Coming Out of the Pandemic with a Bang: Practical Advice for Getting Healthier and Crushing Your Goals

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Guest Post Contribution by Julia Mitchell
Outspiration.net info@outspiration.net

In light of the pandemic, most of us are ready to get back to some kind of normal. We’re excited about businesses operating at full capacity, our work routines getting back on track, and many other aspects that seem likely to come as the pandemic shifts. 

But there is no getting around the fact that the world has changed. Our everyday routines were turned upside down, and now it’s time to pick up the pieces and forge a promising future. And when it comes down to it, your future begins with you. MindSpa shares some practical advice for how you can re-enter the world with confidence, position yourself to crush your goals, and live your best life:

Prioritize Nutrition

 One of the first steps you should take is to evaluate your diet. What we eat matters, and our minds and bodies must have the proper nutrition if we are to thrive in our daily life and accomplish our goals.

Make sure that your eating habits are contributing to your overall health and productivity levels—not hindering them. While there are plenty of popular diets that can help you get healthier, simply choosing a few healthy foods to base your diet around can go a long way.

For example, clean foods such as vegetables, fruits, lean meats, fatty fish, whole grains, and seeds are excellent for eating day in and day out. In addition to helping you feel better on a daily basis, switching to a healthier diet can also help prevent conditions such as IBS and IBD, both of which can be controlled with more fibrous food.

Fortunately, there are tons of resources available online to help you plan a healthy diet. Look to the web for healthy and delicious recipes for lunch and dinner, as well as snack ideas that will give your energy a boost rather than drain it.

Another thing to consider is meal prepping. By dedicating two to three hours a week to preparing meals and snacks, you can have most of your food in the fridge ready to grab and go throughout the week. This not only saves you time in the long run but also gives you more control of the ingredients and portions you are consuming.

Fitness Routine

If it’s not as important as diet, physical fitness is a close second. Our bodies need to move, which is why a sedentary lifestyle significantly increases the risk of chronic diseases, not to mention tends to lower overall quality of life. Similar to your diet, you don’t have to go all-in by running a marathon next week. Simply find a physical activity you enjoy, and commit to doing it four or five times a week. Even if it’s just for 30 minutes, you’ll be surprised by how much better you feel by having exercise as a part of your routine.

Regular exercise doesn’t have to take up a lot of your time. If you’re busy, look for ways to squeeze in a workout on your lunch break, such as briskly walking in a nearby park or using the elliptical for 20 minutes at the company gym. A lot of people are taking advantage of the various online workout resources that make it easy to exercise from home. For example, you can easily find HIIT workouts, weightlifting regimes, yoga classes, and many other types of fitness routines through tutorials and videos. And the best part? You don’t need a lot of equipment.

While regular exercise can do wonders for your physical health, it’s also an essential practice for your mental health. Few things can boost your self-confidence like going for a run or swimming a few laps in the pool. And since sticking to a fitness routine will help you feel better day to day, you will naturally be more productive and ready to tackle the tasks at hand.

Getting Sleep

 Getting adequate sleep is right up there with exercise in terms of importance to your all-around health. And this is usually the habit neglected first by busy people. But don’t fool yourself—you can’t be as healthy, productive, or happy as you want to be unless you get your much-needed shut-eye. Sleep is simply too critical for our minds and bodies. We can’t function if we don’t allow ourselves to rest from the activities of the day and prepare for the next day. 

Experts recommend that adults get seven to nine hours of restful sleep each night. If that doesn’t seem practical with your schedule, figure out a way to make it work. One way to do this is to find an activity or two that helps your mind and body to unwind from an eventful day. This may mean listening to calming music, relaxing in a warm bath, meditating, or reading a book before bed. Another great option is to try the MindSpa Personal Development System. This easy-to-use technology offers an innovative way to achieve better sleep and relaxation through sound and light sessions that guide you toward “desirable brainwave states.”

Improving Your Career Prospects

 Along with taking care of your mind and body, now is the perfect time to revisit your career path. Are you doing what you want to do? Are you getting fulfillment from your job as well as making the money you need to make?

If you want to make a career change, you might benefit from going back to school. These days you can earn an online degree in a wide array of fields. For example, if you would like to be a business owner or a leader someday, consider pursuing a business degree in business management, marketing, or a related concentration. This not only will add credentials to your resume but will also help to strengthen your business acumen.

Unplugging from Social Media

Finally, give your mental health a break by limiting the time you spend on social media. Not only is it unhealthy to stare at a screen all day, but people tend to create the image of themselves and their families that they want to portray on social media; that is, they minimize the flaws and focus on making everything look perfect. This can not only lead to feelings of personal inadequacy but also make you feel like you’re not keeping up with the Joneses, working in a fulfilling enough profession, living with enough purpose—you get the picture.

Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and others have their benefits. But don’t let it become a major influencer in how you feel about yourself and your life. Intentionally unplug for two or three days at a time, and see if you don’t feel more peace and freedom to live your own life.

It’s safe to say that most people are ready for some kind of normalcy. In many ways, this is an opportunity for us to create a fresh start in our lives. Make the most of the opportunity by taking care of your physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being. Revisit your career to determine if it’s time for a change. And take breaks from social media so that you can focus on the life you are creating for yourself and your family rather than constantly comparing your life to those of others.