Focusing on our overall wellness day in and day out is the best form of preventative care but what does that look like in practice? With the term “wellness” trending in our society there are a lot of different opinions about how we should be taking care of our minds, bodies, and hearts which can feel overwhelming to anyone wanting to make a change for themselves or their family. My biggest advice when establishing wellness routines in your home is to be mindful of your family and it’s individual needs. Creating realistic goals and making changes that are sustainable for your family ensure that you’re committing to a new and healthier lifestyle that will stick! A wellness routine involves every aspect of your experience and works to transform it into a life that is naturally healthy & balanced so it’s not just about what you eat and how you move your body. It’s also about how you care for your emotions, how you spend your time, and the thoughts you have each day. Once you start nourishing these areas of you life you will be amazed at the shift you see in yourself and in your family.
If you don’t know where to start, here are five simple ways you can start implementing a wellness routine in your home:
01. Move Your Body
For most people working out or creating a routine around exercise can be very challenging but I encourage you to focus on movement rather than duration or intensity. While there is value to more strict forms of exercise they can also create self- sabotage. Choosing to be more mindful about your movement creates a healthier relationship to this new habit and encourages you to keep going. Move your body every day and invite your family to join you. Go for walks, dance, garden, ride bicycles, stretch, whatever movement that suits you. Find something you like to do together and make it a regular part of your daily rhythm. Remember, if you don’t enjoy it – you won’t do it for long! The more you focus on incorporating movement into your daily life the better you and your whole family will feel. By moving our bodies we aren’t just shedding calories or burning off fat, we are improving circulation, increasing blood flow, reducing stagnation, pumping our lymphatic system, releasing hormones, and excreting toxins. All huge for our overall wellness.
02. Eat More Plants
Instead of thinking of all the food & habits you should be removing from your lifestyle instead focus on adding in more good. This mentality will help you overcome restriction mindset that leads to “falling off the wagon” so to speak. When creating meals and snacks for your family think about how you can add in more vegetables & fresh produce. Does your plate have enough color? Enough diversity in flavors and textures? Each time we reach for something to eat it’s important that we consider how it will nourish our bodies and how we may feel afterwards. Being in tune with our bodies is a huge key to wellness. All to often we ignore signs that the foods we are eating are actually impacting us in a negative way. After your meals pay attention to things like upset stomach, indigestion, heart burn, and mood. If you’re constantly struggling after meals with how you feel it might be a sign of a food allergy or sensitivity that can be resolved by adding in more fresh veggies and eating less dairy, gluten, or other allergens. I know it can be hard to convince children to eat more veggies so my best advice is to offer them up in creative ways like a batch of zucchini muffins or a pot of butternut squash macaroni & cheese. I have found that the more I model a healthy and balanced diet full of variety to my children the less they hesitate to try new things.
03. Focus on Slowing Down
In this fast paced world we are all accustomed to it can be hard to slow down and live in the moment. Add children into the mix and it can feel even more challenging. We want to do all the things, be all the things, and give as much as we can to our families but in the end we are left empty and burned out. Prioritizing slowness isn’t just important for your own well being, it’s important for the people you love. It gives everyone in your home permission to rest and recharge. Making rest an essential part of each day creates a healthy habit your children can carry with them their whole lives and ensures everyone in the home is more productive & balanced. In our home we have a quiet time each day where everyone is encouraged to embrace down time. We read, nap, quietly play, journal, or meditate in our own spaces and take time to fill up our cups so we are able to pour out again. This rest time has become a part of our day that we all look forward to and appreciate.
04. Switch Your Household Products
Changing the products you use in your home is probably one of the biggest ways you can improve your family’s overall wellness. It’s pretty straightforward, instead of the traditional products your accustomed to you’re just reaching for cleaner & more natural alternatives. Our skin is the largest organ of our body and most of the products we come into contact with day in and day our are filled with ingredients that disrupt our hormones, irritate the systems of our bodies, and can potentially cause cancer. Chemical build ups in our bodies can take a huge toll on the way we feel, the strength of our immune systems, and our energy levels. You can look into your household cleaners, soaps, detergents, and more on The Environmental Working Group website or you can scan your products on the app Think Dirty to see how they rate for toxicity and how they can effect your health and the health of your family. Focus on changing out one thing at a time as you run out. Be aware: green-washing is very on trend and not all “natural” products live up to their green claims. Read labels, look up ingredients, and be sure not to fall prey to pretty branding or marketing gimmicks! Being an informed consumer is key! You can find more information on clean products over on OILS & HONEY.
05. Practice Gratitude
It is registered as one of the highest health frequencies we have and it’s the simplest practice to start today. Having a gratitude practice as a family not only strengthens our character but it has real and tangible effects on our health,Jotting down or speaking aloud the things we are grateful for can actually change our brain chemistry, our hormones, and the way we sleep at night. Shifting our focus on the good & positives we experience retrains our brains to have a more glass half full perspective on life. When we use conscious language, practice a growth mindset, and speak gratitude daily can completely change the way we walk through our lives. Find time daily to talk about what you are grateful for as a group or encourage each of your family members to jot them down in a journal each night.
Wellness routines are so much more than simple acts of self-care, they are about focusing on the bigger picture and how all of the aspects of your life intersect. They are about creating more freedom and wellness for you & your family through living in a more intentional way. Take the suggestions above as a framework and use it to create something that works for you, your home, and the season your family is in.
Does your family have a wellness routine in place? I’d love to hear more from you down in the comments!
SEE OUR VIDEO FOR ESTABLISHING WELLNESS ROUTINES IN THE HOME HERE.
Find more inspiration for wellness & self-care HERE.
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