What small changes have you made to improve your physical and emotional wellbeing?

[MatildaTheGreat]

I'm overweight, drink too much and don't eat properly during the day so end up snacking at night.

I work full time, but erratic hours and being a very routine person I find it difficult to achieve things regularly. I also waste a lot of my free time through procrastination and lack of motivation.

So I'm looking to make small changes to improve my physical and emotional wellbeing.

I plan to start walking more, and looking forward to the weather improving. I'm also trying to get more organised with healthy food to take to work. I am also going to buy myself a bunch of flowers each week and try to read more.

What little changes have you made?

Walking!

It's a mile to DD's school, then prob another half mile back to the bus stop where I paid £2 to get in to town.

I now walk DD to school, and then I walk a further 2 miles into work - something on the first jaunt seemed impossible to do daily - I walk back to school and back home, so 6 miles a day.

It doesn't even register with me now, I just do it. I've saved £20 a week on bus fare - although haven't lost much weight I have toned up on my legs n bum and feel a lot fitter.

I am looking to start the C25K for some weight loss and properly adjust my diet - which to be fair I haven't really worked on.

I suffer from severe ongoing depression - 20 years on meds, which I believe I DO need, but just the walking has been fantastic for me. If somebody had said I'd be doing it this time last year I would have pffft-d them

Swapped any sugary drinks or ones with artificial sweeteners for my own homemade ones with mint lemon sparking water, went veggie too. Feel healthier for it. And not such a hypocrite saying I was an animal lover, seemed a bit hollow for me.
Took up and stuck to an exercise that I enjoyed, partner did too so that was a bonus.

Cut down on booze, practically gone now from my life. Too many hangovers and wasted (literally) weekends either drinking or recovering from it. Saved a lot too, night outs can be so expensive with booze involved. And it's also a mindfuck for your mental health

One of he biggest was being very very vigilant about what I read or engaged in, in all social media.
I'm happier my Facebook is gone, don't have a fear of missing out, just happier with my own company.
I ignore negative news/gossipy sites which can be a cesspool of trolls and abuse. I'm solely in charge of what I take from the Internet

All of this was done with no financial investment, just a few simple changes

I deactivated my facebook account last year. It's certainly helped my mental health and stopped me getting dragged into local shit.

I like to put the effervescent vitamins in my water bottle to sip throughout the day - I feel that this replicates how we should have vitamins, particularly the water soluble ones, otherwise you’re just peeing away most of them.

Berocca = fluorescent pee

Walk before you run. i used to run, sometimes enjoyed it but mainly only at the end. I realised I hated it so I walk briskly. daily with my dog for 45 mins+ and longer at the weekend, I love it, it does me so much good mentally not to mention physically. my legs have toned up and I feel fitter than when I used to jog. I find I can walk miles in my fab walking boots and in all weathers.
Ditto to saying 'No'
Make your lunch the night before and plan your clothes. It makes mornings a breeze. I've also started missing breakfast to lose a few winter pounds and the extra time gained is a bonus.

Oh and deactivated FB years ago. Top tip for happiness and mental wellbeing. I use whatsapp groups only with people I really love.

I cut fizzy drinks, total game changer for me. I don’t suffer from bloating and stomach pain anymore and my teeth are whiter. I also practice Gratitude daily. A bit like meditation, I go through all the things I’m grateful for every night and really focus on them. I sleep better and don’t wake up anxious.
Great thread btw, watching with interest.

Cut out diet coke!

Exercise is my mental health medicine and I actually enjoy it. I do it at home Les Mills app and yoga too. Walking in better weather too. It also isn't bad physically either.... less aches& pains. I eat healthily 80% the time but eat crisps and chocolate too. I drink alcohol once maybe twice a week. Water or coffee daily. I don't weigh myself.

I do things that make me happy, watch a fave tv show, see friends, spend time with my partner being silly, read a good book or plan travel or activities etc.

Working out 3-4 times a week religiously, I used to only work out if I was on a diet

Eating meals at regular times - this is a life changer, the kids eat so much better, I’be lost weight and it takes the stress out of thinking about snacks

Waking every evening for 20-30 minutes once kids in bed, gives me thinking time and I’ll be so much happier when clocks change.

I got a job with a slightly longer commute. More time to sing in the morning and I can listen to more interesting podcasts on the way home. I tend not to think about work when I am physically further away.

@Gwenhwyfar headaches and rosacea. I used to get headaches and migraines all the time and lived on paracetamol - since going vegan I take maybe one paracetamol tablet a year. My rosacea red face has also died down.

Thanks Ditto.

I'm surprised that a LONGER commute improved someone's life!

History - what difference did cutting out diet coke make?

I agree with loads of these especially yoga, diet, vitamins, cutting down booze and exercise but the thing that facilitates all these for me is EARLY NIGHTS. I know it's not possible for everyone due to DC/shift work etc but my God it's changed my whole life. It's amazing how much your body wants to sleep if you get into the habit of letting it.

Only buy the Moser Roth chocolates from Aldi. They are little bars and come individually wrapped, about 150 calories each, the sea salt ones are delicious. They are just the right portion that it isn't too much or too little so I don't get carried away (like I do with biscuits or crisps) and eat too many but still feel like I'm having my chocolate fix for the day.
Similar with gin and tonic, buy the mini tonic cans so I don't get carried away and pour another glass to use up an open bottle of tonic.

I'm surprised that a LONGER commute improved someone's life

That's interesting - I found this. Having 45 minutes to an hour on a bus or train was enough time to read a book or listen to a podcast. When I was studying with the OU, almost exclusively all my studying and reading was done on a bus. It was a good way to use "dead" time and swap my head from being "single mum" to "career woman" !

Art.

Painting for just up to one hour a day has done me so much good. It is like a meditation and breathing and calm and creativity all at once.

I Marie Kondoed my things. I didn't follow her advice to the letter but I was very strict with myself with the decluttering and I think it's helped my mental health (and made it much quicker to clean!). Getting rid of things like that book that made me sad, or the boring DVD that just left me feeling I'd wasted 2 hours of my life, or the dress that was 3 sizes too small that I knew I wouldn't wear again... It really felt like a release, and I still get a kick opening my cupboard doors/glancing round my bedroom etc a year on.

"That's interesting - I found this. Having 45 minutes to an hour on a bus or train was enough time to read a book or listen to a podcast."

I suppose it has to be a commute with no changes then. It takes me 40-45 minutes to get to work, but it's walk, 5 minutes train, then walk. No time for reading. I would need to be sure of getting a seat for it to work as well.

This may be useful for you;

routineexcellence.com/psychology-of-habits-form-habits-make-stick/

Realised its ok to not be everyones friend. This helped me to stop people pleasing

Also meant to say what a great and inspiring thread, giving me lots of motivation to do more but currently what works well for me is;

Beginning to sort out clutter
Cycle to work (once it's a habit you don't need to get the motivation, you just do it automatically.
Stopped watching terrestial tv (apart form news) and watch either netflix or iplayer, meaning I watch less drivel and just things I actually want to really see and read more.
Bought myself flowers (tulips) for the first time yesterday - going to start doing this on paydays

Things I want to do are;

To start meditating again (I used to do Transcendental Meditation 'TM' years ago).
And I need to cut down on drinking.
To stop getting so riled at what I perceive to be bad customer service.

As someone suggested in previous post - going to change my vitamins to Immunace Extra (I've had 2 really bad 10 day colds this season)

Deleted face book, exercise 5 times a week, stopped drinking tea/coffee. I meditate and use reiki. I look and feel so much better now.

Just trying youper and like it :)

Plant nanny people - I've just downloaded it and it's saying 5330mls a day?? That seems an awful lot! Is that right??