With Valentine’s Day (and “Galentine’s Day” – where you celebrate your girlfriends and show them all the love) both just a couple days away, let’s not forget about the most important in your life, and show YOURSELF some love today!
On the journey to living a healthier lifestyle, self-care is a practice that often gets forgotten, or ignored for more pressing things. When you do think about the phrase, you probably equate it with choosing healthy foods, getting enough sleep, hydrating often, keeping up with doctor’s appointments, and maintaining a healthy weight among many other things.
But really, self-care is so much more than that! And it starts with the underlying monologue that goes on in your head all the time. It’s the way you treat yourself IN ORDER TO meet your physical health goals. In short, taking care of yourself does not just incorporate physical things… it’s also mental, emotional, and social.
In this article, we’ll give you some amazing tips for making yourself feel like the Most Important Person In The World… right in time for the well-known Day of Love! Stay tuned to learn the ways in which you can Treat Yourself and Truly Take Care Of Yourself in Mind, Body, And Spirit!
How to REALLY Take Care of Yourself 101
Whether you’re trying to meet your health and weight loss goals, or simply trying your best to stay well in the middle of a global, lasting pandemic, self-care is essential. What are you doing to give yourself that extra bit of TLC?
As you climb towards your individual 2021 aims, keep the following things in mind so that you’re actually on track with ultimate wellness, and not just some picture perfect idea of the weight you “should” be, without it being healthy for you.
1) Use Positive Reinforcement & Mantras
In his Ted Talk, Psychologist, Guy Winch, talks about “emotional hygiene” being just as important as physical hygiene – yet we aren’t programmed to take one as seriously as the other. When we get a physical wound, we’re quick treat it, but if we’re feeling unmotivated, downcast, or depressed, we often turn against ourselves instead of giving ourselves the positive reinforcement and love that we desperately need.
When it comes to meeting your goals, factoring in your mental and emotional health is just as important as meeting physical milestones, and you can greatly help yourself by giving yourself “mantras” – or encouraging statements you repeat often – that enforce your overall values and aims.
If you’re having an off day with your goals, tell yourself you’re still doing amazing and you’ll get back on track tomorrow. If you’re stressing about something, remind yourself to breathe, and take a walk if needed to clear your head. Your inner dialogue should look something like if you were talking to your best girlfriend, trying to give her advice and comfort her. That’s the same way you should talk to yourself in your head! Tell yourself you’re doing amazing, you’re worth it, you’re so loved, you’re unique, and working towards your initiatives, one step at a time.
Here are some great positive mantras to try:
- I’m loved for who I am and worth it.
- I’m accomplishing my goals in the perfect timing.
- I treat myself well and don’t give into unhealthy habits.
- I’m doing my best every day.
- I’m strong in body and mind.
- I’m climbing towards my own personal greatness.
2) Plan Ahead for Less Stress, More Calm
Next, when it comes to a busy schedule, it may seem like you’re constantly running from one thing to the next all of the time. But “rest” may actually look a lot different than you may think. When you make smart initiatives like pre-planning some of your meals, and preparing quick, healthy food in advance, you open up time in your schedule to move at a more comfortable pace, which is restful and allows you to fully enjoy your days instead of rushing through them.
For quality nutrition on-the-go, we recommend 310 Organic Meal Replacement Shakes – which come in a variety of yummy flavors and are as simple as scoop, add into a liquid of your choice, mix, and enjoy! When you fuel your body with the right foods, you also have more energy to put into the things that matter the most to you.
In addition, meal planning essentials like you’ll find in this Meal Prep Kit can help you make life simpler and more tasty. The kit features recipes and tools to help you make quick, healthy, and delicious food for your busy lifestyle. If it seems like meal prepping is just something else you need to fit in, remember that it will actually save you time, and ensure you’re getting good quality food throughout your days.
3) Treat Yourself, But Stay Balanced
Next, it’s perfectly okay to treat yourself, as long as it’s within the boundaries of your personal wellness goals – so you ultimately stay on track with what you want. And “treating yourself” may also look different than you may think. Giving into that big piece of chocolate cake may sound indulgent for the moment, but how will it feel after? Instead, have a bite of cake and a guilt-free sweet treat instead.
The idea of “treating yourself” every day can be a real thing, with shakes that taste like dessert smoothies, but are low in calories, with only natural sources of sugar, and nutritious whole foods. When you indulge in one of those, you get all the taste, but still stay in line with your aims of trying to eat healthy – plus, you fuel your body so you have the energy to enjoy your life! You can also use these shake powders to make healthier versions of foods like brownies, cookies, pancakes, and even ice cream that taste indulgent, while nourishing your body.
Yet another great way to treat yourself is to help curb your cravings with delicious metabolism-boosting lemonades that support an alkalized and balanced body – with no artificial sweeteners and only 10 calories per serving. When the urge to splurge on sugar strikes, enjoying one of these lemonades (in yummy flavors like Peach Punch, Cherry Limeade, Pineapple Mango, and Blackberry), can help satisfy those cravings in a healthy way while helping to hydrate and energize your body.
4) Accept Your Weaknesses & Grow
Next, before you can move into the great vision of what you have planned for the future, you have to go back and take an inventory of what has worked and hasn’t worked for you in the past. When it comes to trying to lose weight, everyone has their own personal weaknesses or downfalls that can trip them up over and over again. What are yours? Make peace with them, and then make a plan to conquer them.
Bad at sticking to dietary regimens? Try a Wellness Journal to help you organize and keep track of your daily meals, calorie intake, weight loss progress and more. Research shows that you’re more likely to succeed when you write down your goals instead of just thinking about them, because it helps keep you accountable and witness milestones along the way.
Never exercise? Recognize that once you make the switch to a healthier, cleaner diet first, you may have more energy to add more physical fitness into your life – so don’t beat yourself up about it. In the meantime, simply try to move as much as possible. Get out and take a walk, or do something you consider fun like a virtual dance class. Engaging with others always makes things much more interesting, so try a live class with a 310 Fitness Coach in the 310 Community on Facebook.
Love to snack late at night? Do you have a bad habit of eating unhealthy foods right before bed? Instead, give yourself something to satisfy and soothe, without being packed with sugar or calories. Try a nutritious smoothie that can double as a dessert shake, a smoothie bowl using yummy ingredients, or a Golden Milk latte as some amazingly delicious and health-supporting options.
5) Stay Connected Virtually
Finally, know that you aren’t alone in your health journey, and there are others that can encourage and support you along the way. Right now, staying connected is more important than ever, with many people still off their normal routines and staying home and potentially isolated more than usual. But there is always a way to stay connected, even when being apart.
In the 310 Nutrition Community, also mentioned above, you’ll find a family-like environment where people feel included, secure, and loved for exactly who they are, and can voice their unique goals. Many people who have succeeded in weight loss by changing up their dietary habits and adding in meal replacement shakes have said that the 310 Community has made a huge difference in getting them to a healthier and happier state of being.
When you’re surrounded by others with the same initiatives and values, you can lean on them, and feel supported along the way, even when you have hard days. It also makes you feel like a part of something, a community where you feel heard, and not alone in your struggles – and this is extremely important when it comes to self-care. As social beings, we need connection, and the feeling of being understood!
We hope that after reading this article, you have some fresh insight and ideas to take the best care of yourself on Valentine’s Day and all year long. Remember, you deserve the best! If you’ve been wanting to throw off the reigns of safety in your bad habits, the 310 Try it All Kit is the perfect place to begin your journey to a healthier, more fulfilling life. And join the 310 Community now to get connected right away! It’s time to start LOVING and EMPOWERING yourself everyday – You are worth it!
Sources:
https://www.verywellmind.com/self-care-strategies-overall-stress-reduction-3144729
https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/2020/04/what-is-self-care
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/6-self-care-steps-for-a-pandemic-always-important-now-essential-2020041619563
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-couch/201905/self-care-is-important-why-is-it-so-hard-practice
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-self-care-isnt-selfish-advice-for-women/
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/try-these-small-powerful-ways-to-celebrate-you/
https://www.ted.com/playlists/299/the_importance_of_self_care
https://www.ted.com/talks/emily_esfahani_smith_there_s_more_to_life_than_being_happy
https://www.ted.com/talks/andy_puddicombe_all_it_takes_is_10_mindful_minutes
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_steindl_rast_want_to_be_happy_be_grateful
