15 Easy Ways to Stay Healthy + Self-care Tips

When life gets busy, it can be hard to stay healthy and take care of yourself. But that doesn’t mean you should put those two things on the backburner. Every single one of us deserves to take time for ourselves.

So, if you’re looking for easy ways to stay healthy + self-care tips, then you’ve come to the right place. By the end of this post, you’re going to find out that the word self-care doesn’t have to be overwhelming or intimidating. In fact, it’s as simple as taking 5 minutes to sit in silence, doing a face mask, making yourself a cup of coffee, eating some chocolate, and so much more.

Each self-care tip mentioned in today’s post is attainable steps that can easily be implemented into your everyday life. It’s time to get in that routine of staying healthy and putting yourself first!

15 Easy Ways to Stay Healthy + Self-care Tips:

1. Add Collagen to your coffee, smoothie, juice, etc.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body – it literally holds you together. It supports a healthy gut, skin, nails, and joints. There are a ton of great brands out there when it comes to collagen, but one of our favorites is Ancient Nutrition’s Multi Collagen Protein Powder. Here is why we love it:

• Tasteless and odorless
• 9g of protein, 0g carbs, 0g of fat
• Supports a healthy gut, skin, nails, and joints
• Non-GMO, grass fed, cage free, and cruelty-free sources
• From 4 food sources (beef, chicken, fish, and eggshell membrane)
• Can be added into beverages (coffee, smoothie, water) and recipes (cookies, pancakes, oatmeal)
• Can be brought on the go because of their Multi-Collagen Protein Stick Pack

2. Replace your cup of coffee with matcha

Looking for an afternoon pick me up? Try replacing your cup of coffee with matcha green tea. One serving of matcha tea is the nutritional equivalent of 10 cups of regularly brewed tea. It’s an antioxidant powerhouse with so many amazing health benefits.

We just tried out Ancient Nutrition’s keto matcha and it is so good! It’s lightly sweetened with stevia, so it has a vanilla taste. The matcha makes it antioxidant-rich along with energizing coconut MCTs and adaptogenic superfoods like ashwagandha, reishi, and chaga.

3. Schedule your week

Take 10 minutes each Sunday to sit down and schedule out your week. Personally, if we don’t write down something, it tends to slip our minds. Especially once the week gets started, it can be easy to forget just what you wanted to get done.

Scheduling out your week is also going to allow you to schedule some time for self-care. One way we do this is by scheduling our workouts. It keeps us accountable and allows us to not make excuses on not going.

4. Make a to-do list each day

The night before, sit down and make a to-do list of what you have to do that day. From personal experience, this makes the day not feel as overwhelming. It will keep you on track of what exactly you need to and want to get done.

I just bought this daily jotter journal that has lines and bullet points to make to-do lists. I’ve found that it’s really been helping me out each day!

5. Put down your phone and read a book

Pretty self-explanatory, but put down your phone and read a book. We both love reading because it’s relaxing, allows us to escape, and takes our minds off of everyday life.

6. Move your body each day

Whether it’s for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, a quick Youtube work out, booking a workout, etc. Moving your body each day is so good for you! Not only is it good for your physical health, but for your mental health as well.

7. Fuel your body with a protein bar after working out

We mentioned in our current favorites for May blog post that we started a new workout. It’s so incredibly hard but so good at the same time! That being said, we like to have a protein bar after we workout. One of our new favorite protein bars is the multi collagen protein bar. They come in two flavors greens + chocolate and dark chocolate.

Each bar has 15g protein, 11g fat, and 10g of collagen. They’re made with simple ingredients and support a healthy gut, skin, joints, and nails.

8. Take time each month to treat yourself

We all make those excuses that we are too busy, but don’t let that stop you from taking care of yourself. No one is ever too busy to just stop and rest for a minute. It’s important to allow yourself to breathe and rest through those busy days because you don’t want to wear yourself out.

By taking time for yourself each month, it’s going to allow you to be a better person to yourself, others, and your everyday life. So, chunk out a time each week, every other week, or each month to do something that allows you to escape. This can be working out, getting your nails done, getting a facial, going out to lunch with a friend, taking a nap, watching your favorite tv show, or even running errands by yourself.

9. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier

Make an effort to go to bed 30 minutes earlier than you normally would. Take those 30 minutes to read a book, spend more time on your skincare routine, meditate, stretch, etc.

This can also be reversed to waking up 30 minutes earlier. Although it may not sound fun, having that extra amount of time can be really good for the soul. Enjoy that cup of coffee, read a daily devotional, do a quick workout, sit in silence, etc. Plus, it may lead to not feeling as rushed in the morning.

10. Diffuse Essential Oils

We love essential oils and have been diffusing, making blends, and applying them topically for a couple of years now. Not only do they smell good, but the health benefits are amazing! We have several diffusers around the house and by our beds. Recently, I have been adding rosemary, peppermint, and lavender to my diffuser for that fresh pick-me-up smell.

One of the health benefits that we have seen with using oils is with Lydia’s TMJ. She did research about which oils work best for TMJ, created a roller ball blend, started applying it to her jaw, and almost immediately saw results.

Not all essential oils are created equally, so make sure you know where your essential oils were extracted. Ancient Nutrition has a great selection of organic essential oils to keep your house smelling great and to help you feel better.

11. Add protein powder to your smoothies

By adding protein to your smoothies you are helping build, repair, and maintain tissues, boost the immune system, increase fat burning, and decrease the risk of diabetes. It’s such a simple and easy way to take care of yourself.

Ancient Nutrition has a wide variety of proteins to match your diet and lifestyle. We’ve been adding their bone broth protein travel packs (vanilla and chocolate) to our smoothies. Bone broth is extremely rich in minerals, protein and a natural source of collagen.

12. Sign up for daily text messages

We highly recommend signing up to receive daily text messages that motivate and inspire. In our June favorites post, I share my two favorite people to follow that send out daily text messages. It’s free to sign up and you won’t regret it, I promise!

13. Listen to a podcast

I like to have background noise when I am doing things. Sometimes I just want/need a break from looking at my phone, listening to music, and that’s why I love podcasts so much. They are such a great form of self-care as well. Maybe you need a laugh, need some motivation, or want to learn? They’ve got everything in the podcast world.

Need some podcast suggestions? Check out our blog post on 13 podcasts you should be listening to.

14. Journaling each day

They say that journaling evokes mindfulness, reduces stress, keeps your mind sharp, boosts your mood, and strengthens emotional functions.

It doesn’t have to be a long drawn out entry – it can be as simple as bullet points of what’s on your mind. So, go find yourself a notebook and start writing down your thoughts, your highs and lows, and everything in between.

15. Start and end your day with gratitude

Gratitude is such a simple practice, but so many have a hard time with it. A while back I started working hard and choosing gratitude instead of an attitude. I’m not perfect at always keeping that mindset, but on the days that I choose gratitude, I can tell you that I feel better. I started my gratitude journey by listing 5 things I was grateful for, even if it felt like the day was “horrible”. Because even in the bad, there is good!

I would list 5 things that I was grateful for and I could not repeat them. What I mean by that is, I couldn’t say each day, I’m thankful for my family, my health, etc. What my list consisted of was more specific to the day; such as I spilled some coffee, but I was grateful it wasn’t my whole cup, and I was able to get it out of my shirt.

By getting into the gratitude habit, I find that I see things in a different light, which has helped improve my spirit and attitude.

 

What do you do each day to stay healthy and take care of yourself? A big thank you to Ancient Nutrition for collaborating with us.