Self-care is so important to your overall health and wellbeing, and taking time to look after yourself is essential. If you have never truly prioritised your own well-being or made taking time for yourself a priority, then knowing where to start can be a challenge.
What is Self-Care?
Self-care comes in so many different forms, and it looks different for everyone. But Self-care is said to be a process of taking care of oneself with behaviours that promote health and active management of illness when it occurs.
There are a few things you can do to help start looking after your wellbeing today. From getting a good night’s sleep, good food choices and drinking enough water, exercising regularly and good dental care.
We’re sharing our top 6 self-care tips to start doing now.
Start Your Day With Water
We all know that staying hydrated is crucial for our health as our body is mostly made of water, 50% to 70% of body composition, but actually drinking enough water is something not many of us manage to do.
Every cell, tissue and organ in your body needs water to work properly. For example, water:
- Gets rid of wastes through urination, perspiration and bowel movements
- Keeps your temperature normal
- Lubricates and cushions joints
- Protects sensitive tissues
- Allows for peak brain and body performance
First, start every day with a big glass of water with a touch of salt as soon as you wake up. It is normal to wake up feeling groggy and sleepy, but sometimes this is down to being dehydrated. A drink of water first things will help to wake you up naturally. Help with the dehydration, plus the added salt(sodium) will help with brain cognition and function, leaving you set up for the day and leaving you feeling energised and ready to go.
A good general rule of thumb is to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but be aware this can change with Exercise, Environment and Overall health.
Move Your Body Every Day
We are built to move and some people are naturally more active than others due to jobs or location.
But by making movement a priority to move your body every day will help your physical and mental health.
We aren’t saying you need to do a full HIIT workout daily, but increasing something called Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) which could include trivial physical activities like a 30-minute walk, taking the stairs instead of the lift or even hovering the house, could substantially improve your physical health and wellbeing.
Plan Your Meals
You are what you eat and pretty obviously the foods you put into your body have a huge impact on how you feel and perform in general.
Taking the time to plan out what you are going to eat during the week can help you to ensure you are getting a balanced, healthy diet.
Meal planning can help to save time and money, by planning ahead and being organised can reduce last-minute trips to the shops and thinking what to eat at dinner time.
It can also help with portion control and reduces food waste. By knowing what you are eating before you eat it. We have all ordered too much takeaway when we were hungry and not eaten it all. Eyes bigger than your belly.
Planning additionally helps with avoiding unhealthy options, knowing you have a meal ready for you at home can eliminate the temptation of unhealthy last-minute options.
Whether you have pre-made frozen ready meals delivered, or do your own home cooking, or a mix of the two, planning out and knowing what to expect at dinner time can make a big difference to your wellbeing, weight goals and your wallet.
Sleep Eight Hours A Night
Getting enough sleep sounds very simple, and yet many of us struggle to spend enough time asleep.
Fast modern lives, social activities and work pressures don’t allow for appropriate rest as people don’t prioritise enough time for sleep. Then when people are in bed they struggle to gain good quality sleep due to work stress, alcohol consumption, smartphones usage and too much caffeine.
A healthy adult should aim to have between seven and nine hours of sleep a night, and that should be time asleep and not time in bed. Achieving this regularly will leave you feeling energised with improved focus and productivity.
Whilst asleep, the brain is working hard to rid the body of toxins, build neural highways and repair damage.
Poor sleepers are known to have a greater risk of heart disease and stroke and lack of sleep is strongly linked to weight gain and obesity.
A good nights sleep is the main building block of health and is critical to your wellbeing.
Take A Technology Detox
Technology is everywhere these days, and it means our hectic lives follow us around. Normally in our pocket.
One of the easiest healthcare tips on this list is to simply ditch the technology and take a technology detox whenever possible.
There are many purported benefits of losing the tech, these include Reduced Stress, Improved Sleep, Reduces Anxiety, Improves Concentration and believe it or not better social relationships.
There are many ways you can do this by either reducing or stopping totally. Many phones allow you to set a daily limit for screen time, or you can prioritise a specific time to put your devices away. Including:
- Eating meals, particularly when dining with other people
- First thing waking up or late in the evening
- Working on a project or hobby
- Spending time with friends or family
- Before you go to sleep each night
Taking a break from tech can help you destress, unwind and improve your quality of life..
Have Frozen Ready Meals Delivered
We had to get this one in; by choosing to have frozen ready meals delivered instead of having to home cook every day is a great way to promote self-care and boost your wellbeing.
You can have frozen ready meals delivered regularly with Hey Fresto!, so you don’t have to worry about shopping, preparing and cooking every dinner.
This can leave you more time to focus on your wellbeing by reading a good book, getting in a workout or putting yourself to bed on time.