Get Healthy In 3 Months: The Fast Track To Health & Wellness
In the aftermath of the Covid 19 pandemic, one of the biggest lessons that people across the world have learned is that you can’t take health and wellness lightly.
Work from home (WFH) has brought its own set of issues - lack of boundaries between home and work, unhealthy eating habits, fewer social interactions in real time, no fixed routine, higher stress levels and sleep disturbances. Over dependence on social media, online shopping and entertainment have created loneliness and isolation. Hormonal imbalance, low energy and sex drive, digestion problems, hair loss, skin problems, GERD, auto-immune disorders and more serious, life-threatening conditions can be triggered by ignoring the symptoms of poor health and wellness.
Whether you work outside the home, or are a home-maker, caregiver of older parents or persons with disabilities, young or senior, and whatever part of the world you live in, your environment has transformed dramatically in ways that you could never have imagined a decade ago.
The Importance of Health and Wellness
It seems naive to ask why health, fitness and wellness are important, but it may not surprise you to know that few people actually ask themselves this question.
Health and wellness are important because they:
- Make life more fulfilling and happy
- Extend your lifespan and the quality of life
- Create an atmosphere of peace within and around you
- Improve relationships
- Improve mental and physical states
- Make you more productive and financially secure
Statistics from the WHO reveal that anxiety and depression affect nearly 5% of the world’s population. These figures are slightly higher for women and older people. More than 700,000 people commit suicide every year around the world. There are plenty of interventions, both medical and psychological, to treat these conditions, but almost 75% of people suffering from anxiety and depression get no treatment. Lack of awareness, social stigma, and delayed response to symptoms are the main issues that prevent people from finding relief.
Health and Wellness Programs: Which One’s Right For You?
These facts are alarming and a real cause for concern, socially and professionally. So, what’s the solution? Almost anyone you talk to has their own take on it: Take a break from work, go on a holiday, join a gym, take yoga/music/art classes, find a friend to talk to, eat the right food, lose weight, get a full body medical check up, get more sleep and exercise, go for a walk, sing - all wonderful gems of advice, and any one of them will probably do you a load of good.
The real problem is that a random set of programs doesn’t have the staying power to last. They may engage you for a while, and even benefit you in the short term. But a sustainable, practical and flexible program of health and wellness needs to be planned carefully and deployed precisely.
Many such programs promise you fantastic results, but for that you may have to wait months or even years, but what you want is something that works well and fast.
But here too, there is no one size fits all approach. You need to personalize and tailor a program to sync with your own unique needs, lifestyle and preferences. You may also have a budget or time limit that you need to stay within.
Fast Tracking : 90 Days To Health and Wellness
Wellness is a state of physical and mental well-being that arises from making the right nutritional, fitness and lifestyle choices.
Analyze your current physical, emotional, social, mental health and wellness status before you plunge into any program. For this, you need complete honesty and soul-searching. Be objective and try to view yourself as an outsider would.
Understand your challenges and barriers. Figure out what motivates you.
Set your goals and examine your aspirations realistically. Make a step by step plan instead of a broad-based one.
Put realistic and achievable strategies in place. Ensure that you have features for regular audit and tracking.
This is a general plan for any fitness or wellness program, and you can tweak it to match your individual requirements.
1. Stress Busters: Be an early riser and go to bed early to get adequate sleep. Meet and greet neighbors and friends on a regular morning walk. Listen to music while completing household chores. Meditate and practice kindness and gratitude.
2. Social Media Detox: Unhook yourself from social media for 3 months, and you’ll find that the world goes on regardless! Social media is endlessly addictive and the need to compulsively scroll through your news feed and social media has to be stalled to regain control over your time and emotions. Choose authentic and useful websites such as https://restanddigest.com.au for lasting value.
3. Diet and Nutrition: Review your health and fitness goals. This gives you an idea of your grocery shopping habits, impulsive eating patterns, traditional habits and cultural preferences. Eat healthy and nutritious foods at regular, fixed intervals. Learn to cook healthy meals and choose healthy snacks.
4. Structure your day: Document a typical day in your life and create a general structure that encompasses most days. Include fixed times for waking, sleeping, family time, exercise, meals, work, chores, socializing and hobbies. Use an analog alarm clock instead of your phone to set alarms.
5. Quick Fixes: Can be a part of your daily routine. They include drinking a glass of water every 2 hours, listening to a meaningful podcast every day, reading for pleasure, stretching for 5 minutes, deep breathing for 5 minutes and eating 3 fruits and 3 vegetables every day.
6. Journaling: Make journaling a lifestyle habit that provides you with mindfulness, gratitude, perception and emotional wellness. It’s a handy reminder, chronicler of the past, crystal ball to the future and your closest friend that keeps all your secrets safe. Gratitude lists can help you to understand where your true peace and happiness lie.
7. Wellness at Work: A few years ago, “work life balance” was the current buzzword. Today, we understand that true balance is a myth. The reality is that we need to go with the flow, give yourself the flexibility and opportunity to take stock regularly. Prioritize different aspects at different times in life, and ensure that you give yourself rewards.
8. Scarcity: Stop functioning in an environment of scarcity. At various times, personal financial crises, stock market meltdowns and unexpected expenses may have wrecked your financial plans. This could have created a siege mindset, where you want to conserve your resources for that possible rainy day. While this is a great strategy for peace of mind, it leads to anxiety and stress. Let yourself go occasionally, splurge on something that’s unnecessary but desired, enjoy a fine dining or spa experience, give an extravagant present to a loved one, or to yourself.