Activities to help you stay on top of your mental health

If 2020 has taught us one thing it is that our health is so important. Health is wealth and our mental health is as important as our physical health. Most times, our mental health leads the way for our physical health to follow, which is why we must pay attention to it to live a fulfilling life. If you are struggling with mental health issues, you should speak to your doctor as soon as possible. It is important to start treating mental health illness as soon as you spot them. Preventing mental health illnesses is easier than treating them, so it is important to stay on top of your mental health. Here are some activities to help you stay on top of your mental health –

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Exercise

An easy way of staying on top of your mental and physical health is to exercise regularly. Having a good exercise routine helps a lot. I exercise every morning for about 30 minutes and I have noticed a massive difference in my overall health. You don’t have to exercise for 30 minutes every day to improve your health. I started off exercising for around 15 minutes and I increased it gradually as I went on.

Exercising regularly has a positive effect on anxiety, ADHD, depression, and more. A good exercise routine also improves memory, helps you sleep better, relieves stress, and boosts your overall mood.

Yoga

Our nervous system is directly tied to our mental health, and this is where yoga comes in. Yoga calms and centers the nervous system. It also relieves stress, reduces muscle tension, increases body awareness, and sharpens attention and concentration. Yoga is a self-soothing technique similar to exercising and meditation. It is definitely worth trying especially if you are struggling with your mental health.

Grounding/Earthing

Going for walks and runs definitely help. There’s something about being outdoors that improves the mood instantly. The fresh air and the change of scenery usually calm the mind immediately. An important activity you should try if possible when outdoors is grounding. Grounding or earthing simply means walking barefoot. I did this a lot when I was a kid growing up in Africa, but the older you are, the harder it is to do some of the easiest things. Modern living has changed our lives and some of these changes are not good for our health.

Research has shown that grounding improves sleep, strengthens the immune system, reduces pain and inflammation, regulates the nervous system, and decreases feelings of anxiety and stress, and more. The benefits of grounding are too many to list in this blog post. However, grounding is not the easiest thing to do in the part of the world I live in but I make sure I do this in my garden as frequently as possible.

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Mediation

Mediating does wonders for mental health.  I meditate daily and I cannot imagine a life without daily mediation. When meditating to improve mental health, it is important to focus on the root chakra (root energy center). The root center in our body is the base of the spine and that is the center that deals with mental health amongst others. There are loads of guided root chakra meditation videos on YouTube to help you. It is best to playa round with a few until you find the guided meditation that works best for you.

Dancing

Dancing is another activity that instantly improves my mood. I dance every day. It is part of my morning workout session and I love it. It relaxes me, relieves stress, and keeps me fit. Plus, it allows me to enjoy some of my favourite African tracks.

Do you do any of these activities every day? Which is your favourite?

 

 

12 Fitness Gifts for Exercise Lovers to Keep Them Motivated All Year

If you know a person who loves to work out and remain fit, you should also know the right gifts to buy for him or her. Finding the right fitness gifts for a friend or family member is important if you want the person to know that you care. Here are some gift ideas for your exercise-loving friend:

 

Apple Watch

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Every fitness buff needs to own an Apple watch to track everything from calories burned to heart rate and steps. Moreover, if the person likes working out to music, she can play her favorite tunes from the Apple Watch.

 

Other than sports, it also allows your friend to leave her phone at home and receive calls and messages on the watch. Before buying this gift, you should check to see whether your friend already has an Apple Watch to avoid buying her the same thing.

 

Yoga Mat

A soft and gripping yoga mat is every fitness lover’s dream. Opt for a yoga mat that has a thick fabric top layer, which supports the knees and elbows properly. If possible, you should choose a yoga mat that has the ability to roll itself up into place after you finish exercising. Although not all exercise lovers practice yoga, you should consider buying your friend a yoga mat.

 

Personalized Jersey

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You should order a personalized jersey for your friend depending on the sport that he loves. For instance, if he loves softball, you should make personalized softball jerseys. You just need to figure out where to order mens softball jerseys to make sure that you end up with the best one.

When ordering a personalized jersey, you need to spell out the details carefully. To do this, you have to know your friend well: what would he want written on his jersey? If he would prefer to have his name only on the jersey, you should give the company his name.

 

Personalized Water Bottle

If you want your friend to appreciate your gift more, you should go for a personalized gift. Because most fitness buffs need to remain hydrated, personalizing a water bottle is the best thing you can do. You can either buy a personalized bottle from the supermarket or buy a plain bottle and personalize it for yourself.

You can personalize the bottle with stick-on vinyl lettering that displays a motivational message. For instance, you can use the phrase “drink up” or “good job”. Whatever message you choose to display, make sure that it resonates with the person for whom you are getting the gift.

 

Polka Dot Yoga Pants

You can buy a pair of plain yoga pants and spice them up by using a bleach pen to create a pattern. You should wait for the bleach to settle in before you add some pop of color to the pants. Although this gift might seem cheap, the thought and effort will count for something. Just make sure that you choose a pair of yoga pants that will fit your friend.

 

DIY Workout Gear Cleaner

Keeping weights, sportswear, and yoga mats clean is not easy, especially if the gym lover does not have much time to spare. To help your friend to remain clean, you should make a DIY gear cleaner that will make it easier to keep her things clean. You just have to combine a few ingredients into a spritzer to make it easier to keep gym gear fresh.

 

Locking Shoelaces

The best gift that you can get for your gym-loving friend is a pair of locking shoelaces that will allow her to work out without any interruption or accidents. Gifting this will make you look like a good friend because you care about your friend’s safety. To create locking shoelaces, you only have to attach cord locks to some thick elastic laces.

You should then cap off the ends of the cord with scotch tape as well as Washi tape to add a touch of color. This gift is simple and affordable but it shows that you care.

 

Water Bottle Gripping Band

You can make a bottle grip by trimming the inside of a beer koozie then adding an easy handle grip. This gift will make it easier to grip onto a bottle after the hand gets sweaty. Instead of giving this gift by itself, you should package it with some headbands and journals. Making your friend a water bottle grip band is the best way to encourage her to remain hydrated during her workout.

 

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Conclusion

Whether you love going to the gym or have a friend that you want to support, the above presents will encourage a motivated life of working out. As a surprise, you can pair your present with a plan to train together in future. This will allow you to combine the gift with a great experience.

 

What do you think of these gift ideas?

 

*Collaborative post.

 

 

 

Giveaway – Win 10 Free Exercise Classes with Fittever App

Many mothers (myself included) struggle to exercise. We sometimes think all the running around house, dealing with the kids equates to exercise. So we don’t bother to make out time to exercise. Many of us don’t have the time to go a gym. So our fitness lives consist of just the school run and the running around in the house or the playground. I was one of those mums that thought the running around was enough to keep me fit. But thank goodness I saw the light. Read more about my thoughts on Fittever app and how to win 10 free exercise classes below.

 

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Exercising does not just make us run around and breathless. It also keep us sane. The adrenalin rush you get after a good exercise session does wonders for our mental health. So exercise we must, if we plan on staying physical and mentally fit. Which is where Fittever comes in. FITTEVER is literally fitness at your fingertips. It provides gym studios the tools to help many people exercise from the comfort of their homes. I think it is an amazing idea. Definitely great for the fitness lovers and anyone else who does not have the time to go to a regular gym.

 

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The Fittever App

The Fittever app is now available in the Apple App Store. It is great for those who prefer to exercise from the comfort of their homes but get the feel of exercising with others. You can attend and interact in live fitness sessions via the app. On the app, there are many sessions available on various days, so you can pick the sessions you are interested in and join in at the scheduled time. You can also redo any class anytime from your personalised profile. This app is the answer to people who enjoy exercising with a group of people at the same time but from wherever they choose to be.

 

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My Thoughts

I really like this app. There are many fitness websites and apps around but I have never seen anything like Fittever. I like the fact that I can join in live exercise sessions. The fact that I am joining in with others removes the isolated feeling I sometimes get when I exercise alone at home, with recorded fitness sessions. The Fittever app gives the real life feeling. I can browse live classes from gyms and instructors worldwide, and join in with the classes I am interested in.

Being able to watch quality online home workouts live is amazing. I am seriously looking forward to making the most of this app. I need to stay fit!

 

Giveaway

If you like the sound of Fittever then you are in luck. Fittever is giving away 10 free classes to 1 lucky reader. For you to take part in this giveaway, do the following –

 

  • Download the app here
  • Leave a comment here confirming your entry. When leaving a comment be sure to include your email address in the email address box so I can reach you.
  • You can also check out my Facebook page for other ways you could enter.

 

The giveaway ends 7th August 2018 at 10pm. Good luck everyone.

 

*Collaborative post.

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