5+3: How to Try and Improve Your Day!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not some super genius girl with a health degree, or even a health enthusiast (I mean, I’m enthusiastic about health, but you get what I mean). Saying that – I’ve been trying to improve my positivity and daily well-being. These are some ways I do it.

Things you can do every day.

1. Drink waterAs many times as you may have heard this, you should be listening! Drinking water improves your well-being so much; not just physically, but emotionally as well. Personally, I used to hate drinking water. There was no flavour, it felt like a chore, why would I want to do it? Then, when I started drinking at least one bottle of water a day (not including the juice and other things I drink) I realized how much more energy I had. My skin cleared up, I had more energy, and it improved my day-to-day lifestyle. I also realized when I fell off the water-drinking-bandwagon for a few days that it had a bigger impact on me than I originally thought. Before I drank one water a day, I didn’t think I was lacking hydration. Then when I stopped drinking water for a few days, I realized that ‘no', I don't have enough hydration.’ I just hadn’t realized I lacked it before because I was so used to being in that state I didn’t think there was anything wrong. I’m personally trying to drink two bottles of water a day now, but starting at one is a good place to begin! Every week or two you can increase until you get to the right amount (you’ll have to look up how much the average person is supposed to drink per day. Like I said before, I’m not a medical or health genius, and I think it may vary depending on your size and how much you work out. Who knows, definitely not me. This is just my personal experience).
2. Eat an appleAn apple a day keeps the doctor away. If you’ve heard that saying, it’s probably because your parents were trying to convince you to eat more fruits as a kid. Personally, I never liked eating fruit or vegetables as a kid unless I was dipping strawberries in chocolate. Recently, I’ve been trying to eat at least one apple a day. My personal favourite is Granny smith, because it’s not as sweet as the other ones. When I’m just looking for a snack to munch on while I do some work on my computer, or while I watch a show, apples are perfect. They don't require preparation. If you don’t like eating them whole, cut them up and put them on a plate, so it’s kinda like eating chips (clearly you’re not eating chips, but you get smaller quantities opposed to one large whole). If you don’t have time to snack, set it aside your meal as a side. Don’t like apples? Try making smoothies! Strawberry, raspberry, banana and blueberries are my go-to. Don’t think you can eat all those fresh fruits in time? Get frozen ones from the store! You can get large packs of frozen strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Bananas I’d recommend buying fresh though.
3. Workout/Go for a walkNot everyone has time to workout in a day, and not every can workout, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be active! I try and workout at least half-an-hour every day, because I’m trying to get stronger; but if you can’t, going on a walk keeps you active at least! I like to walk the dogs with my mom, or just go for a walk, and listen to some music. It seriously improves your mood, plus you spend some time outside!
4. Do something productiveI personally hate when I can’t get something productive done in a day. Whether it’s something large, like writing a script or filming a video or doing an assignment for class–to something small like making sure my bed was made and my room was clean–having something productive done, apart from my daily going to school/work routine, makes me feel accomplished and more positive.
5. Talk to someoneI’m not saying you have to talk to someone about what’s stressing you out–even though that’s always a good option that I’d highly recommend. But sometimes you just had a long day–or you even had a great day–but it always improves my mood to check in with someone! Whether I talk with some friends who are living in a different city, or ask my mom how her day was, or we chat while she washes and I put away the dishes. Communicating and spending time with other people in small doses (cause not everyone gets energy from spending time with others, I relate) is a way that personally improves my emotions. It’s nice to know something good is happening somewhere, so I always like to hear about other people’s days.

Your not so everyday stuff.

These things aren’t easy to fit into your everyday schedule, especially if you work full-time, or go to school, or work and go to school (hey fellow College and University students!). But I try and do one of these at least once a week!

1. Take a classI am someone who has a lot of energy, but has no idea where to put it. It often used to become so overwhelming, I would get exhausted. So I decided to put that energy into taking a class! Sign up for a class like dance, music, whatever you enjoy! It doesn’t even have to be a class! You can do rock climbing, swimming, etc. (Though there are classes for that as well, of course).
2. Set weekly Goals/rewardsI like to treat myself to things, like: a movie, that sweater I thought was really cute, etc. But I also like to be productive! So I set goals for myself like, drink a bottle of water every day this week, get that sweater, workout half-an-hour every day this week, go see that movie!
3. Take up a hobbyThis is especially good when you don’t have extra cash for those (bi)weekly classes! If you still want to learn dance, go on YouTube, there’s tons of credible and amazing dancers on there! You can look up tutorials and set aside time once a week to learn. This works well for art and music as well! Really anything you want to learn/improve you can learn on the internet. You just have to set aside the time to learn it.So there you go! These are just some ways I try to improve my well-being both physically and emotionally on a day-to-day and a weekly basis. It has made a big positive impact for me, and though I’m still working on improving, it keeps me constantly motivated. I hope this helps some people out!