Are you ready to bring out the best version of yourself? In this article I want to share with you 5 essential aspects that you should not overlook if you want to improve yourself. I hope they will inspire you and help you create a good foundation to start being the star of your life and not just an extra.
Put yourself at the center of your Life.
No more putting off taking care of yourself. Various commitments and other stressful situations at some times seem to be even more important than yourself. But is that really the case?
In the past I often put physical activity aside, I saw it as something superfluous, something that could be cut out. I used to use the excuse of “I don’t have time now, I’ll do it in the future” when I was wasting my time watching TV. At a certain point I decided to change. I asked myself what is really essential, making time for myself first and then for other commitments.
Physical Activity: For Health, Beauty and Self-Esteem
A healthy body is also a beautiful body. And no, it’s not a race against the clock to look good at the beach in August. It’s about loving yourself. It is to become the best version of you. It’s taking care of your body, not only during certain periods of the year but always. And the results come through perseverance and not with magic formulas.
Who says it has to be a sacrifice? I started with a simple, undemanding routine with mixed stretching and strength exercises done at home with the goal of slowly increasing the time spent. I have now reached an exercise plan, at home and in the gym, that I am satisfied with and can maintain with ease and consistency.
Setting goals can be helpful, but in this case, there is no real endpoint. The point is simply to be able to establish a routine, something that must be sustainable throughout your life. With a little flexibility but without ever giving it up.
It’s important that you choose something you enjoy, that doesn’t bore you, and at a pace that is easily sustainable for you. Only then will you be able to sustain it in the long run. A simple workout done consistently lead to great improvements, you will feel healthier, more energetic and better looking.
Pay attention to nutrition
It is now well known that we are what we eat and if you want to become the best version of yourself it is essential to take care of your diet and eat healthily. Flexibility means indulging in a few savoury or sweet treats, once or twice a week without remorse or guilt because you know that your diet is balanced, without excesses and without giving up. Eating regimes and rigid diets are not for me. Many times I tried and each time I failed. I realized that it wasn’t me who was wrong but my concept of diet.
Eating healthily is not about going on a particular diet when we see ourselves as overweight and then abandoning it when we are at a healthy weight. Healthy eating is about eating to feed on. It does not mean following a rigid diet, made up only of renunciations at certain times of the year, but having a correct and healthy diet as a lifestyle. When I prepare a dish I think about all the nutrients I am providing my body with by eating it. I prefer quality, seasonal and nutrient-rich food. What we should learn is to combine foods correctly according to their properties in our daily diet. Choose healthy and light cooking methods and add the right seasoning without overdoing it. It is important to learn to enjoy what we eat. I assure you that once you get used to the natural flavours of food, it will be very difficult to go back and give them up.
Take care of your mind: Relaxation and Positivity
“Mens sana in corpore sano’ (a healthy mind in a healthy body) said Juvenal, a famous Latin poet, in one of his satires. Our mind is the aspect that needs to be taken care of more than any other when we decide to take charge of our lives all around.
Stress, in addition to negatively affecting mental health, can also cause serious damage to physical health. Headaches, muscle tension, stomach problems, psychosomatic disorders, obesity, sexual and cardiovascular problems are just some of the damage that excessive stress can cause. This is why it is important to take a break from this hectic life, to switch off and spend some time on oneself in order to find the right mental and physical balance.
Over time I have learned that the same situation, however problematic it may be, has to be approached in a completely different way, depending on your mood. I found myself facing the same problem two or more times, sometimes it was extremely difficult, sometimes it was as simple as drinking a glass of water. If the problem was the same, what changed? The answer is very simple: it was me. It was my mood, my mind. I realised that the real difficulty in dealing with a situation depends only on how you react to it. That is why it is important to take care of your mind so that you can deal with each situation in the best possible way.
Thinking positive even when things are going wrong can help us think of new solutions and scenarios that we wouldn’t otherwise see because we are whining or in fear of making a mistake. Read my article THE POWER OF POSITIVITY to understand how this power can change your life.
Take care of your body: Beauty Routine
Taking time out and dedicating yourself to the beauty of your body is a relaxing and satisfying practice. Organising routines for the beauty of my skin and hair makes me feel so good and brings me back in a good mood immediately. Absolutely time well spent and a must for becoming the best version of you.
Free time and Hobby
Taking actions for our physical and mental well-being will make us feel satisfied, we will be able to work better and with more energy. But in order to become the best version of yourself, you should not neglect your hobbies and free time either.
As for me, I love travelling and discovering new places. I’d much rather go out and visit a new park, church or neighbourhood than stay in and watch TV. And if you do go out, what do you do? Shop window shopping of course! Not only do I look in them but I also love trying on thousands of clothes.
Find out what you like to do in your free time, ask yourself whether you prefer indoor or outdoor activities. Make a list of hobbies that you could develop such as sewing, reading, cooking, travelling, painting, shopping or playing a sport. It is essential to find something you can do that is not a chore but a pleasure!
I hope that this article has helped you to understand what is essential for you. Now all you have to do is to plan and carve out time and space for the essentials before everything else!
A big hug, Tonia.
