10 Ways to Keep a Healthy Mind, Body, & Spirit
Senioritis has been kicking my butt recently. If you’re like me, the motivation for doing pretty much everything unrelated to college, looking forward to the weekend, and/or making it to summer break, is running low. Setting an alarm and waking up for school every day gets harder and harder, and learning anything else in high school seems pointless. It’s normal to feel this way, but you have to stay motivated! Here are 10 ways to get your energy up, keep grinding, and live with a healthy mind, body, and spirit.
- Exercise: Trust me- I know how cliché this sounds. Waking up to go on a run or do a cardio workout can be really difficult. When your alarm goes off and all you want to do is roll over and fall back asleep, start your day by waking up earlier than normal to exercise and it will put you in a better mood. On the weekends, I like to wake up around 9 a.m. and go for a long run/walk in my neighborhood, then I will come back and do a 15 to 25 minute “HIT” workout (core, legs, butt). It’s best to get all of your energy out first thing in the morning while you still have a lot of it! Also, having an Apple Watch has motivated me to work out and get exercise all the more. I like to set daily goals so that I can try to get 10,000 steps in one day, and my mom and dad and I even like to compete for steps!
Start by getting motivated to exercise with a cute new workout outfit!
2. Make your bed: As weird as this sounds, making my bed makes me feel like my life is more put together. I like to clean my room first thing in the morning (after a big bowl of cereal, of course) because there are usually clothes covering the floor from the night and day before. I like to open my door to a clean room every time I come upstairs.
Get some new throw pillows and a throw blanket to motivate yourself to make your bed every day to make it look cute and comfortable.
3. Hydrate: Drink lots of water! I try to motivate myself drink at least 2-3 full water-bottles before 1 p.m. When I am bored or sitting down, I am always sipping on water- especially at school. My favorite water bottle is the “Simple Modern 32 oz Water Bottle”. Drinking water is good for your body and your brain.
4. Reward yourself: After you finish a hard task (for me it is homework and studying) reward yourself. I try to do my homework in 15 to 30 minute intervals, because after that I tend to lose focus. Take a break by watching a show, getting a snack, checking your phone, or going for a walk.
5. Moderation: Trust me- if I could eat something sweet like cake and ice cream for every meal without consequences, you can bet that I would. Everything is good in moderation! Don’t feel like you can never eat ice cream again just because you have started exercising more. Just obviously don’t eat a whole pint. Treat yourself to a couple scoops of ice cream, especially if you are working out. This gives you even more of a reason to cheat and eat ice cream! Here are some of my favorite, more “healthy” brands of sweet treats!
6. Rest well: It is important to have a healthy sleep schedule. Try to go to sleep and wake up around the same time every night (within the hour), and get at least 7.5–8 hours a sleep per night.
7. Work Hard, Play Hard: Working hard is very rewarding, but in order to reward yourself for your work ethic you have to have fun with life! While vacations at the beach are fun and relaxing, take an active vacation every once in a while. Do something fun out West such as skiing, snowboarding, hiking, and walking. Spend time outside and limit screen time.
8. Don’t surround yourself with negative people: If you surround yourself with people that don’t make you feel good, their actions and emotions will start to reflect on you. Being around people that are kind to you is the first step to you continuing to be kind to yourself!
9. Journal and read: Keep your thoughts organized with a journal. Whether that just be writing about your day, writing about things that are making you anxious, or creative writing with prompts, writing down how you feel with a pen and paper is the best way to vent. Reading poetry is a good way to challenge your mind and read something similar to the feelings that you may be experiencing.
10. Meditation: It is important each day to take a few minutes by yourself in silence to gather your thoughts. This could be first thing in the morning, right when you wake up, or at any point during the day when you have time to relax. Listen to frequency music and find yourself.
