We could all use a little "restart" every now and again. I know I could use it after a summer of stay-cationing around our beautiful province. There were lots of craft beers, delicious foods and s'mores consumed in the last couple of months! So, needless to say, I've been feeling pretty tired and 'blah' lately. Below are 6 ways you can restart your body WITHOUT having to spend hours at the gym or doing a juice cleanse for a week!
Exercise
You guessed it, number one is exercise. Now you're probably thinking "but she just said I don't have to go to the gym!" And you don't! There are many ways to get exercising without a gym. We're coming in to fall now and the beautiful changing leaves will soon start to litter the ground. Why not frolic through the leaves at a local park or trail. Walking for just 30 minutes a day can improve your cardiovascular health, strengthen your bones, reduce body fat and increase endurance.
2. Drink more water
If you're like me and don't get enough water during the day, this is the easiest and most simple way to reboot your system. Drinking water helps with circulation, digestions, nutrients and regulating body temperature. Water can also help control calories, make your skin appear more fresh, feed your muscles and improve kidney function, along with many other benefits! It's recommended to take your body weight in pounds and divide it in half to know how much water in ounces you need to drink.
3. Add in specific body recharging foods
Adding in specific health-conscious foods can be helpful for rebooting your body. Foods like sweet potato, romaine lettuce, and nuts (pecans, walnuts & almonds) are great natural antioxidants. Asparagus is a pre-biotic and it can help fuel the G.I. (gastrointestinal) tract. Wild salmon has a lot of omega-3's which are good for a healthy heart. Herbs and spices like cinnamon, oregano, rosemary and cayenne can be easily snuck into your cooking and provide benefits like helping with blood sugar, heart health, decreasing inflammation and boosting your metabolism.
4. Eat anti-inflammatory foods
Foods like spinach, kale and collard greens are natural anti-inflammatory foods. Other foods that have these properties include tomatoes, olive oil, almonds & walnuts, salmon, mackerel and tuna, and fruits like strawberries, blueberries, cherries and oranges. Why not try adding a few of these in to your diet!?
5. Deep Breathing Exercises
Some of you may know that I'm big on deep breathing, called diaphragmatic breathing. I'll send some of my clients home with breathing exercises to help manage some of their pain because it can be so beneficial. Deep breathing can help with reducing stress and pain, improving immunity, improving digestion, lowering blood pressure, and more. Here's a challenge for you: Sit tall and take a deep breath. Notice if your chest rises or if your belly pushes out. Most of us are chest breathers but we really want to be using our diaphragm muscle, filling up our lungs and having our belly push outwards.
Breathing exercise: Place a hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Take a deep breath in through your nose and really concentrate on filling up the belly. The hand on the chest should barely move while the hand on the belly should get pushed out. Slowly let the air out through pursed lips and repeat 5-7 times.
6. Get adequate sleep
While we sleep is when our body goes to work. It does its best healing at this time. Getting the right amount of sleep can be super beneficial for us. Sleep helps with memory, increase our moods, prevent weight gain, boost your immune system, and increases our productivity - to name a few. A few tips for a better sleep include going to bed and getting up at the same time, limit your sleeping-in on days off, don't consume caffeine later on in the day, and regular exercise.
And there you have it - 6 ways to reboot your body! Give these a try and you'll quickly see a difference! Anything else you do to restart your system? Let me know in the comments!
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