Everyone wants to live an active lifestyle. For which many go to the gym, walk, do yoga, dance, or jog. Being active gives you energy, keeps your mood fresh, and also keeps your physique in shape. But here’s another thing that is equally important as staying active, and that’s taking care of your body. And this is the point where self-care comes in.
When you keep moving your body and mind too much, your body craves some time to recharge itself. Self-care helps you in many ways, like protection from injuries, feeling more balanced, and enjoying your activities from your heart.
Here we’re sharing 7 simple and powerful habits that help you in taking care of yourself and living a healthy life with full enjoyment.
1. Treat sleep like a workout.
Sleep is not just about taking rest; in actuality, it’s a way your body heals. If you’re exercising or keeping yourself active on a regular basis, your muscles need some time to repair themselves and grow, and this healing process takes place at the time when you’re sleeping. If you’re taking 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night, then you’re helping your body a lot in healing.
What works:
Maintain a sleep routine—same sleep time, low lights an hour earlier, and avoid using your phone before bed. After surviving a hard day, you should relax your mind before sleeping, and for this, you can take help from music or meditation.
2. Eat Food That Fuels You
Your body is just like a machine—it needs appropriate fuel to recharge itself. You should intake healthy food to stay energetic, recover quickly, and stay strong. For this purpose, you should eat fruits, vegetables, protein-related foods, healthy fats, and healthy grains in your daily food.
Don’t take too much time to eat after exercising. If you want to recover your muscles more quickly, then you should eat something within an hour of exercising.
Go to option:
In quick recipes you can have a smoothie with banana, toast with boiled eggs, or fruit with yogurt.
3. Stretch and foam roll daily.
If you do not stretch your body, then it will become stiff or sore. Trust me, foam rollers and stretching are life-saving exercises. They relax your muscles, improve flexibility, and reduce the chances of getting injured.
What to do:
You should keep a 10-minute routine in the evening or after an exercise session. To stretch your lower and upper body. You can also do this by watching any of your favorite shows, as it makes your stretching session more interesting and easy to do.
4. Drink Enough Water Every Day
One of the best habits to keep yourself active is staying hydrated. Because when you stay active for long, you sweat more, and the more you sweat, the more your body loses water. So if you don’t take in enough water, you will feel tired or dizzy, and dehydration also increases the chances of muscle cramps.
What to do:
Keep a bottle with you every time. Try to drink at least 8 to 10 glasses a day, and if you’re sweating more, increase your water intake. You can also add lemon or mint to your water to make it more refreshing. It will make you feel like having a mini energy booster every time you take a sip.
5. Take rest days without feeling guilty.
Many of us think that taking a rest day means we’re being lazy. But it’s not true; actual rest days are as important as your workout days. As they help your muscles in recovering faster and not making your body too tired or injured.
What to do:
On rest days, you should do some light exercises like going for a slow walk, little stretching, or just relaxing yourself along with vibing to music. If you want, then you can also make your rest gently active. And your body deserves some rest to heal and relax.
6. Look after your mental health too.
Keeping yourself active helps you a lot in managing stress, but sometimes your life gets too overwhelming. And it’s fine sometimes to feel low even when you’re doing everything in a perfect manner. Prioritizing your mental health is also a part of taking care of yourself.
What helps:
You can write a journal, take slow outdoor walks, or have a long talk with your best friend. And if you’re feeling anxious, then perform some short breathing exercises. You don’t have to perform big and hard exercises; just find small ones to keep yourself calm and focused.
7. Listen to what your body is telling you.
Your body always talks to you and always shares its feelings with you. So if you’re feeling sore, tired, or in pain somewhere in your body, then never ever ignore it. The basic meaning of self-care is giving attention to your body and adjusting your routine whenever your body needs it.
What you should know:
If soreness is coming after a good exercise session, then it’s fine, but sudden or sharp pain and feeling lethargic constantly are big red flags. You should take breaks, get enough sleep, and visit a therapist if needed. If you want to avoid big problems, then you should cure the smaller ones.
Final thoughts
It’s wonderful to live an active lifestyle. As it makes you feel stronger, alive, and capable as well. But pushing your body hard is not the actual meaning of being active. Being active actually means taking care of your body gently.
These 7 self-care habits—sleeping well, eating healthy, keeping yourself hydrated, rest days, and being gentle with yourself—are very simple and classy. But these habits make a big difference.
Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean being selfish. It’s just a smart way to keep yourself strong and happy in the long run. And by doing this you’re not only taking care of your body but you’re also taking care of your whole self, whether mentally or physically.
So , when you’re active, don’t forget to stretch, rest, breathe, and show love to your body. You’re trying hard, and you deserve lots of care and love.
