10 Health Coach Tips for Improving Your Wellbeing

Wellness is merely a gift you choose to give yourself that begins with one simple choice after another. We are responsible for improving our own wellbeing, and it is up to us to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to live a healthy lifestyle. Though lifestyle changes can be a bit challenging at first, great progress can be made with small steps. Keep your wellness on top with these tips from expert health coaches:

Exercise.

The last thing you want to do when you are not feeling well is exercise, but it is one of the most effective and natural ways to feel better! Physical activity improves psychological well-being and can reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. Joining an exercise group or a gym can also reduce loneliness, since it connects you with people who share a common goal.

Get Your Daily Dose of D.

"New research says that vitamin D may play a crucial role in weight loss by controlling appetite and helping fat cells become more metabolically active," says Dr. Mehmet Oz, cardiothoracic surgeon, author, and host of The Dr. Oz Show. The sunshine vitamin helps your body to better absorb bone boosting calcium, improves immunity, reduces inflammation, and even protects against some forms of cancer.

Live in the present.

“Mental health tends to become challenged when we get sucked into what used to happen or what people 'did to me' rather than taking responsibility in what I am doing or creating today, right now,” according to Health Coach Jeffrey Sumber. He encourages you to live in the present without hyper focusing on the future or the past.

Stress Less.

Gratitude has been shown to lower stress, which prevents many other physical and mental consequences. Instead of putting your focus on what your body can’t do or the way you want your body to look like, express gratitude for wherever you are right now and the opportunity to make improvements.

Sleep well.

Sleep plays an integral role in your well-being and following a healthy regime can affect physical and mental health, and improve quality of life. Well, life can get in the way, and sometimes losing a few hours is inevitable but it’s important to try and keep a healthy sleep schedule. Ensure you’re getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night.

Move your own way.

Physical activity is fundamental, but oftentimes we’ll start an exercise regimen only to give it up after a few weeks. Make sure to choose the kind of exercise that gets you jazzed, be it Zumba, power walking, or tossing around a Frisbee. To make sure you’re powered up for fitness, eat a high-protein meal a few hours before you exercise and have your water bottle handy all day long.

Zone in & Zen out.

Meditating every day is the best thing you can do for your health and happiness. This is especially true on the weekends. Why? Free time is your inner critic’s playground. Why not rein in the fear-based negative talk by starting your day on a positive note? Giving yourself the time to clue into your feelings will allow you to process them through your heart and not your plate.

Amita Patel, Health Coach, Owner and Founder of Aligned Holistics

Keep it simple.

Things like regular exercise, eating healthy, and getting enough sleep should be a staple in your life. It should not be a chore, or very hard to sustain. And when you make unhealthy choices or slip up in your routine once or twice, see that as a reminder that you are human, and it's all a process. Do not feel guilty about it.

Cultivate loving relationships.

Interact and connect with people at your workplace. Plan and go out together with your friends and family over weekends. Connecting to people keeps us at bay from the feeling of loneliness and isolation and helps us deal effectively with stress. Also, doing things in a group taps your creativity and improves your performance at work. In fact, when the 'I' changes to 'We', then even illness changes to wellness!

Keep Hydrated.

Always start your day off with at least one full glass of water before you consume anything else (i.e. coffee or food). Add some freshly squeezed lemon for a detoxifying boost that will also help to stimulate digestion. Drink water or sip herbal teas between meals. Raw veggies and fruit are also water-rich and provide hydration.