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When you are unhealthy, your mind will also be unhealthy. Experts have found a direct link between physical health and mental health. After all, the brain is an organ, and if it’s not getting what it needs on a daily basis then it won’t function well. If you have got unfit and your body is beginning to feel worn out on a day to day basis, then chances are that your brain feels the same way. Carrying on down this route could lead to depression, obesity and social anxiety. The key is to realise what you’re doing to your body and change it before it is too late. Here are ten incredible ways you can improve your mind and your body.
1. Start Small If You Need To
If you have let your health, get worse over an extended period then you will need to start slow. You can’t go from zero to a hundred overnight. If you can’t manage a full on work-out then start by just taking a walk. Do as little or as much exercise as you can manage. Research in the field has found that people who try to over-exert themselves straight away are twice as likely to give up. Start at a pace that suits you and work your way up.
2. Laughter Is The Best Medicine
As the old saying goes “laughter is the best medicine.” You may think that there is no truth in that message, but there is. Laughter helps improve your heart and your circulation. When you laugh at something, you are making your heart work a little harder than it usually does. That is a good thing. Your heart will become more healthy, the more you laugh.
3. Make Time To Sleep
Most people in the western world get in the region of five to seven hours sleep a night. To achieve the greatest level of health, you should be getting more like eight to nine hours sleep. The advent of laptops and new technology means that we have all cut down on our sleep. We would rather stay up watching Netflix or scrolling through Facebook than going to sleep. Make the time to get a full night’s rest. You will notice the difference in your mood and energy levels the next day.
4. Get A Massage
Getting a massage is not just a treat, it is great for your body and mind too. Few people take the time to ensure that their body is on top form. Booking yourself a massage in Marylebone will help you with many of your ailments. If you tend to get sore joints or aches and pains, a massage will help you to solve these problems. For those involved in competitive sports, Massaggi recommends having a sports massage 2-3 times a week. This can be reduced when you’re not engaging in high intensity training. In the same respect if you find it hard to de-stress and relax, a massage will aid you in your quest for calm. Make time for a massage on a monthly basis, so that you can help your physical and mental health.
5. Have A Master Plan
Do you know where your life is heading? If you have no real plan of action and no hopes then you are likely to feel depressed. Having a master plan of what you hope to achieve in the next five years gives you something to work towards in the long-run. Don’t just settle for your current situation, as this will likely make you complacent and unhappy. Instead, make a detailed plan of all the things that you want to achieve and take positive steps towards reaching your goals.
6. Eat ‘Happy’ Foods
Unfortunately, happy foods do not include pizza and ice cream. You may think that giant tub of Ben and Jerry’s is making you happy, but in the long-run junk food will bring you down. The saturated fat in junk food makes people feel depressed and hinders their health. Replace fatty foods with healthy supplements. For example, when you are starving eat a large salad rather than a large curry. Ensuring that you are getting the vitamins and minerals you need will help you improve your health.
7. Try Meditation
Meditation helps to clear your mind of harmful thoughts. Every day you think about a thousand different problems. So that you can release the stresses you have been carrying, meditating allows your to relax. Many people opt not to meditate because they think that it sounds stupid or because they are unsure of how to begin. Watch YouTube videos, which will guide you through the easy process.
8. Work Exercise Into Your Routine
Once you have begun exercising, you can step it up a notch. By making exercise part of your day to day routine, you can ensure that you never miss a chance to work-out. When you exercise, your body releases happy hormones, such as serotonin and dopamine, into your system. These hormones help your mind and body to feel more alive. You may think that when you exercise you will feel tired, but in reality you will feel more awake than before. The reason for this is that the hormones will help to wake you up.
9. Connect With Others
Connecting with other people through conversation and even physical contact is fantastic. Hugging, for example, is one of the best ways to relieve stress and anxiety. Make the time to hug your friends and family whenever you see them. Hugging might not feel natural to you if you have not done it often. Remember, people like to hug so go ahead and hug them. Doing so will make you feel better, and it will also make the people around you feel better. Having a connection with the people that you love will make you feel supported and happy.
10. Substitute Your Snacks
Research suggests that carbonated drinks such as Coke and Pepsi bring you down. People tend to reach for a sugary drink when they feel tired. Whilst the drink might give you a short sugar rush of energy, you will then have a sugar slump. Substitute sugary drinks for healthy glucose. Eat a piece of fruit when you need a boost. Citrus fruit, in particular, will make you feel awake and give you the hit you need.