One of the biggest myths surrounding wellness is that it needs to be expensive to be effective.
Head to Instagram or TikTok and you’ll be bombarded with short aesthetic videos of wellness routines that consist of luxury skincare items, matcha powder, Alo Yoga workout sets and premium group HIIT classes.
Do the math and these wellness routines are costing at least a few hundred dollars.
Recharging at the spa for a day has also been replaced by spending a week at a health retreat, again adding to the idea that wellness is a costly indulgence.
But the truth is, being “well” doesn’t need to look like buying ridiculously expensive beauty products, getting the latest skincare treatment or trying a bizarre new diet.
And it certainly doesn’t look like dropping $10k on a luxury retreat.
Wellness can be affordable and simple!
What wellness actually means
Table of Contents
Simply put, wellness means being free of illness.
It encourages an proactive approach that anyone can take to reach optimal health. This looks like adopting healthy dietary and lifestyle habits that help to prevent disease so you don’t need to rely on conventional medicine.
Practices such as:
- Getting plenty of sleep
- Moving your body
- Building healthy habits
- Eating a well-balanced diet
- Prioritising self-care
… all work together to help improve the overall quality of your life to help you feel happier, healthier and more fulfilled.
It’s also important to note that there is no right or wrong way to do wellness.
As long as the habits you choose are positively impacting your overall health and well-being then that’s all that matters.
For me, being “well” has never been about being super health-conscious or becoming #thatgirl. It’s been about loving myself unconditionally, being comfortable in my own skin and living in alignment with my core values.
So before you get started on your own wellness journey ask yourself this,
“What does being and feeling healthy look like to me?”
5 ways to simplify your wellness routine
PSA: Adopting a healthy lifestyle does not require a major glow-up or overhaul.
There are simple changes you can implement within your existing daily routine, and they all begin at home.
I encourage you to start small and choose just 1-2 practices to focus on first.
1. Get 7-8 hours of sleep
Sleep is not only the most affordable ritual (because it’s free) on this list but also THE most important.
Yup, I said it.
You can try all of the wellness habits and habits in the world but the truth is, if you’re not getting enough sleep every night then everything else you do for your health is pointless.
Sleep is “the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day.” (Matthew Walker)
It is recommended that adults need between 7-9 hours of good quality sleep a night. This ensures enough time for the mind and body to repair itself so you can continue to function and show up daily as your best self.
I mean let’s face it… on a scale of 1 to 10, how amazing do you feel after 8 hours of deep sleep compared to just 4 hours of broken sleep?
Yup, I thought so! Sleep is life 💖
ACTION STEPS
- Establish a consistent sleep routine – a.k.a go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day
- Build a relaxing evening routine
- Go screen-free at least 60 minutes before bed
- Swap out coffee for herbal teas past 1 pm
- Get 20 minutes of fresh air daily
2. Move your body daily (bonus points for doing this outside)
Daily exercise keeps you healthy – both mentally and physically.
It gets your body moving, increases energy, boosts your mood, reduces stress and… should I keep going?
Exercise is extremely beneficial.
Plus, if you combine it with the outdoors then you get to reap all the benefits of fresh air too. Think cleaner lungs, clearer mental space and a happier well-being.
It’s extremely realistic to move our bodies every day, yet many of us don’t. So make working out feel easy by keeping it simple.
Go for a brisk walk around the park in the morning or do some light yoga. (Hello affordable rituals 🤓)
You can even go swimming and try aqua aerobics — there’s no reason why your exercise routine can’t be fun!
And the best part… you don’t even need to workout for that long either.
Research shows that 30-mins of exercise is more than enough to maintain your current health and increase your mood.
ACTION STEPS
- Start small — begin by going on a short walk in a nearby park
- Pinpoint a time in your daily schedule when you are available and pencil it in
- Set an alarm to prompt you into going on your walk
- Commit to just 30 minutes — you don’t need to trek for hours, 30 minutes is better than nothing
- Increase your distance by 5 minutes every two weeks or move on to a higher-intensity workout
P.S How I made myself love working out
3. Build healthy habits that work for you
If you think about it, your entire life is made up of tiny habits.
Good or bad, it’s your habits that create the person you are. So if you want to make a significant improvement to your daily life and health, start with your habits.
A healthy habit is anything you repeatedly do that positively contributes to your overall health and well-being. It should also benefit you long-term.
An unhealthy habit is anything that gives you short-term gratification but does not contribute to your health long-term.
Yes, scrolling on your phone might give you an instant buzz but what lasting benefits does it give you?
So when you build your wellness routine, make sure you fill it up with habits that make you feel good long after the dopamine hit has worn off.
Your habits also need to be realistic and easy for you to achieve as well as sustainable.
There’s no point adding, “do yoga twice a week” to your wellness routine if:
- You don’t have the means to go to a yoga class
- You don’t physically have the time to do yoga
- You hate yoga
So only include the activities in your routine that you know you can do without any obstacles or barriers.
ACTION STEPS
- Establish which habits you want to build
- Create clear and tangible actions
- Make each habit fun – a.k.a make sure it aligns with your personality and lifestyle
- Start small and stay consistent
- Use a habit tracker to visually see progress
4. Follow blood sugar balancing principles
Hot take: If you lack energy then chances are you won’t feel motivated enough to prioritise your health and wellness.
You’ll wind up in a cycle of self-sabotage of wanting to change but not being able to.
The truth is, it’s our energy that fuels our actions and gets us started. It’s the driving force behind our motivation and keeps us pushing forward.
In short, energy allows you to live life at its fullest and healthiest.
And what impacts your energy more than anything else?
Your blood sugar levels.
The body was designed to burn glucose for energy. Carbs from grains, rice, potatoes, veggies and fruits turn into glucose, providing fuel for your body.
The thing is, if you follow a typical western diet, you might be eating the wrong type of carbs, leading to drastic blood sugar spikes and crashes.
By stabilising blood sugar levels, you can avoid these ups and downs, giving you a steady energy boost.
So if you want to physically improve your health, then start with what you eat.
ACTION STEPS
- Read The Glucose Revolution by Jessie Inchauspé
- Start your day with a savoury breakfast
- Opt for whole foods – a.k.a ones that don’t have multiple different ingredients
- Limit the amount of starchy carbs you consume
- Avoid refined sugar where possible as well as processed and fried foods
5. Prioritise daily self-care
Just like with your overall wellness, self-care is also unique to you.
If you prefer reading a fiction book over getting a facial then you do you.
Self-care should never feel like a chore otherwise what’s the point?
So focus on dedicating time to doing the things that bring you joy.
Your self-care routine also doesn’t need to be an all-day event to be effective. Repeat that again.
The reason why you struggle to carve out time for self-care is because you’re thinking about it all wrong.
Instead of seeing it as a necessity, you’re passing it off as “another thing” to add to an already busy schedule.
Instead of feeling overwhelmed by a 3-hour self-care routine, keep it short and manageable so it can easily fit into your daily life. Strip it right the way back and ask yourself, “What do I need right now?”
This could be as simple as taking a 5 minute break after a work meeting to regroup or having 10 minutes to yourself in the evening to journal. (Hello affordable rituals 🤓)
Here are some 101 Quick 5 minute self care activities to immediately lift you up
Stop copying what everyone else is doing and build your self-care routine to work for you and your schedule.
ACTION STEPS
- Write a master feel-good activities list
- Focus on your needs
- Schedule in 1-2 activities per day depending on your schedule
- Commit to just 5 minutes
- Set reminders to prompt your practice
Final thoughts
You don’t need to drink a green juice every morning to be “well”.
Likewise, you don’t need to start your day meditating or powering through a 50 minute spin class. Only do those things if you enjoy them.
Wellness is not one-size-fits-all — it is unique to you.
No influencer can tell you how best to live your life. The key is to always do what works for you and your health in that moment.
It’s time to move towards a less toxic and more realistic way to do wellness.
Who’s with me?
P.S This note on wellness was a Guest Post written by Thalia — Certified Health Coach & Lifestyle Blogger
Her Bio
Hey, it’s Thalia — Certified Health Coach & Lifestyle Blogger.
I’m not like the other wellness girls you see online.
I don’t drink coffee or matcha lattes and I’m not a huge fan of green smoothies. Give me a medium-rare steak with a glass of red wine any day and I’ll be a very happy girl.
I’m also famous for my slow mornings. You won’t see me waking up at 5 am and following an unsustainable “That Girl” routine but instead ignoring my alarm and choosing to read a fiction book over going to the gym.
Wellness is my jam, and I believe it can be attainable for everyone – you just need to approach it in a way that works for you!
So if you’re craving a more realistic approach to wellness, you can find me on Instagram and Pinterest all under @notesbythalia
And for deeper “how to” posts that empower you to do things on your own terms, head over to my blog notesbythalia.com
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