This month’s health and wellness tip comes from Laura Gosewisch of Vital Ground Farm, a farmer and massage therapist that uses her expertise to train and support others in maintaining their most valuable resource – themselves.
It’s just as important to have a solid plan for our physical and mental health as it is for managing any other aspect of our busy lives. We often think in great detail about the efficiency and sustainability of managing our work or family priorities, but rarely turn these practices inward toward ourselves. Our bodies are the soil of our lives, and tending to our own foundations means looking after our longevity for the sake of others. Here are some starting points for creating plans that sustain your well-being throughout the year:
Take Time to Make a Plan
Even a loose idea or plan for the day’s goals and tasks can be enough. Life is full of unexpected twists and turns, and having a plan is a helpful touchstone when we need to stay on track. Take a moment before each day begins to check in with your priorities, identifying what can wait and what needs to be tackled right away.
Nourish Yourself Throughout the Day
Know what foods will work for you and be intentional about setting time to take meal breaks throughout your day. If you're working away from home, be sure to bring along enough food and water for the amount of time you’ll be out.
Protein helps sustain your muscles. As you work, your muscle tissue breaks down and protein helps support the process of rebuilding it. Drinking extra water is an easy way to prevent soreness in the body, helping to move the healing process forward by keeping your tissues hydrated as they rebuild from exertion.
Set Realistic Timelines
Managing time effectively benefits both our physical an mental well-being. The end of each day is a good time to reflect on how long it takes you to complete various tasks. Two things to note as you do this are 1) identify the amount of time and 2) notice the quantity of work you get done in that timeframe.
Pay attention to signals from your body, however inconvenient, as you move throughout your day. Knowing when you’ll need a bathroom break prevents unexpected delays. If you know how many hours you can perform a work task before heading to the bathroom, you can change up your activities so you stay productive. Of course, sometimes we can’t tend to our needs right away, but being familiar with them can help us anticipate opportunities when we can.
Reflect & Reset at the End of the Day
Check-in with yourself when the day is over, feel what’s sore, ask yourself if you ate and hydrated well today. Think about what you might try differently tomorrow, and what went well today. Move your body if it feels good – dance or stretch, use a heating pad or ice pack if you’ve got any physical pain, drink some extra water. It doesn’t have to take up a lot of time, just enough for you to feel like you’ve been tended to.
