This blog title 6 Simple Daily Practice to Help You Live a Balanced Healthy Life might cause some overwhelm for a few readers today and I will share with you right now it is not necessary to feel that way.

You see we believe that making change is about taking tiny steps rather than thinking you have to make all the changes at one time. Yes, taking action is important and inch by inch is a cinch. We wrote about this here https://www.wendybottrell.com/blog/how-to-make-big-changes-by-tiny-steps

The ideas we are sharing today are to help you take the steps for you to feel happy, joyful, fit, healthy, and productive, with these 6 simple daily practices to your health and fitness routine.

These are simple changes to make in your life, and it is one you can go about gradually so you don’t feel intimidated by too many changes all at once.

Here are some very simple habits you can add to your routine that help you live a balanced life:

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Drink Your Water

This will not surprise you since we wrote about it in an earlier blog post as one of the pillars of health and wellness. Here is our blog post https://www.wendybottrell.com/blog/the-six-pillars-of-health

But if you like many other when they begin to commit to drinking more water struggle drinking enough water, here are some tips to make sure you are staying hydrated:

In today’s world so many people are dehydrated. It is important to drink 1/2 your bodyweight in ounces of water daily.

The definition of Water for me is clear, colorless, odorless and tasteless.

I hear a lot that the reason water is not the drink of choice is because people don't like the taste.

If you use the definition provided there will be no taste.

Water will be a refreshing drink and now the practice will be to learn how to appreciate this in every sip.

The easiest way to begin getting enough water daily it to have 1 glass on getting up in the morning, 1 with each meal and snack, that would be 5 glasses of water, 2 with exercise and finally 1 before bed. (That could be an hour before).

This simple drinking water plan is doable for everyone, and you can certainly begin getting a success here starting today. No matter the time take your first glass of water now.

Now here is what you will want to consider. If you drink no water today, my suggestion is to start a bit more slowly adding water because you will go to the washroom more.

The benefit of drinking enough water for hydration is many people mistake thirst for hunger. Therefore, they are eating when really, they are thirsty. If you feel hungry drink a glass of water and wait 20 minutes. If you are still hungry then go ahead and eat.

Eat water-dense foods – You can also eat more foods that contain a high amount of water, such as lettuce, watermelon, cucumber, tomatoes, zucchini, celery, and apples.

It is also suggested that you add a pinch of sea salt to your water will make a difference for you. Here is an article that you might enjoy for more information on this topic https://paleoonthego.com/blogs/foods/add-sea-salt-to-drinking-water


Move Your Body Well

The human body is meant to move well every day. If you want to feel happier and healthier, you need to move your body.

Remember this doesn’t have to be with a structured workout plan unless that is within your own personal goals.

But if you just want to exercise to boost your mood and improve your overall wellness, then any form of movement will work great.

Here are some ideas:

• Go for a walk every morning (is best to help with better sleep https://www.verywellhealth.com/morning-sunlight-exposure-3973908 or evening after dinner to help with better digestion https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/walking-after-eating )
• Spend some time at the beach or lake
• Have a living room dance party
• Take a fun dance or fitness class
• Practice tai chi or martial arts
• Join a friend at your local gym
• Do indoor rock climbing
• Find a local trampoline park
• Start doing daily yoga

As you can see, there are many ways to get some exercise in without feeling like you’re doing “fitness”.

For some people, they have physique goals or really enjoy fitness, and that’s amazing! But even if you don’t, you can still move your body and get all the same health and happiness benefits.


Get Some Sunshine

We’ve already written above about getting daily sunshine and the benefits. It does miracles, or at least feels like it.

Why do people feel so much happier and more energetic in the summertime? For many people, it is because of all that wonderful, healing sunshine.

The sun’s UV rays emit vitamin D, which you can get naturally absorbed into your body simply by being out in the sun. More information for you on the benefits of sun go here - https://selecthealth.org/blog/2020/07/7-health-benefits-of-sunlight

Write in Your Journal

Journaling is a wonderful activity to add to your daily practice if you want to focus on a balance between health and happiness.

It not only helps with your emotional and mental health, but you can often use it to track habits related to your physical health as well. We wrote about the benefits of journaling for self-care here https://www.wendybottrell.com/blog/are-there-benefits-of-writing-in-a-self-care-journal

We believe that it doesn’t get much better than journaling when it comes to your mental or emotional health.

For holistic habits that improve your mind, writing down your thoughts and feelings is extremely beneficial.

This can be a therapeutic experience that is easily done in just 5 minutes a day.

Some things to remember about journaling:

There are no rules – Feel free to write as much or as little as you want, use any type of notebook you have on hand, and don’t worry about your spelling or grammar.

Try different methods of journaling – There are many different forms of journaling, including using prompts, brain dumps, stream of consciousness, and daily journaling like writing in a diary. Feel free to experiment with what works best.

Express gratitude – Every time you write in your journal, begin to write a few things you
are currently grateful for in your life.

We wrote Practice Daily Gratitude -
https://www.wendybottrell.com/blog/practice-daily-gratitude-for-the-mental-and-physical-vitality-benefits

Do Something Creative

Let’s get one thing clear: you don’t have to be artistic to be creative. Even if you weren’t born naturally artistic (most people aren’t), you can still be creative.

Think of any activity or hobby in your life that uses the creative part of your brain, such as making or playing music, writing, drawing, or painting, creating things with your hands, assembling things, really anything you can think of that you enjoy.


Reassess YOUR Needs Regularly

Consider reassessing your needs as part of your self-care routine. This is a habit many people forget, as they are busy trying to be consistent with their daily practices and get as much done as possible.

Yet your needs are going to change over time, so it is good to check in with yourself weekly or monthly, consider what practices are improving your life, and which you are not seeing a positive impact from.

Remember that your wellness and happiness journey is yours, and yours alone. It must be customized to who you are as a person, your own needs, and the goals you have. While it is great to get inspiration from others, what works best for them might not be best for you.

Be sure to share any ideas, comments or questions below.

Get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you.

I’ve written many times about my pure joy of getting out and walking every morning. Walking is a daily practice in my life because it allows me to move well each morning.

We would like to invite you to think about walking as a way to practice joy in self-care.

Walking helps to release endorphins and is amazing for your mental health as much as your physical health.

Walking every day for at least a few minutes, whether you prefer walking alone or with friends or family is a wonderful way to relieve stress.

We enjoy getting out in the neighbourhood for a lovely morning walk however getting out on the hiking trails really makes our hearts sing and brings joy to our lives.

Walking outdoors will help improve your mood and this alone helps reduce stress and if you can walk in the morning it not only feels good, but it helps with your sleep at night.

“Research shows that regular walking actually modifies your nervous system so much that you’ll experience a decrease in anger and hostility,” she says, especially when you're going for a stroll through some greenery or soaking in a bit of sunlight. This can be particularly helpful during the colder months when seasonal depression spikes. (source: Here- https://www.geelongmedicalgroup.com.au/2018/11/7-incredible-health-benefits-of-walking-30-minutes-a-day )

We appreciate that it never seems as if there are enough hours in the day, but it is so important to make a conscious decision to practice moving well, and we believe that walking is the most accessible form of exercise on the planet.

Taking care of your mind, body and emotional needs will help you be able to live your best life.

What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul.

Join our FREE Walking Challenge Here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Join The Free Walking Challenge Today – Free Registration HERE 

Our resource page is here
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To learn more about us go here https://www.wendybottrell.com/

Share any ideas, comments and questions below

Be sure to connect and let us know how we can help you

Designing your health and wellness life is to find a balance between all the 6 pillars of health. It is a harmonious balance between health, productivity, mindset, and happiness, all intertwined to make up a joyful and fulfilling life. 

It seems simple enough, right? Yet it doesn’t always come naturally to people. It is often easier to just focus all your time and attention on one area of your life, but even though that one area is often the most efficient, it leaves out so many other pillars of life and happiness in your life, creating an imbalance. 

But don’t worry – balance is always possible when you set your priorities, know what would bring you the most happiness, and how your mind and body can work together for optimal health and longevity.

You Have Less Stress

 The more you focus on a healthy balance between your wellness, nutrition, exercise, and other pillars of health, the less stress you tend to experience in your life. This in turn can lead you to being happier overall. 

Think about how often you feel a lot of emotional stress and burden simply because of your health, energy levels, your diet, or activity. The way you feel can have a very large impact on your emotional and mental health, which in turn leads to more stress and makes it a lot harder to find gratitude in your life. 

By focusing more on health and wellness, you reduce your stress levels, which then encourages you to feel gratitude and really soak in all that positivity that brings you happiness.

Check out our blog post about the 6 Pillars of Health that will begin to guide you in a way to improve your health and wellbeing and live a happy life in the process. https://www.wendybottrell.com/blog/the-six-pillars-of-health 

Be sure to share any ideas, comments or questions below. 

Get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. 

I’ve written many times about my pure joy of getting out and walking every morning. We would like to invite you to think about walking as a way to practice joy in self-care. Walking helps to release endorphins and is amazing for your mental health as much as your physical health. Walking every day for at least a few minutes, whether you prefer walking alone or with friends or family is a wonderful way to relieve stress. We enjoy getting out in the neighbourhood for a lovely morning walk however getting out on the hiking trails really makes our hearts sing and brings joy to our lives.

Walking outdoors will help improve your mood and this alone helps reduce stress and if you can walk in the morning it not only feels good, but it helps with your sleep at night.

“Research shows that regular walking actually modifies your nervous system so much that you’ll experience a decrease in anger and hostility,” she says, especially when you're going for a stroll through some greenery or soaking in a bit of sunlight. This can be particularly helpful during the colder months when seasonal depression spikes. (source: Here )

We appreciate that it never seems as if there are enough hours in the day, but it is so important to make a conscious decision to practice moving well, and we believe that walking is the most accessible form of exercise on the planet. Taking care of your mind, body and emotional needs will help you be able to live your best life. 

What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul.

Join our FREE Walking Challenge Here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience. Join The Free Walking Challenge Today – Free Registration HERE 

Share any ideas, comments and questions below

Get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you. 

The actions we practice repeatedly, become the habits we live by. The more you practice it, the more likely you’ll keep doing it in the future.

We know that healthy thought practices are important for overall good health, right? The more you think in a certain way, the more you’ll likely keep thinking about it the same way over and over again. Soon enough, it’ll start to consume your day-to-day living.

The science behind it is that each thought ignites a chemical reaction in your brain. This reaction then triggers a certain emotion. As a result, your emotions send a signal to your body, and you react accordingly.

This cycle repeats itself until you realize you’re not living the life you want for yourself. You can’t even recognize who you are anymore. Marcus Aurelius’ quote rings true here, “A man’s life is what his thoughts make of it.”

It’s then that you must decide to make a change. Recondition yourself by recognizing negative thoughts and how they affect your emotions.

The act of thinking about your thinking is what psychologists refer to as metacognition 
(Learn more here https://youtu.be/csJYhiZfNvk  ) It’s one of the best ways to find out what’s causing your thought patterns.

As with most things, reconditioning your thoughts takes time. Brace yourself for a few bumps along the way but stick with it.

You’ll realize it’s the only way to become aware of the link between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviour. Only then will you be able to regain control and live the life you deserve.

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve,” Napoleon Hill

Share any ideas, comments or questions below. 

Be sure to reach out and let us know how we can help you. 

Check out Crystal Clear Mind - Center your mind for spiritual growth. Clarity of thought and clarity of purpose are two things’ people often look for when beginning meditation. With clarity comes insight, which is essentially another word for wisdom. It can be summed up as 'the ability to know what the correct thing is to do in any given situation', something many people search for their entire lives.

Set beneath beautiful layers of Native American flute, meditation bells and peaceful nature sounds, Crystal Clear Mind gently brings the mind down into a state of relaxation, gradually taking it deeper into the realm of intuitive awareness.

Once this state is reached, your mind will rest in a state of peaceful, contemplative awareness, a state that all seasoned meditators agree contributes to a less stressed, less anxious, healthier mind.

Crystal Clear Mind will help get you past the frustration that causes many meditators to throw in the towel and is essential for anyone seeking purer awareness and clarity of thought.

Simply slip on your headphones, relax and press play.  Here is our affiliate link and helps support our work here - LINK

Share any ideas, comments and questions below

Be sure to connect and let us know how we can help you

What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul.

Join our FREE Walking Challenge Here - This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience.

Let us know how we can help you. 

So many people give up on their goals and desires way too early in the process of achieving them. Is this something you might be able to relate to? Today we our topic is Let Core Values Guide You For Your Best Happy And Healthy Life?

You know maybe you decided you wanted to reduce your weight and yet on day two of the process you are already willing to quit. Maybe if you’re dissatisfied with how your life is turning out, start by finding out why you’re feeling this way.

Once you put your finger on the why, it’s time to focus on changing your mindset from the toxic, negative self talks to the optimistic and productive mindset that will help you stay the course while you begin to create your clear WHY and develop the practice of discipline to keep moving toward your desired outcome.

We are diving into the idea of living your core values to help you stay on track with your goals.
The gift to quitting too soon is you get to realize right away what must change for you.
This will help you assess what needs to change, where you can clarify your values and start making plans.

Once you find the path that leads to your true self, keep at it.

Change doesn’t happen overnight, but if you remain resilient, disciplined and work hard to be clear on your WHY towards your goals, you can achieve much more than you ever thought possible.

Create a Life that Reflects Your Values

Way back in the year 2000 I took my first life coaching course. To tell you it was lifechanging would be an understatement.

In this first course we learned about values. I had never heard of living your values and no one in my life to that point had ever even discussed how important core values are in life or what they were.

It was an exciting course and since that day I have made it a point to practice living my values.
One reason we’re unhappy is that we’ve strayed from our core values and the goals we set up for ourselves.

Even if you never said your goals out loud or wrote them down in a diary, they’re stored deep in your mind.

Then, when the life we’re living isn’t getting us anywhere near these goals, we feel anxious and on edge. But, many times, we don’t connect the two things. So, we keep muddling through, making us more anxious and driving us even farther away from our goals and values.

Family, friends, and society are another factor that drives a wedge between us and our authentic selves. They all have their own opinion of how we should live our lives, and they’re not afraid to tell us. Repeatedly.

Many times, we seem to tell ourselves that it’s just easier to follow along, it's not by the way. After all, they know us better than ourselves, so who are we to doubt them? But the reality is when you carry out another person’s idea of how you should live, it ultimately backfires because you’re not following your true path.

When was the last time you took a moment to think about your core values?

Have you ever taken the time to seriously consider what your values are?

We aren’t talking about something’s monetary worth here–your personal core values, or your basic and fundamental knowing or attitudes that guide your actions, are a huge part of how you live your life.

You see, living in a way to honour your values is very powerful. Today I will share with you the way I was able to Clarify my values.

If you set aside some time, an hour would be an excellent start so you can do this.
Why would you want to take the time to clarify your values to live a healthy and vibrant life?
Living your values makes your heart sing!

Living your values allows you to honour yourself at a core level.

When I learned what my core values are it changed everything when it came to my health and for that, I am very grateful.

Understanding and defining your personal values is a major step toward living the life you want to live.

When you focus on your fundamental values, you ensure you’re living your life in a way that suits you and all your goals, dreams, and interests. 

What are some examples of personal core values?
There are quite a few personal values out there.

Values differ in importance from person to person. In fact, differences in values often lead to lots of conflict and controversy between people!

While the importance of different values varies so greatly from person to person, here are a few examples of what some core values might be:
• Adventure
• Loyalty
• Creativity
• Empathy
• Boldness
• Strength
• Relationships
• Faith
• Humour
• Happiness
• Knowledge
• Optimism
• Love
• Self-respect
• Honesty
• Status
• Trustworthiness
• Health
• Fitness
• ….and many, many more!

Personal values can often be described in one word, capturing the essence of larger opinions and feelings about something.

For example, if one of your personal values is relationships, it may be very important for you to honour all your relationships in life–romantic, familial, friendships, and otherwise.

How do you determine what your true personal values are?
Your personal values exist deep within yourself. These values, when measured against how you’re making choices and living your life, help you determine whether you’re living life the way you truly want to live it.

Often, your values can be a big indicator of whether you’re following the right pathway in life.
These values work in sync with your intuition.

For example, when you get that sudden urge that “something doesn’t feel quite right,” consider how the present situation aligns with your personal values. If it clashes with your fundamental values and knowledge, you’re likely getting signals that you’re heading down a path that won’t make your heart sing.

Determining your values can feel tricky, but there are ways to narrow down your feelings and best understand where your fundamental beliefs lie.

A good way to begin determining your personal values is to look through an extensive list of them; you can find them online and in various psychology and self-help books. Browse this list and determine which values resonate most with you.

Don’t spend a ton of time considering each one extensively. Instead, allow your intuition to guide you and quickly highlight each one that feels right to you.

Once you have a highlighted list, focus on the ones you marked with more consideration–think about why each of these values stood out to you and jot down a few notes for each one.

At this point, you can even take your remaining values and arrange them in a list beginning with the one you find most important.

How can you use your core values to live life the way you want?

People face tough challenges and decisions every day. However, when you have a good grasp of what your core values are, you’re more likely to make choices in a way that makes you feel confident in your decision-making. For example, after making your list of personal values, keep it handy. The next time you face a tough challenge, pull out your list.

Consider each of your options against your personal values–which choice best aligns with your values? Are there any options that seem to push against your personal values?

Use these driving questions with your list of values to make an informed decision you can feel good about afterward.

By doing this work you now can live your best life!

By going through the process to clarify your values will allow you to do things you never have for yourself!

Please leave your comments below and share this post if you found value here today.

Be sure to get in touch to let us know how we can help you.

One of our core values is healht/fitness/moving well/living well. What we know for sure is that walking is the link to living a healthy and vibrant life. We believe walking inspires the mind, activates the body, and nourishes the soul.

Join our FREE Walking Challenge Here -  This is appropriate for all fitness levels, though it is tailored to beginners. You will also get a tip a day, which gives you a little more insight into how to walk, what to wear, going outside or using the treadmill, and even journal entries about your experience.

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Learn more about our Holistic Lifestyle Coaching here

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