“Holistic living” has become a trendy term in books, lifestyle blogs, and in the media, with more and more people coming to the realization that health is about far more than just being free of sickness. Having a holistic lifestyle means looking after your “whole” self: body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Here are 10 ways that you can get your whole self feeling happy and healthy!
Kickstart a Healthy Body
1. Go for a 30-Minute Brisk Walk Every Day
Walking is one of the easiest ways to boost your overall health. It’s easy, it’s free, and you can do it anywhere. Walking not only improves your muscle strength, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness, it can also reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke and help with conditions such as high blood pressure and stiff joints. Starting your holistic lifestyle could be as simple as stepping outside your front door!
2. Work Out with a Friend
Working out can feel like a big effort, especially when you’re doing it alone, but it is an essential part of any holistic lifestyle. Get off to a strong start by signing up to a gym, exercise class, or group sport with a friend. Having a buddy to help you with your holistic living goals increases motivation and enjoyment. Most importantly, you’re both there to keep each other company and accountable!
3. Try a New Recipe
Got a recipe book in the kitchen cupboard that could use some dusting off? Are you craving your grandma’s stew and wondering how she makes it? Now could be a great time to add home cooking to your holistic living plan.
There are many health advantages to cooking your own food. The first advantage is that you know what you’re putting in each meal, so you can choose wholesome ingredients and avoid artificial additives and flavorings. Secondly, repetitive actions like chopping and stirring can be therapeutic—benefitting your mental health. Thirdly, cooking can be a great way to connect with your cultural heritage, your community, and your spiritual or religious beliefs.
4. Take Care of Your Health, Naturally
When you live a more holistic lifestyle, nourishing your body means more than just exercise and a healthy, soul-enriching diet. Holistic living is also about enhancing your everyday life by giving your body the essentials it needs to thrive. When you supplement your diet with a vitamin-rich daily supplement or enriching ethnobotanical for energy, you can do a lot more to live healthily. For some, taking care of yourself more naturally means leaving traditional, western medicine behind for more natural remedies like kratom powder or other botanical remedies. Whatever living your best holistic life means to you, do what feels right.
Kickstart a Healthy Mind
5. Take a Class
Just like your body, in holistic living, a healthy mind is one that gets used! To get those neurons firing, find something you’d like to learn — it could be a new language, a musical instrument, or a skill that will help you at work or school — and book a class or download an app that can help you achieve your goals.
As well as increasing your self-confidence, learning something new (like a second or third language!) can strengthen your memory and lower your risk of problems like dementia and Alzheimer’s in the future. This mind-body connection is a big focus in holistic living—so you use it to your advantage!
6. Train Your Brain
While eliminating electronic usage isn’t exactly a pillar of a holistic lifestyle, disconnecting from the electronic world can do wonders for your physical and mental health. In your down moments, put down your cell phone and take out a puzzle. Puzzles like crosswords, sudokus, brainteasers, and riddles can help to develop your problem-solving skills and perseverance.
Kickstart Your Emotional Health
7. Start a Journal
Journaling is fantastic for your emotional health because it gets your thoughts and feelings out of your head, preventing negativity from building up. You could think of journaling as an emotional detox program where you’re unblocking the channels that are filled with toxic thoughts and letting the positive feelings flow through.
To incorporate this holistic living tip into your new holistic lifestyle, write down five things you’re grateful for at the end of each day. By focusing on the positives, you can shift the thought patterns that are getting you down and experience a greater sense of contentment.
Kickstart a Healthy Spirit
8. Find Something You’re Passionate About
Imagine bouncing out of bed each morning because you have something to look forward to, a motivation that keeps you going. A passion for holistic living doesn’t necessarily have to be some cosmic “life purpose,” but it can become an activity that you enjoy, that you feel is important, and that helps toward solving a problem in the world that you care about.
9. Help Others
As human beings, we are designed to help others. By showing empathy, giving others a hand up, and working as a team, we not only benefit the people around us but also receive innumerable benefits ourselves.
Think about it. If no one had ever taught you anything (like how to live a holistic lifestyle!), cheered you up when you were down, or given you a second chance, where would you be today? Holistic living is just as much about taking care of yourself as it is about helping others that cross your path. Smile, chat and help out in practical ways like giving up your seat for someone who needs it. You could also consider volunteering with a community group or tutoring in a subject you enjoy. By “passing it on,” you might feel that your life has more significance than it would if you thought only about yourself.
10. Take Time to Be
Our final tip for getting started in holistic living is to take some time out every day just to be. Whether you take time to pause in meditation, mindfulness, or relaxation, setting aside a few minutes a day to breathe and center your thoughts on something positive can turn your entire day around. Start with five minutes and build up as your patience and focus grow. You might soon find yourself feeling not only happier but making healthier, more natural holistic lifestyle choices too!
Set Yourself Up for Success
When you’re trying to make any kind of change in your life, it usually takes around a month to turn it into a habit. To integrate these holistic living tips into your life, begin with one and introduce the others gradually. Before you even realize, you will have started to reap the benefits!
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