10 Little Things that Lead to a Happier, Healthier You
Thursday, April 29, 2010
When trying to improve your personal health and happiness, sometimes big steps, like starting a new diet or exercise plan, can feel overwhelming and daunting. This spring season, we’re celebrating the little things we can do that add up to make a huge difference in bettering ourselves and our health, wellness and happiness!
TwitterMoms and Tropicana Trop50 have teamed up to bring you a "Spring Renewal" blogging program, asking for the "10 Little Things that Lead to a Happier, Healthier You."
This is a topic that I could spend forever on because it's something toward which I've spent working the last couple of years.
These are the 10 things I do for a healthier, happier ME:
- Choose Food Wisely: Sometimes we don't even realize it until we change it, but diet plays a big part in our happiness as well as our health.
- Sleep: This can be a tough one, especially for Moms, but getting a minimum of 8 hours of sleep each night allows the body to "reset." And resetting is something we all NEED!
- Nix Negativity: Other people and situations can bring you down too. I found that by eliminating negative people and situations that were causing me stress (where possible) did a lot for improving my mood. And since we know that stress often presents itself with physical symptoms, 86'ing the negativity factors can also improve overall health.
- Sunshine: Whether it's spending time in direct sunlight or throwing open the curtains to let it in, sunshine is an AWESOME happy stimulator.
- Exercise: I personally prefer Zumba and Wii Fit for exercising, but no matter how you choose, exercise not only burns calories but produces endorphins that are proven to improve our moods.
- Get Your Groove On: Okay, so maybe it goes hand in hand with exercising, but have you ever just listened to a song and began feeling more upbeat? When I'm feeling a little down, I'm prone to put on Kenny Chesney Live and let go!
- Talk it Out: The more reserved probably won't find this helpful, but I've personally found just spending fifteen minutes "letting it all hang out" goes a long way for destressing. I talk to my husband, my best friend, or - yes, I admit it - I even talk to myself. :)
- Cleanliness is Next to Godliness: Clutter and dirt can affect mood as well as health. While I'm not a cleaning fanatic like my mother - gotta love her, after 20 years her house looks like it's never been lived in...lol - I do try to get clutter to a minimum, dust, sweep, vacuum, mop, and keep the bathrooms clean. And I feel so much better when those things are done.
- Have a Little Faith: Knowing we're not alone in times of struggle, feeling as though there is something greater than us, has been shown to promote both healthiness and happiness.
- All Work and No Play Makes You a Very Dull Person, Indeed: As Moms, are lives are constant go-go-go, centered around the children. And that's great, but sometimes we all need a little "Me Time." I find a little time each day to read, watch a sitcom, or just do nothing. Just a few minutes in a day to do something I want to do can give me that second wind needed to get through the rest of the day. Try it!
I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Tropicana Trop50 blogging program to be eligible to win 6 free Juicy Rewards points and a $30 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
Sign up the Tropicana Juicy Rewards Program and use coupon code TWMOM-READR (worth one Juicy Rewards point – that’s up to $5 in savings) free prizes and super discounts!This one-time use code is valid for new accounts ONLY. Must be entered within 6 hours of creating your account. Limit one new account bonus code per new account. All accounts must be created and all codes entered by May 7, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST.
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