Keeping Your Mind and Body Healthy

When we spend our time running to accomplish all we have to we often neglect ourselves. How do we expect to perform at our peak if we continue to neglect our own beings?
I took a few days this weekend to recharge and recenter, separate myself from society, hang out in the woods or at least a wooded campsite by a lake. It allowed me to clear my head of the clutter of everyday life so that I am able to come back refreshed and ready to go. Ready to absorb information and make moves to better my life.
While I was out there I did some thinking about what I am doing to keep both my mind and body healthy so that I can perform at my peak in life.
I read, but not a book every couple of days. I spend time in nature; not as often as I would like. I devour as much knowledge as I can, but still spend too much of my day scrolling through social media. I eat healthy meals, when I’m not eating out. I work out, until I hit a roadblock along the way. I drink a lot of water, but I like beer and coffee too. I meditate, but not daily.
I am sure there are plenty of other things I could improve for a healthier mind and body. For now these are the things I am starting with.
1. Read a book weekly - Because I am me it will most likely be some form of self help, nutrition, fitness, or manuscript. It isn’t so much about what it is in the beginning as it is about actually stretching your mind.
2. Spend time in nature no less than once a week - This doesn’t mean walking the dog in the neighborhood. This does mean walking the dog on the nature trail down the road, or sitting next to a creek reading for a while. It means getting yourself away from the hustle of daily life. By all means spend some time outside everyday too, vitamin D is good for us!
3. Limit social media exposure - This is going to be a hard one for me. No more mindless scrolling, no more scrolling while watching movies, or at dinner, or in the car.
4. Eat healthy 6 out of 7 days - This is a super simple, yet super tricky one for me. The majority of the time when I am eating at home I eat very healthy. When I am eating out, I eat like absolute and complete garbage. The biggest problem with this is I don’t only eat out once a week or once every couple of weeks. I have fallen into a habit of eating out every couple of days. NO MORE! Once a week for a meal out. No more stopping to grab a burger or tacos on the way home. Eating out usually means more than food for me too, typically there is a drink or two with the meal compounding the unhealthy calorie issue.
5. Work out EVERY SINGLE DAY! - It’s that simple. Weights, rowing machine, treadmill, run the neighborhood, walk the dog on rest days. It doesn’t matter so much what is done as long as it is done. Stop letting yourself make excuses.
6. Drink more water and less everything else - For me this is mostly going to mean cutting out alcohol, except on special occasions. I don't drink soda, made that change a few years ago, cut energy drinks a few weeks ago, I'm not ready to give up coffee. That means cutting alcohol. I'm going to start by saying no beer, horribly calorie loaded, and no alcohol if I have to work the next day. I would like to jump out of the gate and say no more than 2 drinks on the days I do drink but I don't want to immediately set myself up for failure, so I'll work up to that one.
7. Meditate daily - Morning, evening, on your lunch break, whenever is best for you. Meditation helps keep your stress levels down, keeps anxiety down, helps you to stay focused. You will sleep better. You will have a clearer mind to make better choices. You will overall be more relaxed. 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 45 minutes, how long is completely up to you. I would suggest at least 2 minutes everyday for a couple of weeks to see how it helps you. Approach it with an open mind and willingness to let go of whatever is currently clouding your mind.
I expect my list to change over time. I expect to better at some things than others.
If you join me for these changes let me know how it goes for you. What changes in your life as you change the health of your mind and body?
