In our opinion, showing your body self care and making healthy lifestyle choices is the highest form of self love. While Valentine’s Day is usually about showering your partner with care and affection, how about this year you also spread some of that love your way?
Start your day with an uplifting morning wellness regime, and end your day by unwinding with relaxing rituals. A positive morning wellness routine sets the tone for the day to come. Think about what you can do to nourish your mind, body, and soul. Maybe for you that means a healthy breakfast, a ten minute meditation, and a 30 minute walk in the park. Choose activities that invigorate you and make you excited to get the day started.
We all lead busy lives, so prioritize soothing, low stress routines in the evening that will help you prepare for a great night’s sleep. Get off your screens, take a hot bath, jot down a few moments from the day that you’re grateful for, or read a book. Again, don’t force yourself to do something you don’t enjoy (even if it’s the trendy thing to do right now). Tune in to what makes YOU feel chilled out and de-stressed.
Connect with both yourself and others. Spending mindful time with both yourself and others can have a most powerful impact on your mental health. Tap into your goals, desires, and emotions. Check in with yourself frequently - either through meditation, journaling, or mindful movement like walking or yoga.
Maintaining connections with loved ones can often go to the wayside when things get busy. A simple text or phone call to those most important to you goes a long way, both in their day and yours! As well, don’t forget to connect with your community. Volunteering has been proven to reduce stress and increase positive emotions.
Give your body some love with daily movement and recovery. The CDC recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate activity every week. When you break that down, that’s about 20-25 minutes per day. Make moving daily a habit, even if some days that just looks like an easy walk or gentle Pilates. In general, avoid sitting for long periods of time if you can help it. If you work a desk job, get up often to stretch and get your blood flowing.
On days where you exercise to a higher intensity, make sure you prioritize your post-workout recovery. Recovery is often overlooked, but it’s a key part of self care and health in general.
Set boundaries with others to achieve your health goals. Sometimes self love means telling other people “no”, and that’s okay. Boundary-setting is an important skill we all have to learn. Assess your lifestyle and see if there are any areas that need improvement. One example - is work a constant source of stress and anxiety? Establish a rule with yourself that you won’t check emails past 8pm.
Another example? Often our social lives and boozy nights out with friends can derail our health goals. Maybe you’re trying to get higher quality sleep, reduce your alcohol intake, or improve your diet. While it is tough, you may have to set boundaries on certain activities. Remember, this shouldn’t feel like a punishment, you’re putting your health and yourself first!
Nourish your body with whole foods, good hydration, and supplements. Prioritize getting as many of your calories as you can from real, whole ingredients vs. processed foods. Shopping organic is important, but not always feasible in every area or at every budget. In this case, follow the EWG’s Dirty Dozen to help you figure out what to prioritize.
Supplements are also an important part of nourishing your body. In today’s modern world, even the most perfect whole food diet can be lacking in key nutrients. As well, we are exposed to so many toxins and pollutants, even with a “clean” lifestyle. In 2023, this simply can’t be 100% avoided. Boosting your NAD+ and glutathione levels is something easy you can do to optimize your health and boost your body’s detox functions. Recovery+ uses bioavailable precursors to increase NAD+ and glutathione in the body. By nourishing yourself with a simple daily drink, you can improve energy levels, optimize cellular function, and get better sleep, all while detoxing from the pollutants and stressors of modern life.