Today’s an important topic. We’re discussing wellness goals you need in your life. We discuss a lot of beauty and skincare on the blog, and not enough about wellness.
Who cares about anything else if we’re not paying attention to our mental health? We need to make sure that everyday (most days) are great days. We may have a lot going on at work, or a list of chores that need to get done everyday, or three kids that need all your attention the second you get home, but at the end of the day, we need to make time for ourselves. Because really, you cannot function if your mental health isn’t in check.
I’m sharing 3 wellness goals that you need to incorporate in your life:
1. 5K steps a day
I know we’ve all heard of walking 10K steps a day, but in recent 2019 studies, apparently 10K steps doesn’t do a whole lot more for your health and body than 7.5K. In a recent article I read, it said,
“It turns out the original basis for this 10,000-step guideline was really a marketing strategy,” she explains. “In 1965, a Japanese company was selling pedometers, and they gave it a name that, in Japanese, means ‘the 10,000-step meter.’”
Also, Dr. I-Min Lee says, people who averaged 4,400 steps per day had a 41% lower rate of death. Taking more steps each day lowered risk of mortality even more, she said: “Until about 7,500 steps and then it sort of leveled — meaning if you took more steps than that, it didn’t help you anymore.“
Who knew?!
So, for anyone who was struggling with getting in 10K steps, this is GREAT NEWS. Now, all you need is 7.5K. Find a way to get your steps in. Take the stairs, park further away, walk your dog more than once a day, get up and walk around at least 3-4 times a day, and in the winter, head to your nearest mall and do some laps. (This is bad for me because I’m usually stopping into Zara for unnecessary things.)
Another interesting fact from the article was:
Does it matter whether your steps are fast or slow? And Lee says, “it didn’t matter whether you were stepping faster or slower, it was the number of steps that actually counted.”
So, take your time. Throw on some good tunes, or just take in the silence and walk in peace. Your mind and body will thank you later! It’s such a simple wellness goal to add to your lifestyle.
2. Eat more fruits and veggies.
Are you getting in your daily intake of fruits and veggies? I can tell you hands down that I get enough veggies, but no where close to getting enough fruits. It’s a wellness goal I’m definitely going to focus on more. We just got a juicer from Hurom, so I’m hoping that will help with my fruit intake.
According to the 2019 Canada Food Guide:
Vegetables and fruits are an important part of a healthy eating pattern. Eating a variety of vegetables and fruits could lower your risk of heart disease.
Vegetables and fruits have important nutrients such as:
- fibre
- vitamins
- minerals
Canada’s Food Guide recommends 7-10 servings of fruits and veggies a day.
Here are some easy ways to eat more vegetables:
- Add canned pumpkin or squash purée to any soup to make it extra rich and creamy.
- Freeze extra vegetables when preparing meals so you have extra for meals the next day.
- Use pre-bagged vegetables that can be quickly tossed in a salad or stir-fry. Try:
- baby carrots
- green beans
- leafy greens
- Serve raw vegetables with your meals. Try:
- cucumber
- cherry or grape tomatoes
- celery
- Try new recipes that call for different types of leafy greens such as:
- kale
- spinach
- bok choy
- Swiss chard
- mixed salad greens
How to eat more fruits:
- For dessert, choose:
- oranges
- fruit salad, with little to no added sugars
- Add fresh fruits to salads. Try adding sliced:
- pears
- peaches
- strawberries
- Add frozen fruits to baking.
- Wash, cut and refrigerate extra fruit so you can have some on hand for meals and snacks.
Slow cookers are also amazing for creating healthy, delicious veggie-based meals. I’m absolutely obsessed with mine. I’ve created a bunch of really good recipes in them. Blog post to come SOON. But in the mean time, check out this post on my slow cooker, and how it’s changed my life.
So, the next time you’re in the grocery store, maybe spend more time in the produce aisle and a little less time in the meat isle.
KITCHEN GADGETS I LOVE:
3. Be more present.
This means, put away your phone. I’m making a huge effort these days to be more present. It’s extremely hard when your work requires you to be on the phone 99% of the time, but for my mental health, I take time to shut off and be present.
Andrew and I don’t usually touch our phones when we’re eating dinner. This is our time to chat about our days or just chill. I usually take about 30 minutes before bed to shut off all screens as well. This is SO important. We shut the TV off, phones off, and either prepare our next day’s meals, play cards, or just get into bed and read. Really living that 80-year old life, you know? Who cares though, because mental health!
So, when it comes to Instagram stories and sharing things with you guys, I usually batch my time. I don’t IG story all day. I may take a video and then save it to my phone to post later. This is how to batch your time and stay productive throughout the day. You can add a bunch of stories later on when you’re free of other things. Check out my post on how I don’t let social media take over my life.
That’s the advice for now. Of course there are TONS of ways to keep your mental health in check, I’m just sharing a few goals that we all should work toward.
Do you guys have wellness goals? It could be as simple as getting a facial once a month.
Share below, I’d love to add to my list!
Xx, kim
+ Check out my post on 3 Things I do First Thing in the Morning.
++ Oh and How The Endy Mattress Changed My Life for the Better!
Phototography by Victoria J.
