Wellness Without the Routine
I reckon we can all recall the last time we vowed to eat healthier, start up at the gym again, go organic, take up meditation, cut out junk food, read a book, unplug… sound familiar?! Finding personal wellness in a chaotic world of emails, notifications, texts, snaps, tweets, status updates, kids, mortgages, friends and family is frankly really freaking hard. Having said that, I also believe that in an ever-connected, endlessly busy world, it is also really freaking important.
We all know that the road to wellness is not a single lane highway that everyone can hop on, follow steps A through Z, and turn up with the same results. Personally, I am someone that does not thrive in a routine environment. I wake up at a different time every morning, I’m on a different workout regimen every week, I want variety in my food, I’ve got weeks with something on every other day and other weeks where I am in bed by 8pm every night.
Here are a few wellness tips and tricks for my fellow ‘non-routine busy bodies’ or for those that just want to switch up their well oiled routine a bit!
Walking Meditation
I truly believe in the benefits of meditation, but find it absolutely impossible to set aside even just 5-10 minutes each day to meditate. My solution? A walking meditation practice. There will always be a time in my day when I am walking somewhere alone, even if it’s just for a few minutes. With the sound of raindrops in my headphones (Calm app), I just focus on walking and my breath. You’ be surprised how much calmer you will feel when you reach your destination if you can clear your head from all of those swirling thoughts and expectations. Just breathe, walk, and observe your surroundings (no closing your eyes in this type of meditation or you might be in trouble).
ClassPass
Working out is a huge part of my world, but my brain and body need variety. One day I crave yoga, the next resistance training, cardio, outdoor bootcamp, swimming, even a pilates class here and there. My solution? ClassPass. ClassPass is an app that allows you to take all types of classes at all types of studios (up to 3 classes at any one studio per month). If you do end up falling in love with one studio, ditch ClassPass and go for it full-time! For me, I’ll stick with the non-committal and do it all. 🙂
Spice It Up
“Eat clean!” “Go organic!” “Whole food diet!” It’s pretty clear what makes for a healthy, clean diet in this day and age, but eating the same veggies, chicken breast, eggs, fish, or fruit can get really old, really fast. My solution? Get into your spice cabinet. Not only will spices mix up the flavour of your food, but many also have nutritional benefits, and they’re pretty fun to experiment with in the kitchen. One night it’s ginger and turmeric (which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties) and the next it’s cumin, paprika and garlic to give it a totally different twist. Try different combos, bring together savory and sweet, or sprinkle a little cinnamon into a skillet of coconut oil and kale to spice up your mundane, healthy dishes.
Give Yourself a Break
Whether you are cleaning up your eating habits, working toward being more mindful, sorting out your financial wellness, getting more personal training hours in, spending more time with your kids, or limiting your weekday pint intake –one thing I will urge you to make a routine of is giving yourself a break. We can’t do it all and we shouldn’t try to. Instead of looking at the brownie you ate at the office or the night you took to your couch instead of F45 as a failure, look at it as a much deserved break, and give yourself those much deserved breaks often. We’re looking for balance, not perfection.
