10 Tips to Re-Boot Your Wellness Routine

A daily personal wellness routine figures large on the agenda of those who want to live life to the full, especially as they grow older. Even though they may take just a few minutes a day, attending to them can easily fall by the wayside, especially during the winter months. If this sounds like you, re-boot your physical and mental wellness routines with the useful tips below. They’ll help you get back on track with your dental (and mental) hygiene, skin care, fitness, balance training, healthy eating, or any other wellness routine you value.

Rest-up

Many formal wellness activities begin with a ‘rest day.’ That’s because the day of planned inactivity gives you time to prepare mentally for the challenge ahead. If you’ve fallen off the wellness routine wagon, consider making your first day back at boot camp a ‘rest day.’

Stick to it

There’s a reason why parents and teachers use sticker charts to get kids achieving – it’s because they work! Stickers are bright, fun to peel off and stick down, and build a sense of achievement (and they work for loads of adults, too!). Purchase your favourite themed stickers, draw up a wellness-routine/days of the week grid, and get peeling!

Change of scene

We tend to quit everyday tasks when they start to feel a bore. A change of scene can help avoid the problem. So, why not work on your balance or mental health app in the park or another scenic spot instead of your living room. Or floss your teeth while you gaze at the garden instead of the bathroom mirror!

Alarm bells

If you’re getting to the end of the day, and your wellness tasks are piling up, it’s probably because you forgot to carry them out, rather than not having time for them. Take a couple of minutes to set reminder alarms on your mobile phone app. By associating a specific time or reminder with a task, you’ll start to build consistency and, before long, the activity will become second nature.

See it, use it

Chose attractive containers for the wellness equipment you require (think: a pretty ceramic pump bottle for your moisturising cream, a cute wooden box for your dental floss, a Trade Aid bag for your exercise gear, or new storage container for your salad veges). Once you have them, place them where they’re visible and will attract your attention.

Team-up

Turn your wellness tasks into combo-routines (one activity will remind you to carry out the other). For example, do your pelvic floor exercises while you’re making your morning coffee, and apply your moisturising lotion to your legs while you’re watching the TV news.

Sign-up!

Download an app that reminds you to carry out your chosen wellness activity, and which rewards you when you do. The free balance app Nymbl is a great place to start!

Buddy-up

It’s easy to say ‘no’ to yourself, but it’s a lot harder to say it to a friend. Whether it’s your partner or a buddy, make a pact to carry out a wellness activity together for a set number of times a week. If you can’t meet up physically, meet up digitally!

Record and reward

Build rewards into your wellness routine, and be generous with yourself. Rewards may include a take-away coffee at the park every 7 days of exercise, or a new plant for the garden for sticking to your mindfullness routine for a fortnight. Grab a notebook to record your efforts so the reward doesn’t get forgotten!

Break the rules

We all love the feeling of being in charge. So, every now and again, when it’s safe to do so, bend or break the rules to show yourself who’s boss. It might be you exercise last thing in the day instead of in the morning, or you eat a pie for dinner instead of a salad. The secret is not to let the exceptions become the rule.

However you climb back on the wellness-routine wagon, remember to treat yourself with kindness. We all let routines slip from time to time – it’s part and parcel of being human – the biggest challenge of all, can be to restart them. So forget feeling guilty, and put your energy into rebooting the routines that restore self-confidence and build wellness!