9 Things I Do to Keep Healthy in Body, Mind & Spirit
How you can find peace & happiness in spite of life’s challenges.
I move to the beat of my circadian rhythm.
I wake with the sun.
I always hated being forced awake by an alarm clock. It was startling and unnatural. It caused me to be suddenly roused out of my rest, disoriented and miserable. Then I’d lose precious minutes trying to clear up my brain and get my body moving to prepare to get through the door to join the crowded commute.
Now I go to sleep and rise with the changing light of each day. In the summer when sunrise was earlier, I would be gently awakened by the sun’s glow around 05:30. It was refreshing and energising. I would start my day with a walk outdoors. As the months passed and the sun rose later, then so did I. In the transition period, I was disappointed that I no longer seized the day before 6 AM. Eventually, I reminded myself that the point of waking with the sun was to let my body surrender to nature and not to fight it. To awake gently and naturally at 07:00, then 07:30, takes away anxiety and allows me to start the day at the right pace, in the right frame of mind.
I listen to when my body says it’s time to call it a day.
I am really clear on when it is time for bed. I typically feel my energy draining slowly from around 6PM but by 10 o’clock at night, I’m ready to wrap things up. If I wait too late to perform the bedtime ritual then it feels like a chore. If you’re like me, then try to execute your bedtime ritual when it’s not likely to make you grumpy before bed.
Fill your humidifier, switch on your air purifier, turn on your white noise (or crack open a window, if you like the rumble of the night), flip on the fan (if you need a light breeze), place a drink of water beside your bed, brush your teeth, do your nighttime skincare routine, say “good night” to your household, pull on your favourite sleepwear (or strip down to your birthday suit) and climb into bed. Do those things in whatever order suits you.
Everything else can wait until tomorrow.
I breathe, stretch, shake and let tension go.
I am yet to try meditation although it’s been a consideration of mine for a long time. The Audible podcasts are on my phone, so I’ll get around to it eventually.
If you’ve tried meditation before, then keep at it or get back into it. Whether the world is feeling fast-paced and you’re struggling to keep up, or the life seems uncertain and you feel stagnant, it helps to quiet the mind. I know this because I enjoy 5 minutes of savasana at the end of my occasional yoga sessions!
Whether you’re a lazy bones or you pump heavy at the gym, a bit of stretching makes a big difference. It’s good for the joints, the muscles, the lungs and the mind. I don’t plan when and where I do stretches. I may be in a bathroom, in a restaurant, at the office or on an apple farm; if my body could benefit from a couple stretches, I do them right there.
I’m no yoga expert, at best I’m a Beginner II, but whether I do 10 minutes or 1 hour, whether I move smoothly and confidently through the poses or I quake, stumble and curse, my body and mind are grateful at the end. Child’s Pose never hurt anybody (I hope).
Of course, there’s always Zumba and other dance aerobics classes online, if you like to move your body more energetically. I favour weightlifting because bodyweight exercises wear me out! Ugh.
I go for a walk (or dance) outdoors.
To put some distance between me and everyone else, I go outside.
To breathe some fresh air, even in the winter, I go outside.
To reawaken my stiff or lazy body, I go outside.
To avoid feelings of isolation, I go outside.
To escape monotony, I go outside.
Although this seems like a simple solution, it’s sometimes hard to persuade myself to go outside because I may be feeling too lazy to get dressed, or too spooked by being near other people in the COVID-19 era, or too preoccupied with my work.
It’s important to do away with the thinking that the time spent walking outdoors would be more wisely spent doing your job. That’s crap. Your mental and physical health should always be a priority. A healthy mind will perform better at work. You may return from your walk having unraveled a challenge that seemed insurmountable when you were staring at the computer.
Personally, I prefer to listen to audiobooks while on my walk. The books allow me to escape into another world, to explore different experiences and feelings. When I listen to music, it’s invariably any of Rihanna’s albums, and that is when passersby will surely see me dancing wildly along the neighbourhood sidewalks. Whether my walk is an idle stroll or an intense 5km power walk, it makes my day feel productive.
I drink water.
I cannot overstate the importance of water consumption. I drink water with every meal. If ever you feel bored by plain water, try carbonated water, or add a few drops of flavour either with a lime/lemon or a low-cal enhancer. Notice I said a few drops! You’re not making Kool-Aid!
When I wake on mornings, I take a couple swigs of water from my bedside bottle. The body and brain need water to function, so I let them have it immediately. Then I enjoy a hot cup of caffeine-free herbal tea. I do not consume anything caffeinated; no black tea, no coffee (yuck) and, other than maybe 3 servings a year, no Coca Cola. My body does not need temporary drug-induced energy boosts, and I’m willing to bet that neither does yours.
Water is essential for improving brain function, helping balance your emotions, supporting blood flow and oxygen to your brain, preventing and relieving headaches, reducing stress, losing fat, building muscle, flushing toxins from the body, maintaining regular digestion and preserving skin elasticity.
I limit my consumption of refined sugar.
After declaring recently that my chance at visible abs is diminished by my recent inclination to doughnuts, it is important to make clear that I do not avoid sugar entirely. However, I prioritise natural sugars; each week my dining table is restocked with an assortment of fruit. In Toronto, it is difficult to come by my preferred Barbadian fruit like dunks, fat porks, hog plums, ackees, Bajan cherries and sea grapes. I more often eat apples, oranges, strawberries, grapes and plums.
If you like a sweet breakfast, try banana oat pancakes with no added sugar. The sugar content in a banana increases the more it ripens. Instead of syrup, thaw some frozen berries or peaches.
The reasons I limit processed sugars are that these tend to attack my skin, causing acne that I rather avoid, and such foods are calorie-dense with little nutritional value. Processed sugars can cause lethargy. I want high but steady energy levels, so fibre-rich whole foods, like my breakfast oats are much better. No sugary instant oats!
I release my thoughts.
I have one small diary in which I have been writing for the past 9 years. There are moments in life that I would make frequent entries and other times, I do not look at that book for months. However, when I’m moved to write new entries or to read old entries, that bit of self-reflection helps me to work through my thoughts and gain clarity.
In a diary, you can acknowledge your blessings, your failures, your aspirations, your disappointments and your lessons.
I am a talker, so I freely tell my friends and family everything that is going on with me. Still, recently I have been talking to a licensed psychotherapist. It’s still new to me so I will not tout it too hard just yet. In the beginning it felt like rehashing everything that I already thought through a million times before. Later I found that the method of the therapist was to ask the probing questions that guided me towards solutions. Sometimes a fresh perspective, from someone committed to bringing you to resolution, makes a big difference. Seeing a therapist may be expensive but check your insurance benefits; you may have coverage.
I live by the mantra “Hakuna Matata”.
For many years in both Barbados and Toronto, I worked a job that I absolutely hated. I was determined not to allow the pressures of an environment, where I was certain I did not belong, to impress any stress upon my life. So I downloaded a picture of Timon (from The Lion King) plus the words “Hakuna Matata” and printed a sticker, which I plastered on my desk. Sure, technically I defaced the desk but seeing that message of “there are no problems here” and hearing the song in my head say “no worries for the rest of your daaaaaays!” really kept me in the right frame of mind.
More than a decade later, I have changed industries and evolved in so many ways of which I am proud. My “hakuna matata” attitude remains consistent.
I do not internalise the anxiety that co-workers or clients try to offload on me. I rebuke the suggestion that anyone should consistently work extra hours. I encourage my team to shake off any feelings of inadequacy that make them think they ought to be spread thin and strung out to be seen as productive. Great work can be done in regular working hours. Live a life in service to yourself, feeding your spirit and honouring your mind and body for all they have done, can do and will do.
I do what feels right for me.
Sometimes I want to post photos and videos online; sometimes I change my mind and delete them all. It’s my account so I do whatever pleases me.
At one point, I thought I’d always eat home cooked meals but there are times I order food delivery. There’s no harm in trading the pots and pans for a crispy chicken sandwich, chips and a milkshake once in a while.
I am committed to a healthy lifestyle but if I skip my workout to binge on Netflix, it’s not going to kill me. It may be the recovery I need.
Everyone is going in and out of so many phases. There is no rulebook for life, in pandemic or otherwise; and even if someone dared to publish one, you don’t owe that person a darn thing.
Live your life in whatever way feels right in the moment. Be okay with there being ebbs and flows. Get back on track when you can. Cruise along when you need to. Just be grateful for life.
