stress relief

Self Love…

healthy living

We often forget the importance of self love for the health of our state of mind. Reducing stress and clearing our mind is crucial to obtaining our ideal health and body. When we neglect our mental state we find ourselves letting our physical health slide as well, chronic levels of stress leads to high cortisol levels thus contributing to weight gain. So here are 5 self care habits to help you de-stress and unwind.

  • Stretch routine– sometimes a full blown workout isn’t what your mind and body needs. Stretching allows you to both relax your body and center your mind, making you more aware and present. When you feel stressed, try 10mins of yoga or stretching to calm yourself and rejuvenate your body.
  • Journaling– I’ve mentioned journaling before and it isn’t something that should be underestimated. Sometimes writing out your thoughts and emotions help to clear out and organize everything on your mind. Have you ever had something bothering you but you just couldn’t figure out what is was? Well journaling can help you realize or come to terms with issues located deep in your subconscious.
  • Rest day– taking a day off of your workouts is necessary to let your body relax and heal. No one can handle workout out vigorously every single day, so take a day off (I usually take Saturdays) and focus on other aspects of your life.
  • Filter your social media– we’re usually unaware of the effects of social media. Seeing endless pictures of perfect models probably isn’t helping you love your own body, instead you’re now analyzing and being critical of your own body image (keep in mind that this excludes fitness influencers or mentors). So filter out the type of people you follow or are subscribed to; if they don’t inspire or motivate you, it’s best to set them aside. Trust me this goes a long way to help you de-stress.
  • Digital Cleanse– this is one of the most difficult yet most effective habits, taking a break from screen time. That means ignoring your phone, laptop, tablet and tv for a set time (this doesn’t include sleeping hours so don’t cheat). This helps you to be more present and it actually forces you to be more creative or outgoing as you find other ways to entertain yourself (unless you lay in bed staring at the ceiling for hours).

I hope you implement some if not all of these habits into your life and I hope they help you in any way possible. Thank you for reading, please like and follow for more posts like this one. See you next time xoxo.

1 Week Body Detox

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A body detox not only helps to heal the body but the skin and mind as well. Sometimes our bodies need a break and our digestive system needs time to heal and a detox is a great way to do that.  To be able to complete a detox we need to focus more on the benefits and the foods we get to eat rather than the foods we are depriving ourselves of. By trying this 7-day detox, you can get a feel of how turning to a healthy lifestyle can make your body feel. You can decide to keep practicing some of these habits if you wish, however make sure you are taking in enough calories for you body type and not over exercising. Be sure to never fall into the extreme side, don’t deprive your body.

So here are some of the benefits of this detox:

Benefits:

  • Removes toxins from the body
  • Improves skin health and mental well-being
  • Heals the gut and improves digestion
  • Aids in weight loss
  • Reduces feeling of tiredness

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Foods and Drinks That Aid in Detox:

  • Lemon water with mint
  • Green Tea
  • Ginger
  • Garlic
  • Blueberries
  • Chia seeds
  • Oats
  • Quinoa
  • Tomatoes
  • Broccoli
  • Carrots
  • Cauliflower
  • Cucumber
  • Citrus fruits
  • Almonds
  • sunflower or pumpkin seeds
  • Avocados
  • Cinnamon

Foods To Avoid:

  • Sugar/ soft drinks
  • Any processed foods
  • Reduce coffee intake
  • Red Meat
  • Gluten
  • Soy
  • Dairy
  • Any sauces
  • Unhealthy oils (opt for olive, coconut, and avocado)

HABITS for this week:

  1. Exercise everyday for this week- mild exercising as you may be reducing your calorie intake.
  2. Drink at least 2-3 liters of water per day-  dehydration is a major cause of sluggishness.
  3. Try some mindful reading, anything from a self care book to daily sayings.book-759873_1920
  4. Obtain at least 7-8hrs of sleep– to let your mind and body recuperate.
  5. Avoid eating carbohydrates after 6pm- your body won’t be using up the energy at night and it will be stored as fat..
  6. Wake up early everyday- to stimulate your brain and get a head start on your day.
  7. Have either lemon water, green tea or any unsweetened herbal tea.planner-1873485_1920
  8. Organize your life- be it your work space, closet or schedule, it’s time to start picking up the pieces. It will help clear you mind and you’ll be able to focus more on yourself.
  9. Kill the stress– do something that relaxes you; it can be working out, painting, hanging out with friends or enjoying some alone time. Dedicate this week to yourself.
  10. Journaling– write down anything you like into a journal or diary, you thoughts, emotions, how you feel physically or even your diet plan. There’s something calming about writing that typing just can’t compare with, so give it a try in these 7 days, remember we’re detoxing the mind as well.

After completing the detox week successfully, you should feel an improvement in your skin, mental alertness and physical health. It is your choice if you want to continue the detox for a longer period. I have implemented most of the habits into my lifestyle, however there are some that I struggle with, which is completely fine. You cannot change things overnight, gradually implement these changes with time as you see fit. I hope this has helped you in any way possible, to strive towards a healthier lifestyle, it may not be the easiest process, but it has the best results.

Leave me a comment or follow my blog for more tips. xoxo

 

Tips for Fighting Stress

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Tip #1. Playing with Essential oils- scents like lemon, lavender and peppermint are know to relieve stress and anxiety. You can either light a candle, a diffuser or use a mist to help relax yourself. My personal favorites are lemon and vanilla.

Tip #2. Take a break from social media- Most of us wake up and immediately scroll through Instagram or Facebook. Without knowing it, social media sometimes gives us a negative point of view of our own lives.

Tip #3.  Take a day off studies/ work – a weekly getaway is essential to reduce stress, it allows our body and mind to rest. I always take Saturdays off to regenerate and relax, it helps me start my week off positively.

Tip #4. Write a journal – writing down your thoughts and events in your life, even minor ones, can be an outlet for anxiety or stress. It helps to be more mindful of your life and yourself, as well as remembering motivating thoughts or quotes.

Tip #5. Organize yourself – this can be simple as using a planner or writing a to-do list every morning. You’re more likely to get things done when they are planned and feeling less under pressure and more put together will help fight stress.

Tip #6. Read a book or listen to an audio-book – it can be a motivational book or anything that might pique your interest, it distracts you from issues of your day-to-day life. It’s a gateway into another world, people who read get to live 1000 lives.

Tip #7. Have a pamper routine – Treat yourself, that could be an at home spa day or a skincare routine. Take the time to take care of yourself and unwind from daily struggles. However, this is better suggested for women.

Tip #8. Enjoy your workout – I know it seems almost impossible, especially when we have our lazy moments, but if you don’t look forward to working out and you dread it then you’re probably trying out the wrong one. There are so many ways to be physically active; swimming, dancing, running or hitting the gym, you just have to find the right one for you. Exercising helps to release tension and could make you feel so much more relaxed.

Tip #9. Try a new hobby – just like with working out, it’s good to change your hobbies  from time to time. Exploring different things stimulates the brain, reading, sketching, cooking and writing are some of my favorites and who knows, you might discover a hidden talent.

Tip #10. Have some alone time – as much as you may enjoy family events and parties with friends, we all need some time to ourselves- to center ourselves and figure out where we stand and where we’re going. Sometimes we just need to embrace the moment and relax.

Thank you for reading, I hoped these suggestions were able to help you in any way. Keep reading for more posts and updates. xoxo.