Tips for Resetting Your Health Journey

It’s time for a reset.

Have you ever felt that way? Many times, we start the year, month, week off with great intentions for our health and then daily life and stress get in the way and those good intentions slip right down the drain. Our routines become a distant thought, our plans for our diet or exercise become a regret—something we didn’t have time for that day and our sleep is certainly less than optimized or ideal.

You’re not alone if you find yourself in this position.

There are a few things I suggest doing if you find yourself in this position. I do find that a weekend is a great time to reset, but really any time that you feel motivated and ready to make some changes is a good time in my book.

Tips for Resetting Your Health

Whether you find yourself slipping off track or are fully off the rails at this point, there are a few steps I recommend to help you get back on track with your health goals, feel more energized, and improve your overall mood.

Get Outside

This one is going to have two benefits right off the bat. The first is that you’re going to get your daily dose of vitamin D and it also triggers a release of mood-boosting serotonin. ⁽¹⁾ The second is that getting outside and into nature can improve everything from cognitive ability to mood. In a recent study, it was found people who had spent at least two recreational hours in nature during the previous week reported significantly greater health and well-being. ⁽²⁾

With the amount of time that we now spend inside being a computer screen, it’s imperative that we make an effort to schedule a time to get outside, into the sun and into nature. Both our physical and mental health requires it and it can truly have a great impact on your reset and help you get the rest of your health back on track.

Stop Scrolling Social Media

Did you know that 210 million people worldwide are estimated to suffer from internet and social media addiction? ⁽³⁾

This is a HUGE number! Even if you’re not addicted to it, the average person is spending 2 hours a day on social media. Think about what else you could be doing with that time—exercise snacking, catching up “in person” with friends and family, playing with your kids, learning something new, prepping food for healthier meals, etc.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m as guilty of the mindless social media scroll as the next person but I won’t lie when I say that these statistics are scary to me. This is why I’m proposing a challenge.

Put it in your calendar a set “social media detox” weekend. Take an entire weekend where you log off and claim your independence from your phones and social media. I know this may seem a bit unnerving. We’re all so used to opening up Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to see what’s happening with everyone else but I promise you that content will still be there on Monday when you log back in. What won’t be there are the moments shared with friends and family or the mental health boost you may get from not reading the negative posts and news.

I am betting that come Monday, you will feel significantly better because of this social media detox.

Drink more water

I can’t tell you how often I hear someone complain about how tired they are and then find out they’ve only had 3 cups of coffee to drink all day.

Our brains are strongly influenced by our hydration status. It affects everything from mood to concentration and can also increase the frequency of headaches.(4)  Which in turn can all affect other parts of our life and health.

Of course, many people read the recommendations of drinking 100 ounces a day and say, “NO WAY! That seems like too much,” then give up before even starting. I’m recommending we start back with the staple of eight glasses a day and work our way up.

Before working our way to a higher number though, you should do some more research and speak to your doctor because everyone is different. Things like where you live, your diet, how active you are, and your overall health can all be a factor in how much water you need. But if you know that you’ve been slacking on your water intake then fill up those water bottles and make a concerted effort to get in those eight glasses as a starting point. You’ll likely notice a difference.

Move your body

Our lifestyles have become extremely too sedentary. We sit in cars, we sit all day at work, we sit in front of the tv. We’re no longer doing what our bodies were made to do…MOVE!

When I talk about needing to move, I’m not just talking about exercise. Yes, exercise is of course important but I’m talking about the simple movements we can work into our day that are more like little exercise snacks rather than a 30–60-minute workout.

This weekend, try to incorporate a few five-minute exercise snacks or movement breaks into your day. Take a 5–10-minute walk in front of your house; alternate doing squats and pushups (they can be regular, on your knees, or wall pushups), and take a 5-minute stretching break.

Take note of how you feel after these breaks. I’m going to bet you feel a bit less stressed and your body over time will start to feel a little less tight.

All of these tips are great ways to help you kickstart that reset you may need to get yourself back on your journey’s tracks. Hopefully, all of these tips will be things you can continue throughout your journey but if you find yourself slipping again, they are always here as staples to fall back on. You’ve got this. I believe in you!

1. https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/benefits-sunlight#_noHeaderPrefixedContent
2. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160791X16301634
4. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-of-water#2.-Significantly-affects-energy-levels-and-brain-function