5 Tips for Better Wellness in Your Life

Far too many of us take our health and wellness for granted, until an illness or injury happens. But living a healthy life often means leading a happy life and a longer one too.

For greater wellness, follow these five tips and you might be surprised to find that relatively small changes can make a major difference.

Aim to Take Frequent Breaks in the Fresh Air

If you work indoors, you probably don’t get outside often enough but going outdoors and enjoying the fresh air can actually raise levels of the feel-good hormone known as serotonin to make us feel better. Aim to get out for at least a few minutes once every hour or two. You’ll not only be giving your eyes a break from the glare of the computer screen and harsh lights but it will reduce your stress levels, enhance energy, strengthen your immune system and even improve blood pressure.

Move More

While getting outside regularly will get you moving at least a bit, try to move as often as you can. Even brief periods of exercise can help. Take 10 minutes to walk the stairs or walk around your building, with a goal to get at least 30 to 60 minutes of cardio exercise a day. It’ll go a long way in helping your waistline, relieving stress and reducing the risk of countless health problems from migraines and depression to heart disease and diabetes. It will instantly put you in a better mood and provide an energy boost too. According to Harvard Medical School, the secret to better health is exercise.

Eat More Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

They say at least three-quarters of your health is linked to what you eat, which means it’s important to feed your body with what it needs for total wellness. Greens are one of the best sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber, but aim to eat a rainbow of colors from purple grapes and orange carrots to yellow squash and green spinach. If you don’t like veggies, toss some into a smoothie with a banana or another sweet fruit and you probably won’t even notice they’re there. Your body will thank you with a healthier weight, better cholesterol levels, improved digestion, more beautiful skin and a stronger heart.

Breathe

Obviously if we don’t breathe, we don’t live, but did you know there is a significant difference between actually breathing properly and the shallow breathing that most of us do automatically without a second thought. Taking just a few minutes to check to see if you’re breathing the right way can almost immediately transform a poor mood into a better one and even ease anxiety and sadness. You should inhale deeply, from the belly and then exhale deeply which aids the body in eliminating carbon dioxide while helping to replenish it with oxygen. Check periodically to see if you’re breathing the right way.

Embark on a Wellness Retreat

Travel is a great way to enhance wellness as it often brings opportunities for more exercise, and usually in fun forms. Take that up a notch by embarking on a wellness retreat in Queensland, Australia or perhaps another destination you’ve been dreaming of. Retreats like these not only help to motivate, but often they bring the chance to learn more about nutrition while enjoying all sorts of outdoor adventures too.

Stay Active #LikeAGirl

“This is a sponsored post for Always.”

When I was a teenager living in Vietnam, my family was having a terrible time economically. My mom moved to the United States when I was 15. She was moving with nothing but hope for a better life for her children. We, a 15-year-old girl, a 12-year-old girl, and a 9-year-old boy, were left with my dad who had never had that responsibility.

By that time, both my little sister and I were teenagers. Nobody taught us about what was going to happen when we grew from little girls to teen girls. By then, we were uneducated about having a period and we weren’t able to afford pads all the time. We were unprepared most of the times. It was a lot better when we got to come here to the United States and live a better life with my mom 3 years after that.

However, whenever I think back about those days, it’s terrifying to me especially since  I am amom of a girl now. I had tears running down my face as I was watching this video from Always Live #LikeAGirl.

The video brings me back to the memories of those days. I also used toilet paper when I didn’t have pads. I know the exact feeling when being unprepared. Everyone knows that being prepared and ready in any life situation is important, but in the case of having a period, it’s a lot more important for a girl.

Now I know it’s not only in my home country, Vietnam. Period poverty is a real problem in the U.S. Nearly 1 in 5 girls have missed school because they can’t afford period protection. The Always Live #LikeAGirl campaign is all about helping girls stay confident. Their previous campaigns have done that by encouraging girls to stay in sports and encouraging them to persevere through failure—both of which are key confidence boosters.

This year, Always Live #LikeAGirl campaign is aimed at keeping girls involved in the confidence-boosting activities they love—by helping tackle period poverty. Always and Walmart are donating a year’s supply of period products to 50 teams in 50 states to help #EndPeriodPoverty . With my real-life story, this campaign is so important to me. I’m so proud to be partnered with Always and Walmart to support it.

Let’s get her back in the action by sharing the new Always Live #LikeAGirl YouTube video and creating awareness of period poverty.

This new Always Live #LikeAGirl video is a must-watch. Everyone should watch it, especially if you are a teen girl or are a parent to girls.

Again, as a mom myself, I work hard to provide my daughter a wonderful life no matter which age she is. But life is hard, things may happen. I adore and 100% support meaningful campaigns like this. I highly encourage you to do so and spread the word about it. That one little act from each of us would mean so much for someone’s daughter.