Well, last time I was feeling all technically savvy, and apparently my link to my blog didn’t work. Sorry about that. And there was no quick follow up email to say, “Oops…here’s the link that works” because I was in Mexico. I think I’ve figured out what happened with my links, so hopefully everything works today! If you want to see what I said about Becoming a Fit Foodie, here you GO!
Moving on….and we are literally going to be talking about moving today. Moving your body, that is. Not homes. That’s a whole other topic and major life event, but one that can be managed in healthy ways. But I digress…..
Healthy Balanced Life Tip #1: Sweat Now, Shine Later
Why I do this: Because I just feel better and look better when I do. Simply put. I used to not like working up a sweat. Maybe it’s because I lived on the Texas Gulf Coast for over 3 decades and it was just always humid and sweaty, maybe it was because I used to worry that I sweat more than others girls and my hair would get super curly when I did, who knows. But I got over that. I finally figured out what the sweat was doing for me physically and mentally, and now I start feeling yucky if it’s been too long since I’ve broken a good sweat.
Sweat is the best way to release toxins from our bodies. And lucky for us, the skin is the largest organ of the body, and sweat comes out of our skin. So you have a huge vehicle to get those toxins out, but you need to do something to make yourself sweat!
Moving your body keeps your joints and muscles happier, it boosts energy, promotes better brain function, and also gets circulation going in your lymphatic system. This is important because lymph is your immune fluid. It’s what your body needs to be strong to heal from injury, illness or keep you from getting injured or ill.
Best Practices: Try to get sweaty 3-5 times per week. I do best when I do this first thing in the morning. And I am in a much better mood with more energy for the rest of the day, too! Determine the best time of day for you, and how. A gym or running shoes are not required. Play hard with your kids, turn up the music and dance, clean house, garden, go for a walk, swim, bike, take the stairs instead of the elevator, whatever. Just move your body, move long enough to break a sweat, and then keep moving for another 20 minutes. Your mind, body, skin, waistline, digestive system, immune system, lymphatic system, brain and let’s just throw in the whole body at this point will thank you!
Healthy Balanced Life Tip # 2: Create downtime
Why I do this: Wait, Jill. You just told me to move and sweat. I know. But you also have to allow time for your body to recover, relax and rejuvenate. If I don’t, and stay go, go, go too much, I get stressed, overwhelmed, am more likely to get injured or sick and stop smelling the roses. And I have young kids. Smelling the roses is important. It is even if you don’t have young kids.
Best practices: Find relaxing activities that you like, meditate, have a lazy Saturday morning, go for a picnic lunch. Figure out leisure activities that you enjoy and build them regularly into your schedule. And if you’ve been working out really hard, give yourself a skip day. Don’t let it turn into a skip week or month, but allow yourself flexibility in what you do. Life will feel more at ease and be more fun!
