With the holidays behind us, it’s time to ease into normal life once again. However, with the entirety of the new year ahead, it’s also an opportune time to carve out a better life for yourself with a healthier body, sound mind, and a more positive outlook.

Indeed, there’s no better time to start new self-care practices — even unusual ones at that — or the very least, dive back into existing ones shelved during the holidays. Keep your eyes on the prize and make the following delicious and budget-friendly self-care measures your priority for the sake of your overall wellness.

1. Reset and Unplug

For many people, the holidays can be quite stressful with emotionally charged family time and workloads that need to wrap up before the year ends. Instead of hitting the ground running in the new year, you may find yourself desperately in need of downtime to reset and unwind. Indulging yourself in this way is a great way to clear your head, recharge, and refocus, so you’re invigorated enough to face the year ahead.

Consider a change of scenery. You need not go on an extended vacation to escape from the life’s hustle and bustle. It could be as short and sweet as a weekend stay at a quaint B&B or vacation rental in your city or even a nearby town. Moreover, this need not break the bank, too. By doing your research for online deals and making use of promo codes and coupons in Priceline and similar sites, you can book your hotel, rent a car, and purchase airline tickets for less, so you save money while getting your much-needed respite.

2. Spend Wisely

And speaking of savings, why not take self-care up a notch this year by including financial care? Make it your year to stop living from paycheck to paycheck and even emancipate yourself from debt. Better yet, with financial stability comes fewer worries, making this a genuinely nifty self-care step. It’s easy enough to achieve your money resolutions, too.

Start by creating a budget and challenging yourself to stick to it with doable challenges like “No-Spend January” or similar. Not only that, make the conscious effort to curb unnecessary spending and move towards paying off debt, to name just a few things you can do.

You can also find deals on wellness and health options on sites like Groupon, whether you want to save on a gym membership or fitness equipment. You can maximize your savings by using Groupon coupon codes and promo codes. 

3. Live More Mindfully

Now, in the subject of self-care, it’s not rare for mindfulness to come up. More than just a buzzword, mindfulness is a truly beautiful thing to bring into your life as it not only helps you live in the moment, but it lets you do so with gratitude and positivity. Best of all, it helps you stick to goals and realize objectives in various aspects of your life. A great way of leveraging mindfulness in your life is through mindful eating. It encourages you to be conscious of what you’re taking in — that is to say, choosing food that truly nourishes your body.

Contrary to popular belief, eating healthy is not expensive at all because when you’re mindful of your diet, you avoid overindulgent and impulsive buying and instead, focus more on health value.

Equally as important is mindful movement. We all know how regular exercise can keep your body strong and healthy, but it also has mental benefits, too, making it a real necessity for your overall wellness. So, plan to make time for more physical activity this year, including home workouts that won’t cost you a pretty penny.

4. You Do YOU

And finally, making this year’s theme all about you is arguably the ultimate self-care step, and it’s free to boot. It entails giving your mind and body what it needs when it needs it. Beyond indulgence, endeavor to truly serve yourself with what’s right and beneficial for you. It can be anything from removing toxic people from your life or even as simple as pursuing interests that make you happy.

Indeed, while it can be hard to stick to resolutions when life starts catching up, it’s not at all impossible. Commit to making your well-being a priority with these simple and cost-effective self-care tips, and make this another great year of a life well-lived.

Photo Credit: Unsplash

About Sheila Johnson

Sheila once enjoyed a very successful career, but it came at a cost. Those long work weeks pulling overtime left her feeling stressed and burnt out. She barely had time to see her husband, and she certainly wasn’t prioritizing her health.  

Learn more about Sheila at https://www.wellsheila.net/

Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced yogi, you know of the many benefits it provides for your health and well-being. You also probably know that, as your practice becomes more advanced, so do the results. And the best part about it is that you can work simple changes into your yoga routine to get to the next level.

If you’re ready to step it up as a yogi, consider these practical tips:

1. Use your phone. 

If you have a smartphone, you can use it to up your yoga game by following along with sessions on one of the many apps available these days. Just make sure the sessions require you to try new poses! If your phone is an older-generation device and you find that it’s lagging, you may need to upgrade to a more recent model.

If you’re upgrading, consider one of the Samsung Galaxy S10 phones, which has substantial storage and speedy processing. They’re also water-resistant (sweat and water can kill your phone). iPhone users may prefer the iPhone 11 Pro Max, which has an impressively bright display and fast performance.

2. Don’t eat before your sessions.

Nothing will disrupt your yoga session like chowing down right before. Avoid eating anything at least one—preferably two—hours before doing yoga and breathing exercises. Digesting food demands energy from your body; so, when your body is using energy during yoga, it can impede the digestion process. Also, practicing on an empty stomach will allow you to draw more energy from your muscles, fat, and liver.

 3. Practice at home.

Creating a space at home to practice yoga is one of the best ways to improve (or maintain) consistency in your routine. And you can set up almost anywhere in your home, as long as the space allows you to focus and perform your exercises comfortably. Along with getting the right equipment (e.g., mat, props, towels, etc.), here are a few additional factors to consider adding to your space:

• Lighting (e.g., rope lights, dimmable lamps, windows, etc.)
• Aroma (e.g., essential oils, candles, incense, etc.)
• Plants (e.g., bamboo palm, Boston ferns, aloe vera, etc.)
• Portable speaker for music and yoga instructions

Also, setting up outdoors comes with its benefits. If you have a deck or other appropriate space outside, consider practicing there on sunny days. That way, you can connect with nature amid the sunlight and crisp air!

4. Practice barefoot.

Another way to improve your yoga practice is to do it barefoot. Not only is this standard yoga etiquette (tracking dirt from your shoes across the yoga studio floor is considered by many to be disrespectful), but it also grants you more stability and balance in your poses. Nonetheless, if you have restrictions, such as an injury or ailment, flexible shoes or socks with tread are both a decent compromise.

5. Create a ritual.

Along with changing things about your actual yoga sessions, you can stand to benefit from crafting a ritual around your sessions. For instance, consider preparing your mind with meditation first thing in the morning and performing your poses shortly after that. Or you could bookend your sessions with a hot shower and loose-leaf green tea. Find something that works for you and do it consistently to enhance your yoga experience.

Becoming more advanced in your yoga practice doesn’t require you to transform your routine; changing little things here and there can do wonders. Take advantage of the yoga apps available on your smartphone, and remember to practice on an empty stomach. Set up space your home, practice barefoot when possible, and find a ritual to do before or after your sessions. Before you know it, you’ll be reeling in the benefits you’ve never experienced before!

Photo Credit: Pexels

About Sheila Johnson

Sheila once enjoyed a very successful career, but it came at a cost. Those long work weeks pulling overtime left her feeling stressed and burnt out. She barely had time to see her husband, and she certainly wasn’t prioritizing her health.  

Learn more about Sheila at https://www.wellsheila.net/