Taking care of your health does not have to cost you a fortune. You can lead a healthy life almost or completely free of charge. Effective ways to improve your health at no extra cost.
In the age of Instagram and other visual social networks, a healthy lifestyle can be mistakenly associated with going to gyms with a personal trainer, buying exorbitantly expensive skin care products and eating “superfood” from the other side of the world. That’s not counting overseas yoga tours and buying ten pairs of sneakers for each type of physical activity.
However, we often forget that it is possible and necessary to keep yourself in good shape for free or for very little money. Here is a list of the most affordable but effective ways to improve your health, cheer up and get in a positive mood without spending a penny.
Walk in the fresh air.
Do not stay locked up, take regular walks – at least around the yard, block or in the nearest park. If it’s summer outside, lie down in the grass and warm up in the sun. This is the easiest and most affordable way to improve your physical and mental well-being. Wherever you live, you have the opportunity to take a walk! So no excuses should stop you from taking a short walk – a short walk is something you can always afford.
Get your room cleaned up.
It is not always possible to keep your room, apartment and workplace clean and in order. However, psychologists argue that the mess in life and work space contributes to the development of stress and depression, creates a sense of anxiety and nervousness. And conversely, the very process of cleaning, bringing cleanliness soothes and balances. Schedule a day (or two) per week where you will accurately perform a minimum set of activities to clean up where you live or work.
Spend less time on social networks.
Scientifically proven that “hanging out” in social networks is fraught with low self-esteem, insomnia and “lost profit syndrome” – an obsessive fear of missing something interesting. There are several useful applications that help limit the time spent in social networks. For iPhone there is Screen Time function, for Android there is Digital Wellbeing tool and Moment application. All these services can monitor the time spent on social networks and signal when it’s time to put off your smartphone.
Enter a diary.
All you need to feel better is a pen and a notebook. Doubtful? Then try keeping a diary. Turns out this old way has a lot of positive psychological effects. Diary entries can help you go through difficult decisions, work through complex emotions, look at events and situations in a different way and develop gratitude for the moments of your daily life.
Sleep better.
Sleep is the best medicine. There’s a lot of truth in this saying. 7-9 hours of sleep a day strengthen the immune system, improve mood and performance. If you suffer from a mild form of insomnia and it is difficult for you to fall asleep in the evenings, try meditation, include in your diet containing magnesium products. Surround yourself with the scent of lavender and take a warm bath shortly before bed.
Meditate.
Meditation is one of the best and free ways to restore and maintain health. And with modern tutorials, mobile applications and video tutorials you can learn the ancient practice for free. Almost any device starts working properly if you unplug it for a couple of minutes. The same thing happens to the human body: by switching ourselves from “do” to “be” mode, we help ourselves enormously. Meditation allows us to reconnect with the true needs of our body and mind.
Listen to yourself.
Stop for a minute and listen to yourself. Are you hungry or are you fed? What are you feeling now and what emotion are you experiencing? Are your clothes pressed, your shoes rubbed? Doesn’t something hurt?
Meet your loved ones offline.
Communicating in messengers and social networks is a convenient way to keep in touch with your loved ones, but it will not fill our deep need for personal contact. Agree, nothing can replace a live look, a sincere smile, a handshake or a friendly hug. Not to mention a lively heart-to-heart conversation. We often underestimate the huge psychotherapeutic effect of good old gatherings and conversations.
Get yourself a hobby.
Work, family, daily duties and concerns hardly leave time for what is truly enjoyable. But in all this it is useful to make some time for a hobby. Even at the expense of plans that seem important. Choose what you like: learn how to cook with video instructions on the Internet, start embroidering (online lessons, again, a lot), make something out of wood, sculpt from clay, do scrapbooking. These lessons will not only put your thoughts in order, but also enrich you spiritually.
Become a volunteer.
Support any charity or volunteer organization whose goals and ideals you share. Of course, not everyone is willing to work for free. But many volunteers note that this has helped them to find meaning in life. It will help distract from their own problems, to see their real scale – which probably only seems so disastrous.
Eat more vegetables.
In reality, the advice to eat more vegetables does not seem to be so economical. With our long winter and high food prices, a diet rich in simple carbohydrates and inexpensive meat seems to be a deceptively economical way out. But that’s not true. You can find a good source of fibre, complex carbohydrates and vitamins even in simple and widely available vegetables: cabbage, sweet carrots and pepper, red beet and others. The main thing is to prepare them well and properly. And many vegetables can be consumed in raw form.
Hug your loved ones.
The therapeutic effect of hugs is little studied, but is well known. Cuddle up to your loved one for no reason, to arrange a “hug” with the child, to hug your best friends – all this will give you not only pleasant goosebumps, but also a dose of healthy hormones of happiness, improve blood circulation, distract from problems, calm the nerves.
Love yourself.
All rejuvenating facial masks, manicure sessions, massages and other beauty treatments will not compensate you for the damage from self-criticism and self digging. Stop judging yourself and look back.
If you find this difficult, try a very simple exercise: put your palm to your chest in the heart area and say to yourself, right now I am fighting. I’m in pain, I’m angry, and I feel out of place. To feel whole and self-sufficient, independent of the opinion of others, friendly and strong is a skill that is developed from a daily declaration of love for yourself. It is not easy, but at least for free.