Five Building Blocks of Mind-Body Wellness [Transcript]
Here are five building blocks of mind-body wellness:
Exercise
Exercise releases feel-good chemicals in our brains. It also boosts memory and overall brain function. People who lead an active lifestyle are even at lower risk of cognitive decline as they age. Your exercise goal is 30 minutes of moderate or vigorous exercise per day. This should include a mixture or aerobic or cardio exercise to increase your heart rate, as well as some strength training.
Nutrition
Studies show that people who have a higher level of mental health also tend to have a higher intake of fruits and vegetables. Your goal is 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. If you get bored of eating fruits and vegetables, you can substitute ½ cup of fruit or vegetable juice. A good rule of thumb is, whenever you eat a meal, to make sure that half of your plate is fruit and vegetables.
Hydration
Dehydration actually shrinks areas of your brain. This can impact your mood, focus, short-term memory, and ability to react quickly. A good hydration goal for an adult is 65 ounces of liquid per day. About 20% of your liquid intake comes through food, but you are responsible for the rest. This can be water, or it can be milk, juice, tea, or coffee. Just try to avoid too much caffeine or sugary drinks.
Sleep
Sleep stabilizes mood, improves focus and memory, enhances creativity, and the ability to solve complex problems. If you feel tired, cranky, and flat when you wake up, chances are you have not had enough restful sleep. Your goal is 8 hours of restful sleep per night. The differences between 7 and 8 hours can actually be quite big, so see if you can build in a little more sleep. Naps count too.
Stress Reduction
When we’re worrying about things all the time, we are in a harmful state of chronic stress. This increases our levels of the stress hormone cortisol and increases inflammation in our bodies. Your goal here is a short, daily stress reduction practice. This can be 5 minutes of meditation, yoga, deep belly breathing, making art, laughing with friends, listening to music, walking in nature, or whatever else works for you to bring down your stress levels.
Exercise, nutrition, hydration, sleep, and stress reduction are the 5 building blocks of mind-body wellness. We all know about these and they may seem obvious, but it is worth reminding ourselves of the truly powerful impact that these simple practices and habits can have on our physical and mental well-being.
How are you doing with your mind-body wellness practices? Join the conversation in the comments below!
- The Difference Between Mindfulness and Meditation [Video] - September 13, 2017
- Five Building Blocks of Mind-Body Wellness [Video] - August 4, 2017
- 7 Ways to Cultivate your Creativity - April 24, 2016
6 comments
Excellent tips, Jenny! There’s nothing like a good 8 hours of sleep and a workout to combat stress and fatigue.
Always a helpful reminder! I notice that even stepping up one of these areas is helpful for me. Sometimes trying to stay on top of all at once can feel overwhelming, so I try to commit to at least 2-3 to be top of mind each day. For me today I am focusing on exercising, sleep and hydration. 🙂
A very digestible and easy to remember daily regiment- exercise and sleep are easy for me to forget so I appreciate it is connected to 3 others that I know to do-
Simple and easy to follow steps that anyone could incorporate into their overall wellbeing. Great job!
So many great tips that seem so simple. It is a nice reminder of how easy it can be to take care of ourselves if we just put the time into it.
Great advice Jenny! I really like the examples of fruit and vegetables, it shows that the five servings per day are doable. Awesome!