Most of us are continuously in search for wellness tips that will upgrade our lifestyle and improve our well-being. Same is true for me and I want to share some recent changes I made to my routine that improved my life for the better.
Wellness is about the mind, body and soul interconnecting on a physical, social, emotional and mental level. There are 8 known dimensions to the aspect of wellness, namely, physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, financial and environmental. And we must strive to fulfil the needs for each of these aspects.
These changes have been incorporated into the routine after a lot of trial and error, so I feel confident when sharing this list. Having said that please keep in mind that everyone is different, and the circumstances most likely vary from one person to another. Therefore, I would request that you take my suggestions and recommendations with a grain of salt.
4 Wellness tips for improved physical and mental health.
Okay, let’s dive in.
1. Switched to an electric brush
I’m going to be honest, since childhood I didn’t have good teeth, or I might say that I didn’t take care of them at all. Sure, I brushed my teeth in the morning, but that’s not at all enough! After years of despising the dentists, I went to one and we tried to fix them to the best of our ability. And so, from that moment on, I decided that I need to make some life changes to maintain my teeth. One of the major problems I faced was dental calculus or tartar or hardened plaque if you will.
So, I ditched my old plastic toothbrush and bought an electric one and let me tell you, ever since this change, I have never looked back.
To say the least, it takes all thought out of brushing.
- It has a built-in vibration system to remind you to move on to the next quadrant of your mouth after 30 seconds.
- Built in pressure sensor, so that you don’t press too hard on the enamel.
- It removes plaque extremely well!
The only down-side is that it takes some time (usually two to three brushing sessions) for your gums and teeth to get used to it.
And that it requires a little more maintenance than your regular disposable plastic brush. I just wipe it down after brushing and it gets the job done. You can find the one I have here or shop similar here.
2. Body moisturization
Believe me when I say it’s a game changer! Sure, you have a drawer full of skincare for your face but what about your body? Your body needs love too. And even though everything that you are using on your face can be used on your body, it will be quite expensive.
I noticed my skin was flaky almost all year long and decided I had to incorporate some changes.
*Enter moisturizer*
The best time to moisturize is within 5 or 10 minutes after you shower. Your skin is already holding on to some hydration after the shower. A moisturizer locks this in giving you that extra boost of hydration. Click here to know more about types of moisturizers.
I did this for some time, but my skin wasn’t holding that moisture all day long, so I switched to coconut oil. A little goes a long way. Although it can prove comedogenic on your body so beware if you struggle with body acne. However, it might work for some people.
The best time to moisturize is right after you shower.
3. Gave up on using Q-tips
I can’t believe I didn’t know this for 25 years of my life!
But yes, it’s true. You are not supposed to use Q-tips in your ear canal.
It is actually counterproductive as it pushes the ear wax deeper into the canal. Moreover, a cotton fiber from your Q-tip might get stuck inside and cause infection.
Just take a damp towel and clean the outer of your ear and you are all set.
4. No coffee after 2pm
I am both a tea and a coffee person depending upon the mood or the season. This one was hard and sure, sometimes an evening cappuccino disrupts the routine, but I do try to stick to it for most days.
Ideally, you should stop consuming caffeine 8-10 hours before your bedtime. With this reasoning, for me, this time frame is between 12–2 pm.
The half-life of caffeine in average adult humans is 5–6 hours. Therefore, if ingested later in the day, it will hamper your sleep. It doesn’t matter if you think you sleep like a baby after drinking coffee at 9 pm. Studies have proven that this lowers your sleep quality. And quality of sleep is equally important as the quantity of sleep.
Dr. Mathew Walker, the Founder and Director of Centre of Sleep Science at University of Berkley, California says that the depth of your deep sleep can decrease up to 30% if you consume caffeine late in the evenings every day.
Ideally, you should stop consuming caffeine 8-10 hours before your bedtime.
I have been employing and benefitting from these wellness tips for quite some time now. I make sure to spend considerable amount of time trying out these changes before sharing them with you. Keep an eye out for more wellness tips in the future because let’s be honest change is the only constant. Habits are critical part of maintaining our well-being. Good habits = good life. Take these wellness tips one at a time and work them into your habits.
Let me know in the comments which one of these changes astonished you the most and share any wellness tips that you swear by! Speaking of changes click here to read top things that are no longer on my shopping list.
Sources:
- Dimensions of wellness: Change your habits, change your life – PMC (nih.gov)
- Caffeine: Cognitive and Physical Performance Enhancer or Psychoactive Drug? – PMC (nih.gov)
- Caffeine – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)
- Pharmacology of Caffeine – Caffeine for the Sustainment of Mental Task Performance – NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)
Helpful information. Fortunate me I discovered your web site by chance, and I’m stunned why this coincidence didn’t happened earlier! I bookmarked it.
Welcome! So great to have you here!