Five Things I Do Every Single Day to Maintain Good Physical and Mental Health

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Since January is all about setting new goals and habits for the new year, I thought I’d share five things that I do every day to keep myself feeling good physically and mentally. 

ONE – Meditate/Quiet Time/Affirmations

I started meditating back in 2019 (I think?) and it’s something that I now do daily.  As a matter of fact, I’ve meditated every single day since the beginning of 2020, only missing one or two days since then… and those two missed days were accidental, not intentional.  Each morning, I set aside a few minutes to do a ten-minute meditation and then I spend a few more minutes reading my devotional, talking to God, and going over my daily affirmations.  All in all, this doesn’t take much time out of my day… 15-20 minutes each day at most, maybe?  But it has completely changed my life. 

With regard to meditation, I started by using the free version of the Calm app.  I ended up loving meditation so much that I decided to buy a lifetime subscription to Calm so I could reap all of the benefits of the app.  The paid version unlocks a massive library of meditations specific to all kinds of different things – anxiety, stress, sleep, focus, growth, happiness, etc. and it also offers tons of sleep stories, an entire library for kids, a new daily meditation every single day of the year, music, soundscapes, breathing exercises, movement, and more. 

The lifetime subscription is very pricey, but every year they put it on sale for 50-60% off around the holidays, so I got a great deal on it.  If you haven’t ever researched the scientific benefits of meditation, watch this short video.  This video was the thing that finally convinced me to start meditating, and now I couldn’t live without it.  And this post is not sponsored by Calm.  I just truly love the app and it’s something that I’ll be using forever.

With regard to quiet time, during this time, I go over my prayer requests and I read my daily devotional.  I read this devotional and this one every day for several years, and I recently bought this one to use for 2022 since I’d read the others so many times.  So far, I’m LOVING this new devotional as the author does a great job of applying God’s word to everyday life.

For affirmations, I bought this box of affirmation cards last year and I love them.  They’re beautiful and inspirational, and they are encouraging, too.  In addition to those, this year, I’ve also decided to write some of my own affirmations that are specific to my needs, and I hope that will make my affirmation time even more effective.

TWO – Move My Body

Another thing I do every day is move my body.  I try to do an organized workout at least five times per week, and on the other days when I don’t get in an “official workout” I still try to get out and play with the kids or at the very least, I try to spend some time outside.  For the organized workouts, I try to do a variety of different ones to keep all of my different muscle groups working.  Some of the workouts I love to do are walking, running, mixed cardio, weights, yoga, dance, swimming (during the summer only), stair stepper (I bought this one to use at home and I love it SO much), and core training, and I’ve also experimented a little with HIIT and Pilates.  

I’ve found that doing cardio (especially running) has a tremendous positive impact on my anxiety, so that alone makes it worth the time and effort.  Not to mention the overall effect it has on my body… when I’m in a good workout routine, I have way more energy, I have more mental clarity, I feel stronger, and I just feel better all-around.  Body movement is so very important, y’all.

 

THREE – Take Daily Vitamins/Supplements

Another thing I do for my physical and mental health is that I take vitamins every day.  I currently take two – a women’s multi-vitamin and elderberry – and I’m also considering adding a third supplement from Young Living called Sulphurzyme that is supposed to have numerous benefits.

The women’s multi-vitamin I love the most is the Smarty Pants Women’s Daily Multi-Vitamin.  They have Omega-3 for brain health, Zinc for immunity, B12 for energy, and Biotin for hair, skin, and nails plus all of the other standard vitamins like vitamin D, iron, vitamin C, etc.  In addition to all of that, they also have a fruit and veggie blend of acai, beetroot, kale, and more for added benefits. 

The capsules are non-GMO and they’re free of gelatin, gluten, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, synthetic colors, artificial flavors, and artificial sweeteners.  And they’re vegetarian.  I love that I get all of the things I need without all of the added junk that most other vitamins have, and I love that I can take them on an empty stomach, too!

I started taking elderberry in addition to my multi-vitamin at the start of the pandemic since elderberry is good for immune support.  I take one of these gummies (the adult version... they weren't online to link, so I linked the kids' version that our kiddos take) each day as they’re significantly less expensive than most other brands.

I, of course, also try to eat healthy as often as I can so I can get my vitamins from my food (the best way to get your vitamins), but it’s good to know that I have my vitamins as a backup in case there’s anything in particular that I’m not getting enough of from my diet.

 

FOUR – Drink 60-90 oz. of Water

Water intake is a huge part of my daily health maintenance.  Each day, I try to drink at least 60 oz. of water, and most days I drink nearly 90 oz.  The more I drink, the better I feel. 

This was probably the toughest habit to establish and keep up with, simply because it’s something that you have to consciously think about and remember to do all day long.  My biggest hang-up was that it was always bothersome to have to get up and refill my cup every time I ran out.  The one thing that finally helped me get into this habit was buying this large Yeti tumbler.  It holds 30 oz. of water, so I fill it up first thing in the morning, and then I only have to refill it one time to get 60 oz. for the day.  The Yeti keeps my water cold for at least 12 hours, and even though it’s large, it fits in all standard cupholders (including the ones in my vehicle) so I can take it on the go.

I take this thing absolutely everywhere.  If you see me, then you can bet that my Yeti is somewhere close.  I never ever leave home without it. 

Drinking my 60-90 oz. per day has a huge impact on my physical and mental health.  I can always tell when I haven’t had enough water because I tend to feel more sluggish and I also have more brain fog on those days.  I’m also way more prone to headaches on the days where I haven’t had enough water. 

The human body is made up of somewhere around 60% water, so it’s pretty obvious why things tend to go wrong in your body when you haven’t had enough.

 

FIVE – Relax and Unwind

I’m a very motivated, self-driven person, and I love nothing more than the satisfaction that comes along with checking a task off of a list.  In this busy world, a person’s work is never done, and I’m sure there are so many tasks on my list right now that I could just stay busy forever. 

Therefore, I have to be careful or I could easily allow myself to spend every single second of every single day “being productive.”  It’s just in my nature.  However, I know that rest is essential for many reasons, one of which is to prevent burnout, so I make sure that I take a couple of hours every day to relax. 

My relaxation time is almost always spent in the hours leading up to bedtime, and it’s usually spent watching TV or movies with Brian and the kids or playing games or reading.  Once 8-9 PM rolls around every night, you can pretty much guarantee that I’m sitting on the couch in my PJs, under a blanket, with Maui in my lap… and maybe a bowl of frozen yogurt in my hand. 

I cherish this time every evening, and it’s something Brian and I have been doing together pretty much every single night since we started dating 18 years ago.  (OMG, 18 years ago.)  We love shows and movies and music and games and books and all things media, and we use the last couple of hours every day to indulge in those things and spend time together.  It helps us both wind down after a busy day, and that makes the transition to bedtime easy peasy.

 

And those are my five things!  Nothing earth-shattering, and nothing you haven’t already heard before, but this particular combination of things keeps me feeling good physically and mentally most of the time, and it’s something I intend to continue as long as it serves me well.