Enhance Your Overall Health by Adding These 5 Self-Care Practices to Your Fitness Routine

You probably know all about the benefits of regular exercise. For good reason, working out is considered to be one of the most important parts of a healthy living routine. The part that gets more neglected by many people, however, is self-care. In its most basic sense, self-care means taking care of yourself—physically, mentally, and emotionally—in order to reduce stress and maintain your overall wellness.

So what if there was a way to combine fitness with self-care and get the best of both worlds? Fortunately, there is. Here are five self-care practices that can coincide with your fitness routine and enhance your all-around health.

Nothing is more important than your diet. You can do strenuous workouts every day, but if you don’t eat well, it will only take your health so far. There is much debate on what the best diets are, and it seems like there is always a new “optimal” diet trending. If you’re not sure where to start, try focusing on eating clean, which means eating whole foods in their natural state and avoiding processed foods.

Many people find meal prepping one day a week to be helpful in sticking to a solid regimen. If you follow a busy schedule, look for tools that will help you save time, such as an electric pressure cooker. You can make a variety of healthy meals with this tool, including butternut squash soup, oatmeal, and turkey and sweet potato chili.

Another option is to subscribe to a local meal delivery or grocery service. These services are convenient and they offer a variety of healthy foods, including meals that are lower in calories.  

2. Warm up and cool down

Treating your body well before and after a workout is essential for protecting yourself from injuries and long-term health concerns, and it can help you maintain an exercise routine for the long haul. Warm up to get the blood flowing and gradually increase your blood pressure and heart rate, and cool down to gradually reverse those effects. Also, work in some good stretches for your muscles.

For whatever reason, many people treat sleep like it’s inferior to life’s other demands. As a result, it’s often neglected when life gets busy. But when your mind and body don’t get the sleep they need, they’re not able to recharge for the next day. This makes you less productive, it’s harder to think clearly, and it can even be unsafe. In order to achieve overall wellness, sleep must come first.

Another way to add self-care to your fitness routine is to start a journal. A journal can be an outlet for you to vent your emotions and remind yourself of the things you’re grateful for. You can also start a progress journal that documents your journey to your personal goals (e.g., fitness, diet, relationships). Or, you can make one big journal that contains it all. The most important thing about keeping a journal is that you do it consistently.

5. Kick back

One of the best ways to practice self-care is to schedule time for relaxation. Anything that reduces the stress in your life and refreshes you qualifies as relaxing. Think about something you’ve always wanted to do, or something you would do if you were on vacation, and try to do that thing at least once a week. This could mean picking up knitting, going to the movies with your family, playing nine holes of golf, or anything else you find relaxing. If you’re a music buff, buy an instrument that you’ve wanted to learn to play.

As important as a fitness routine is, you’re holding yourself back if you’re not practicing self-care. Remember to eat well, warm up and cool down, and prioritize sleep. Also, consider writing a journal each day and find ways to add relaxation to your life. Self-care doesn’t mean you’re being selfish; it simply means you’re taking your overall health seriously.

Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash

Photo Credit: Pexels

Author: Sheila Olson