Every Day Self Care and "Me Time"Self care is imperative for weight loss and wellness. Everyone leads a busy life and finds it nearly impossible to fit in some "Me Time" -- time for taking care of yourself. Time to infuse your mind, body and spirit with calm, focusing only on yourself and your wellbeing. Time for exercise, meditation, pampering, reading, or engaging in a hobby that you love. Self care is very important when wellness and weight loss are priorities.
Failure to spend time each day nurturing and taking care of your own needs gradually leads to stress induced illness such as high blood pressure, fatigue, irritability, digestive problems, and other illness that escalates by being constantly stressed and ignoring the initial symptoms of a problem. Most often, these things come on slowly so they don't get your attention until they begin to spin out of control and you become sick.
Try and find at least 10 minutes each morning, upon getting out of bed to do some stretching and cardio. Take a 20 minute walk at lunchtime or find a quiet place to do a simple exercise routine that will get your heart rate up. If you have errands to run, park far enough away to get in some fast-paced walking. Or hit the gym; even 30 minutes of weight training or treadmill will help you reach your goal of self care and weight loss. If "Me Time" is new to you, start slowly and work up to an effective routine. It is proven that even 20 minutes of exercise or activity will have a positive effect on your health over time.
Another part of taking care of yourself includes calm, quiet, reflective time where you can let go of the craziness of your day and just breathe and relax. You may like listening to music, or meditating, or reading something that is uplifting and inspirational. It is important to try different ways of self care, learning what works best for you. Take a few minutes and sit down with pen and paper and write some ideas that come to mind about how you can fit in your "Me Time". Think about simple, basic things to start with, such as stretching, listening to music, walking, meditating. When taking care of YOU becomes natural, enhance it with bigger goals. Maybe you've always wanted to play tennis or ice skate. Or maybe swimming and gardening are more your style. Find what you love and make it a part of your life.
Wellness is all about being prepared and having a plan. Put "Me Time" on the calendar and make it as important as all the things you do for others. Although you may never find perfection, strive for a stress-free approach in your life and you will be very pleasantly surprised at how good it feels to put yourself first, at least for an hour each day!
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