyle exactly, I know from looking at pictures and my mental health at the time, when I lived more simply in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, I was slimmer, fitter and happier. Eating local fresh produce, a wide variety of it, walking everywhere even in the heat, a strong community etc. And my family there are Seventh Day Adventists, so it all helped and was similar to The Blue Zones.
Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut was a book first, based on some interesting research and later a Netflix series. I loved that when I went to apply it, we already ate a variety, including 30 to 50 different types of vegetables/fruits/seeds/nuts/legumes etc and fermented foods.
Before making any drastic lifestyle changes or taking any supplements, please seek professional advice from a doctor.
You can also work with other medical practitioners such as naturopaths, dieticians, psychologists and so on, but start with your GP and keep a record of everything.
5. Manage Stress with Mindfulness or Meditation
I know I said the focus is physical but I wanted to touch on this because most of my physical symptoms were issues due to my stress levels.
Meditation doesn’t have to be sitting down and chanting.
There are many ways you can incorporate mindfulness and meditation through breathing, apps that guide you and simply being present.
Read 15 mindfulness tips for beginners to help you incorporate it into your daily life.
I love walking on the beach, we live close enough that I hear the waves all the time as well. When I feel overwhelmed I can close my eyes and focus on the waves.
Guided meditation and be beneficial or looking up mindfulness tips specific to whatever you are facing is useful.
The more you practice it when you are already calm, the easier it is to do when you need it.
6. Get Regular Check-Ups and Screenings
I have an amazing doctor and have a full check-up every year plus the other things such as a pap smear and tests that are less often than annually.
Do this asap so you have a health baseline that can be referred to in the future.
It also helps you know what changes to make, anything you might be at risk for and catch things early.
Prevention is better than cure so being aware of anything you are predisposed to and monitoring your health will go a long way to ensuring a healthy life.
It is these regular checks that guide my health choices, especially food and supplements.
Finding the right health professionals is crucial for this to be successful.
I know that isn’t easy so ask other people for recommendations and don’t be afraid to “shop around” to find the one you connect with.
In my medical centre, I am lucky that there are 3 who are amazing with my kids and I. There are a few I would never recommend to anyone, but to find 3 is unreal.
7. Reduce Sugar, Processed Foods and Alcohol
Cutting these things out or reducing them can feel difficult at first but you will feel the difference fairly quickly.
When we started cutting back on these foods, we noticed our tastes changed.
Cutting out alcohol gave us back so much life. We slept better and our focus improved drastically, we had more patience and life in general was easier.
I know when I drink alcohol I do not get a deep sleep and my anxiety or depression increases the next day.
The biggest thing I hate about it is who I parent. A day after any alcohol I definitely have less patience, feel sluggish and am not my best self which is not fair on my kids.
So to me, no amount of alcohol is worth it.
With processed foods, we all feel better reducing or limiting them.
The behaviour of my younger kids is impacted greatly by lots of processed foods.
We feel hungrier because the processed food is not as filling, more agitated as a result and it impacts our achievements.
Read these tips to break bad habits, not just alcohol but other habits too.
How I Reduced Sugar, Processed Foods and Energy Drinks
Improving my sleep and sticking to my morning routine helped immensely but there were also a few swaps I made.
Energy drinks were swapped out for flavoured water or multivitamins or kombucha. My favourite kombuchas are this passionfruit one and this lemon and raspberry one.
Reading labels and getting to know what is in my food plus shopping less at the supermarket and more at small businesses, farmers markets etc.
For example, I buy my kimchi from Spiralz Fermented Foods (the hot one is my favourite).
The more I learnt about health, nutrition and longevity, the less I wanted processed or sugary foods.
8. Take Breaks from Screens and Social Media
Check your screentime on your phone.
That alone is enough to shock most people but think about all the time you spend behind a laptop or at a desk for work and streaming things on the TV.
We spend most of the day watching screens and using social media.
Take a break, try new things and see what a difference it makes to your mental and physical health.
Try doing a 1 month detox from it all or limit yourself to 1 hour a day and see how you feel plus how much more time you have for other things.
Instead of scrolling, do 10 squats, star jumps, push ups or burpees. Read 1 to 10 pages of an actual book, go outside and play with your kids, start learning a language.
Think about what goals you have and how you can use them to take a break instead of scrolling.
9. Develop a Consistent Morning and Nighttime Routine
Getting up at 5am might not be for everyone but I know when I do and I complete my full routine the way I want to, my whole day goes so much better.
My morning routine can be found here and even if I only get to do each thing for 1 minute because I needed to sleep in, it helps.
Evenings can be more chaotic because my younger kids tend to be asleep when I am doing my morning routine but in the evening, they need to be bathed, read stories etc.
You can find my evening routine here and tips to make evenings easier.
10. Listen to Your Body and Rest When Needed
This is one of the most important things I have incorporated into my life.
As someone who had major health issues, including paralysis, I know how important it is to listen to my body.
Sometimes I need sleep that morning more than I need to workout, other times I need more time to stretch or I need to do yoga in the evening to help me wind down.
Listen to your body, fuel it with nutritious food, rest as needed, improve your sleep and take care of your mental health too.
Resources
Here are all the articles, books and other resources mentioned in this article.
5 tips for dealing with sleep deprivation and 8 tips to improve your sleep
A Fitbit Charge 5
A diffuser and this spray
Silk pillowcase, bonnet and eye mask
Magnesium glycinate
My morning routine
Insulated drink bottle
How I got pregnant despite PCOS
Live to 100 and the books, the recipe book with 100 recipes, you can do the 4 week challenge or read The Blue Zones Secrets for Living Longer from the Healthiest Places on Earth
Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut
15 mindfulness tips for beginners
Tips to break bad habits
Multivitamins
Kombucha: this passionfruit one and this lemon and raspberry one
Kimchi: Spiralz Fermented Foods
My morning routine
My evening routine