Live a little: Take care of YOURSELF
Last week I encouraged you to
focus in you and defining your wants and needs, and doing more things for yourself, and even to be a little more selfish sometimes. We women way too often just think about the well-being of other people, like our kids or husband, before our own.
Today I’d like to encourage you to take CARE OF YOU. And by this I mean your health.
I could probably write a long post about things you could do for your health, like making your annual appointment to see a doctor, or reminding you of heart decease risk factors. Instead I want to present you
10 things that are fun, some easy, some not, but definitely fun,
and yet good for your health.
10 ways to live healthier while having fun
1. Have more sex
There are several medical studies done about the health benefits of having sex, from lowering your blood pressure to lower stress levels, and it boosts your immune system and self-esteem. Plus it burns calories and well, it’s fun, and the intimacy is good for your relationship.
2. Dance
I wake up every morning before 6AM and I kick off my day by dancing to some Latin music tunes, and it sets the mood for the entire day. I may be in my grey basement listening the sounds via my headset, and not in a beach club on a tropical island, but it’s still FUN, and an excellent exercise. If you feel silly about dancing alone… have a
family dance party, like we did, or go out and dance with your husband or girlfriends.
3. Go to farmer’s market
Going to your local farmer’s market isn’t just fun way to shop, but eating local fresh vegetables and fruits is good for you. Choose seasonal veggies and fruits and learn a new recipe to cook it. Bonus: buying fruits and veggies from farmer’s market can save you around 30% compared buying from your local grocery store.
4. Cook more at home
Sort of related to the previous one, simply cook more at home. Many people don’t like cooking because they don’t know how, but with the world wide web as your resource, you can find cooking demonstrations and recipes and learn to cook just about anything. No kidding, my kids made sushi a while ago for the first time, and if my 9 year old can roll sushi, you can learn to cook. Cooking together is so much fun, and eating in is so much healthier and eating food that is not processed but made from the scratch is better for your body.
5. Drink red wine
Limit drinking alcohol, but have a glass of red wine a few times a week. Red wine has resveratrol, an antioxidant that is good for you. Red wine after a long day at work together with your husband is a great way to end a day, and skip drinking the high sugar, high fructose corn syrup soda instead, which has no benefits whatsoever.
6. Take a hike
If you are not hiking kind of a person and a day outdoors in a forest doesn’t sound like amazing way of spending your day, then go for a walk in a downtown of a big city and scout all of the shopping windows, or take a few rounds in your local gigantic mall. Go to those 4 story high natural museums and walk through every exhibit and take the stairs. Walk your kids to school on the mornings instead of driving them. However you can – incorporate walking into your weekly schedule and make it part of your routine, or something fun ensuring you will stick to it.
7. Laugh more
Who do you laugh with the most? Add some time with those people. If you haven’t had good belly laughs for a while – maybe it’s time to pay more attention who you hang out with. Laughing is good for your health, and not just for your mental health. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, boosts your immune system and is even good for your heart. It feels good and it is good for you. Need a good laugh right now? Read
The Fart that Almost Altered My Destiny, because while farts are gross, even the prude among us laugh at fart jokes (and fart) when nobody is watching.
8. Stop on-the-go eating and drinking
We are so used to multitasking that we don’t even realize how much we eat and drink on-the-go. I’ve noticed from myself when I eat lunch or have coffee while I work, and I sometimes think “wow did I already eat it all” and almost still feel hungry even though my stomach is full. Stop to eat, enjoy what you eat and I guarantee you will eat less and be healthier.
9. Relax
Reduce stress, and add relaxing to your busy schedule. Book that spa appointment, read a book, go outside in the nature, hang out with your family. Whatever relaxes you, add more of that in your life. We love our sauna at home, but a bubble bath does the trick too.
10. Repeat, repeat, repeat
Don’t do all of this just once, or once in a while. Make all of these 9 ideas part of your daily lifestyle. I’m not suggesting a complicated diet, signing up for new gym or depriving yourself from fun in the sake of health – those all all great too but let’s try to focus on living life to the fullest in the moment and finding ways that we can manage, even if we are not health nuts.
Summa summarum, what you really need is a day out with your girlfriends walking around museums and shopping, laughing and having fun until you (almost) pee in your pants, and then coming home to your husband, drinking a few glasses of wine and cooking a romantic dinner together at home, and having wild sex for dessert. And add some dancing somewhere there too. Because all of this is really just taking care of your health and ultimately living Skimbaco lifestyle.
Sources:
10 surprsising health benefits of sex at WebMd.
Live a little
Join us!
Participate to Live a Little blog hop! Write a blog post how you “live a little,” what’s your small way of living life to the fullest and add your blog post to the InLinkz widget above. Rules: Link either to Skimbacolifestyle.com, OR
get the InLinkz code for your post – or do both! If you post the widget in your blog post, please add these rules as well.
I could probably write a long post about things you could do for your health, like making your annual appointment to see a doctor, or reminding you of heart decease risk factors. Instead I want to present you 10 things that are fun, some easy, some not, but definitely fun, and yet good for your health.
5. Drink red wine
Limit drinking alcohol, but have a glass of red wine a few times a week. Red wine has resveratrol, an antioxidant that is good for you. Red wine after a long day at work together with your husband is a great way to end a day, and skip drinking the high sugar, high fructose corn syrup soda instead, which has no benefits whatsoever.
6. Take a hike
If you are not hiking kind of a person and a day outdoors in a forest doesn’t sound like amazing way of spending your day, then go for a walk in a downtown of a big city and scout all of the shopping windows, or take a few rounds in your local gigantic mall. Go to those 4 story high natural museums and walk through every exhibit and take the stairs. Walk your kids to school on the mornings instead of driving them. However you can – incorporate walking into your weekly schedule and make it part of your routine, or something fun ensuring you will stick to it.
7. Laugh more
Who do you laugh with the most? Add some time with those people. If you haven’t had good belly laughs for a while – maybe it’s time to pay more attention who you hang out with. Laughing is good for your health, and not just for your mental health. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, boosts your immune system and is even good for your heart. It feels good and it is good for you. Need a good laugh right now? Read The Fart that Almost Altered My Destiny, because while farts are gross, even the prude among us laugh at fart jokes (and fart) when nobody is watching.
8. Stop on-the-go eating and drinking
We are so used to multitasking that we don’t even realize how much we eat and drink on-the-go. I’ve noticed from myself when I eat lunch or have coffee while I work, and I sometimes think “wow did I already eat it all” and almost still feel hungry even though my stomach is full. Stop to eat, enjoy what you eat and I guarantee you will eat less and be healthier.
9. Relax
Reduce stress, and add relaxing to your busy schedule. Book that spa appointment, read a book, go outside in the nature, hang out with your family. Whatever relaxes you, add more of that in your life. We love our sauna at home, but a bubble bath does the trick too.
10. Repeat, repeat, repeat
Don’t do all of this just once, or once in a while. Make all of these 9 ideas part of your daily lifestyle. I’m not suggesting a complicated diet, signing up for new gym or depriving yourself from fun in the sake of health – those all all great too but let’s try to focus on living life to the fullest in the moment and finding ways that we can manage, even if we are not health nuts.
Summa summarum, what you really need is a day out with your girlfriends walking around museums and shopping, laughing and having fun until you (almost) pee in your pants, and then coming home to your husband, drinking a few glasses of wine and cooking a romantic dinner together at home, and having wild sex for dessert. And add some dancing somewhere there too. Because all of this is really just taking care of your health and ultimately living Skimbaco lifestyle.
