16 One Minute Health Boosters

 

Do you want to boost health, but lack motivation? Perhaps you feel off-kilter, and want to regain balance and enthusiasm for daily living. 

Post Updated 2/12/2023

Try out these 16 one minute health boosters to see how little time, money, and effort it takes to enhance self-care, feel happier, and increase your sense of well-being.

 

1.  Drink a tall one, an 8 oz. glass of water several times during the day. This will keep you hydrated, helps digestion and elimination, and makes you feel dewy fresh.

 

2.  Eat a half cup of beans several times during the week. Beans are an excellent low cost, fat free source of protein and fiber. Beans including pintos, black beans, kidney beans, and navy beans rev up energy and help maintain regularity.

 

3.   Set daily goals for exercise. It takes less than a minute to connect with YouTube. Reserve time for a video workout by selecting a yoga, aerobic exercise, or circuit training video. Exercise pays off by reducing stress, helps keep you fit, and elevates mood.

 

4.  Practice one of these methods that helps you breathe deeply from Web MD. Deep breathing curbs anxiety and tension and sends nourishing oxygen to all parts of your body.

 

5.    Snack on a serving (1/2 cup) of fresh sweet peas for a healthy treat. This green veggie has more vitamin C than 2 large apples and more protein than a tablespoon of peanut butter.

 

6.    Splash your face with cool water to revive yourself. Nix drinking an alcoholic beverage to numb pain or as a pick me up.  

7.  Take a 20 second break to disengage from electronic devices and screens by standing up. Move 20 feet away from equipment, desk, or work area. Use another 20 seconds to blink, sigh, or yawn. Down time conserves eyesight and prevents body aches and pain.

 

8.    Focus on composing and reciting a meaningful affirmation. When you say positive statements aloud it helps shift thinking, creates "feel good vibes," and inspires you to make progress in creating  positive energy and health with affirmations.

 

9.    Say “no” when you need to. Bowing out of tasks you really don't want or need to do, helps you keep check on your energy and resources. Setting this boundary allows you to meet your own needs first, and use extra time to help those you can. 

 

10.    Surround yourself with colors you love in home and office, and take in the health boosting effects of color energy. Read Color Ideas to Cultivate Happiness for additional color tips.

 

11.   Work or play outdoors early in the day to soak up Vitamin D from sunlight. Before you step outside,  apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen, one that contains non-nano zinc-oxide (SPF 30 or above). Prevent sun damage, and reduce chances of getting skin cancer by wearing UV protected sunglasses too. 

 

12.  Shed shoes at your front door. Then, see how much easier it is to keep floors clean and reduce environmental pollutants you track into your home.

13.  Hug a family member or friend to get those good feelings flowing. Kiss your significant other, and praise your kids to spread the love and encourage each other. 💗

14. Laugh often. Even a broad smile can reduce stress and prevents “dis-ease.” See Budget Friendly Activities to Inspire Joy for additional self-care tips.

15. Stretch by reaching up to the sky, and bend over with soft knees to reach for your toes. Next, stand tall and roll your shoulders back, up, forward, and down. Stretching relieves sore muscles, reduces tension, and relaxes shoulders, neck, and body.

 

16. Create a mental or written gratitude list. Give thanks for blessings and observe how fast your outlook improves.

These one minute health boosters have worked really well for me, and can help you.

Have my ideas motivated you to amp up self-care? There’s nothing like the present to start. 

Add a few at a time into your wellness routine. Before you know it, you’ll feel better, look better, and smile a lot more. 

Please share which health boosters you use. Put details in the comments section below. 

Are there other self-care practices that are part of your routine, but not mentioned? Please let me know.

Which health booster are you reluctant to try? Share about that too. 

This post is intended for entertainment and information purposes only. If you seek medical advice, consult with your health care provider.

Please don't put links in your comments, as I cannot publish them that way. Thanks for understanding.

Wishing you good luck as you proceed and sending positive energy to...

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See my Website as well. 

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How to Conquer Stress Quickly and Effectively

Stress is inescapable, but learning how to conquer it may be the best self-care goal you initiate and achieve this month, week, or day.

Post updated 5/26/22

Ideas in this post are intended to help you identify your daily stressors, and see them as challenges instead of obstacles. 

Look below to discover powerful self-care practices that are known to zap stress in the bud. Try each one on for size, and choose those that resonate with you. Just know, all can restore physical, mental, and emotional energy lost to stress.

1. Identify your stressors. Learn what triggers tension, anxiety, and unease. Do you agonize about family or personal relationship issues, stew about work related dissatisfaction or job insecurity, feel frantic about a lack of money or debt, or suffer from poor self-image or low self-esteem? 

When you practice noticing how often your default setting is negativity and worst case scenario, you're taking the first step in replacing this habit, with more effective coping skills. 

Stressed in America, a post from the Psychological Association of America's Website describes long-term stress more fully, so read it to learn details. 

2. Let go of what you can't control. Affirm you are powerless over every other person, place, or thing in your life. Tell yourself that no amount of worry or obsession about someone else's actions or thinking will help you figure out how to change them. 

Reverting to a fearful place is an old pattern, and waste of your precious time. 

Here's "A Visualization for Letting Things Go You Can't Change," a piece by Dr. Tammy Lenski to get off on the right foot.

3. Make Sleep a Priority. Sleep deprivation makes you more susceptible to stress. Go to sleep at a consistent time every night and try to get from 7-8 hrs. a sleep a night. More about good sleep habits from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) here.

Plan to squeeze in a little extra shut-eye when you need it, and take a 5-10 minute power nap or even a siesta. A 30 minute snooze can boost energy, bring clarity to thinking, and prevent you from becoming groggy or affect your nighttime sleep.

4. Just say no. Say no to those things you do, if the only reason you do them is out of obligation. People pleasing gives you less time for those things that bring you joy. 

Before you agree to take on a new project or buy a new thing say, "I need time to consider that" or "I'll get back to you on that." When you give yourself a chance to pause, you quickly take control of your choice to plan your response. Prevent overextending yourself or your budget by not giving in to doing things your self-preservation instinct feels uncomfortable doing.

5. Watch what you eat. Hunger can worsen your stress level. Don't skip meals, and keep healthy, energy-boosting snacks on hand. A few minutes of food prep planning can help you avoid grabbing high-sugar or high fat snack foods.

Healthful snack foods include fresh fruit and vegetables, and other plant-based proteins like beans, legumes, and whole grains. Stave off cravings for unhealthy foods, by eating an watermelon, apple, orange, banana, peach, celery, carrots, spoon of peanut butter, or veggie smoothie. Nutrient-rich foods including those mentioned above, work to satisfy hunger and elevate your mood.

See 6 Colorful Summer Fruit Super Stars for details

6. Breathe deeply. Do you get stressed waiting at the drive up line for your morning coffee or feel drained just thinking of how many tasks you have to do? 

Take slow deep breaths and count to thirty. Deep slow breathing prevents anxiety and works to release built up tension anywhere in your body or mind. Specific instructions for deep body breathing is as simple as a, b, and c.

a. Sit comfortably or recline. Next, place one hand on your stomach and place your other hand over your heart.

b. Inhale slowly until you feel your stomach rise. Hold your breath for a moment.

c. Exhale slowly. Feel your stomach fall. Repeat until you feel calm and more relaxed.

7. Enjoy regular exercise. Walking, especially in a natural setting, is an easy, economical way to reduce stress. 

If you prefer, take part in a sport solo or with family or friends. Do any activity that you like including bike riding, yoga, hiking, baseball, tennis, or ballroom dancing. When you do something you find interesting or fun, it can make the time fly by and rev up your engine as well. 

When your body, mind, or spirit feels uptight, stretch at your desk, or climb a flight of stairs instead of eating that donut. 

Research from the Anxiety & Depression Association of America shows that exercise is considered vital for maintaining mental fitness and reducing stress. 

Exercise reduces fatigue, improves alertness and concentration, and can be especially helpful when stress has depleted your energy or ability to concentrate.

8. Take a Play/Self-care Break. Find a hobby or pastime that makes you feel lighthearted and just do it for 5-10 minutes, either before or after you feel stressed out. 

Laugh and smile often. Laughter has proven to lower levels of stress hormones, reduce inflammation in the arteries, and increase "good" HDL cholesterol. 

According to  Harvard Health Publishing, studies show laughter is good for heart health. 💝

Additional Reading

Keys to Reduce Stress and Tiny Steps to Serene Living

Journal Prompts to Ease Stress of the Holiday Season

Before you go, please comment below. What self-care habits work to manage stress for you? 

Would you like to set the intention to conquer stress this month, week, or today and why?

What areas do you still need to work on to eliminate underlying issues? 

This post is not intended as medical or mental health advice, and is presented for your information only. 

"If you are unable to reduce your stress or prevent future stressful episodes despite your best efforts, ask your doctor for a referral to a mental health specialist who treats anxiety and stress." Quote from Healthline.

Wishing you a happy low stress season, and many moments where you make the decision to self-care more and stress less.

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Create Positive Energy and Health with Affirmations

It's a new year and new decade, and this post will show how to use positive energy of affirmations to enhance your sense of health and well-being. 

Take a few days to look at the big picture. 

Self-appraise the stress and satisfaction levels you experienced in the past year.

Then evaluate and record details about the gap between your current energy level and health, and hoped-for future health.

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One simple way for us to be kind to ourselves as we change self-critical messages about past health habits or sloppy or inconsistent self-care routines is to apply self-compassion. 

Let's use a caring mindset to consider the information and affirmations below. 

Following is a definition of what an affirmation is, research about why affirmations work, and original affirmations. 

Affirmations are positive statements that are recited and repeated aloud to confirm and reinforce that something is already true and bountiful in our lives.

Research from a study published in "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology," indicates temporal landmarks, including a new year, new decade, or birthday, are powerful markers of time. These reference points are perceived by most of us as opportune times to experience the "fresh start effect."

Science backs this up. Study participants who used a temporal landmark to motivate them, had a positive energetic response, and gained momentum to follow through with their future-oriented wellness goals.

Affirmations recited at a temporal landmark are energetic powerhouses. 

Affirmation recitation helps shift thinking, creates "feel good vibes," and helps us see challenges are opportunities to grow.

A study published in "Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience" details how affirmations help convert negative thoughts to more positive ones.

Now on to my original affirmations

I release events, conflicts, stress, and worries from the past easily and effortlessly. 

I am an Optimist and my Self-confidence Attracts Abundance.

Exercise, Nourishing Food, and a Self-compassionate Attitude Keeps my Body, Mind, and Spirit Strong, Flexible, and Energized.   

I radiate health, happiness, harmony, and thrive.

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I encourage you to write your own affirmations. Then, recite them aloud to keep the momentum going.

Please comment below and re-share on social media. 

Thanks for visiting and please come back again. I post on the 1st and the 15th of each month. 

Wishing you a Healthy, Happy, and Harmonious New Year!



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