With such a fast-paced lifestyle, it’s easy to forget the importance of taking proper care of one’s physical and mental health. 

To be highly functional, it’s vital to keep our bodies healthy since our mental health depends on this.

Improve body and mind:

• Take a walk or a jog. Taking a walk after a long day at work can assist with boosting your mood, improve your brain power, and is easily accessible to everyone.
• Stretch. This can be done in the morning before getting out of bed, many simple stretches can be done in bed, especially arm and leg stretches, and if you forget to do them in the morning, do them at the office.

Stretching at your desk. Picture: CANVA

• Move your body! Whilst cooking your dinner or getting ready for work, play your favorite song and just dance, let loose all your stresses by dancing them away.
• Make healthy food choices. When grocery shopping add at least three vegetables to your basket, pack a fruit in for your lunch, or if you meal prep, pick two healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners and rotate for the week.
• Take a quick nap. Taking a nap for about 10-20 minutes in the afternoon improves short-term memory, alertness, focus, and concentration.

Dancing helps reduce stress. Picture: CANVA

It is well-known that physical activity enhances and maintains fitness and overall health, it also helps pump oxygen to the brain, lowering the level of stress hormones and increasing mood-enhancing serotonin levels.

What you can do for longer-term benefits

• Yoga. There are plenty of videos on YouTube which range from beginner to advanced. Yoga assists with flexibility and balance and provides stress relief. It also helps to work out any knots and muscle spasms.
• Meditation. Just like Yoga, there are many videos online that can assist with starting, however unlike yoga, meditation also assists with self-discipline, and having a more positive outlook on life.

Meditation assists with mindfulness. Picture: CANVA

• Lifting weights. This could be in the gym for more advanced people, or starting off small, with lifting a few heavy bottles at home for a few minutes, this assists with mental strength as much as it does for physical strength.
• Running. Start off small with running, set goals for yourself starting at 1km, and improve on this. It could lead to joining a running club. And who knows, one day you could even run a marathon!

Your physical and mental health are yours to nurture. Don’t let the pace of life cheat you out of taking good care of your health.

OFM News/Casey-Lee Anthony mvh