7 Fun Health Tips to Try This Week

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With all the serious emphasis placed on health, mine included, it felt like time to write up a fun post. Daily I appreciate the miraculous way that the body functions. And I am deeply grateful for the role that healthy, highly nutritious foods play to support that body. I continue to learn and grow in the area of health and wellness.

For today’s post, I chose to feature a collection of tips that can boost health in minutes a day, and spark fun too.

Here are 7 fun health tips to try this week.

A Week of Health Tips to Try

An easy way to incorporate these tips, without feeling overwhelm or obligation, is to add one activity to each day of the week. None of the 7 fun health tips to try take more than a few minutes and yet the rewards are great.

And of course, feel free to change up these suggestions! Do three of the tips in one day. Stretch on Wednesday instead of Sunday. Make up your own fun list. These activities are meant to inspire and encourage and raise awareness about the importance of a healthy lifestyle…at any age.

Sunday – Stretch

We can learn much from watching cats! When they wake up, they stretch. Gentle stretches stimulate the muscles, increasing blood flow and easing tightness. Stretches are a great way to wake up the body. And regularly stretching keeps muscles limber and reduces the risk of injury.

Before getting out of bed, spend five minutes stretching arms and legs. Stretch…hold…release the muscles. Be very gentle.

Monday – Try Something New

Learning something new, whether it’s a language or a musical instrument or a hobby, boosts the brain by creating fresh pathways. American researchers coined the phrase “neurobics” for tasks that activate the brain’s biochemical pathways and create new ones that help to strengthen or preserve existing circuits.

Spend a few minutes learning something new. Download a language app and practice for five minutes a day. Learn a new game. Paint with your non-dominant hand. Drive to work a different way. Mixing things up fires up the brain and that helps to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Tuesday – Eat Berries

On this day, replace a dessert or even a meal with a big bowl of berries. Include strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. These superfoods contain nutrients called anthocyanidins, which are powerful antioxidants. And blueberries are high in resveratrol, the antioxidant compound found in grapes. Resveratrol helps to protect against heart disease, cancer and the effects of aging.

Grab a bowl of berries and savor them. Resist the urge to cover them in sugar or toss them over a scoop of ice cream. Appreciate the natural flavor of the juicy berries and the role they play in keeping the body healthy.

Wednesday – Walk Outside

On this day, head outdoors. Walk in a park, through the woods, across a field or around the track at a school. Just get outside and walk for 15 to 30 minutes.

We know that walking tones the body, burns calories, strengthens muscles, helps to maintain a healthy weight and gets the heart pumping. In addition, walking outdoors also reduces negative thoughts, clears the mind and boosts self confidence.

Thursday – Read

Among the 7 fun health tips to try, this one may come as a surprise. It’s a delightful one, I hope! Studies have shown that reading for just 6 to 10 minutes can reduce stress. Losing yourself in a book lowers the stress hormone cortisol by 67%.

Grab a favorite book, or one you’ve never read before, and find a place to relax for a few minutes while you read. The mental distraction frees the mind from anxiety and thoughts that keep circling around. Bonus health tip: brew a cup of herbal tea to sip on while you enjoy your book.

Friday – Breathe Deeply

Pausing to take long deep breaths improves circulation, reduces stress, calms the mind and body and lowers high blood pressure.

During the day, be aware of stress or feeling overwhelmed. Pause and take three deep breaths, breathing in through the nose for a count of four, holding the breath for a count of four and slowly releasing the breath through the mouth. Deep breathing can be practiced anywhere, at anytime…while at the office, sitting in traffic or during a bathroom break.

Saturday – Belly Laugh

Talk about a fun health tip! Laughter truly does the body good. It increases blood flow by 20%, relaxing and expanding the lining of blood vessels. That increase of oxygen rich blood is good for heart health. Laughter also lifts mood and boosts the immune system. Feel a cold coming on? Laugh as your first line of defense.

Spend a few minutes on this day working up to a good belly laugh. Watch YouTube funnies. Recall a favorite scene from a comedy and watch the entire movie when you can. Read jokes from a book. Watch kids or pets play. Energetically open up the chest and stomach areas (the heart and solar plexus chakras) and allow genuine laughter to flow. You’ll feel better and so will those around you. Laughter is contagious.

Use these activities as a launching pad and create more fun health tips to enjoy. I promise you, the more you look for ways to bring health and wellness into your life, the more ideas will show up.

I’d love to hear about the 7 fun health tips you come up with!

 

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