20 Free Ways to Improve Your Wellness Today
As much as I love health and wellness and all the information you can find online, oftentimes it is filled with people telling you to buy the latest gadgets, supplements, or programs. Many places online estimate that the wellness industry in 2022 was worth 4.5 trillion dollars! And as consumers, I find it to be extremely overwhelming - it feels like wellness is juuust one more purchase away. While there can definitely be a time and a place for buying things to further improve your wellness, I think the foundation of wellness can often be found in creating consistent, sustainable habits- and many times, these foundational habits are free!
Most often some of my first recommendations to my health coaching clients are an assortment from the list because they are so powerful. We have gotten the message of wellness backwards- if you create a great foundation of these basics, they will do far more for your overall health than if you incorporate all of the “extra’s” without having a solid foundation.
Free Ways to Improve Your Wellness
Get sunshine in the morning
Not only does this help with mood regulation but your circadian rhythm as well (meaning getting sunshine throughout the day helps you to sleep better at night)! This is also something that has made a huge difference in the sleep of my 2 year old daughter! We make it a priority to get outside and play as early as we can- even if its just for 5 or 10 minutes (that’s about all I can handle in the winter before it warms up haha!) and i’ve noticed such huge differences in how quickly she falls asleep and her quality of sleep throughout the night. We also try and complete 1000 hours outside and this makes sure we get sunshine throughout the day
Focus on blood sugar balance
Simple ways to improve your blood sugar include balancing macronutrients when you eat (that means not just eating carbs, but pairing them with healthy fats and proteins for a balanced meal or snack), getting enough sleep, and staying active (read more in depth on blood sugar balance here)
Often a forgotten culprit of this is sugary coffees and drinks! Try and eat a snack or a meal before consuming coffee and that will not only help with blood sugar balance but hormone regulation as well. Adding collagen, whole milk or heavy cream can also help to slow down the blood sugar spike.
Walk
Walking is great for your mental health, blood sugar regulation, and stress management! Plus, it’s a great way do get some fresh air and vitamin D if you are walking outside. The standard recommendation is to aim for 10,000 steps per day because that has been shown to be linked to decreased rates of cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia. Depending on your personal stride 10,000 steps is equal to 4-5 miles.
One way that I have implemented more walking into my daily routine is visiting our local library 1-2x per week. Our library is a little over 1.5 miles from where we live, so round trip is 3 miles! We pick up new books for the week, sometimes attend one of their classes, and my daughter loves seeing the pets that they have there.
Look into what you have nearby locally -maybe the library, a coffee shop, the grocery store- and try to make fun outings of your walks!
Meditate
Research shows that just 5 minutes of meditation can help you to think more clearly, reduce feelings of stress, and support a healthy metabolism. If you have never meditated before, I love free guided meditation apps or videos on youtube. These guided meditations will help your brain to build up the practice of being present.
I have had the Calm App for several years now and loove it. You can take advantage of their 7-day trial to test it out, or you can check out some of the free resources on their website here.
Laugh
Laughing has been shown to decrease stress, improve mental health, lower cortisol, strengthen relationships, and increase oxytocin- all of which are good things! Throw on a comedy or call up a goofy friend and share a laugh.
Declutter
One study that was done that showed women who perceived their homes as cluttered had higher levels of cortisol, and less general satisfaction with their lives than those who felt their home was neat. This was something that was not surprising to me since I have always been very aware of my environment and how it makes me feel.
Some ways we try to combat clutter in our home:
do a toy rotation! basically this means that we have 4 different plastic totes for my daughters toys and only one is out at a time. Each tote has between 6-10 different toys. Not only does she play much more intentionally with fewer toys, but it makes clean up far quicker!
Remove “catch all” places. These are those spaces in your house that tend to gather all your random clothes, papers, or junk. We used to have one of those mail holders on our counter and I realized that it was becoming a catch all for everything- random bills to pay, things to return or follow up on, old receipts… finally, i went through the box, got rid of everything we didn’t need, and threw the rest away. Not having that space to place things mindlessly has forced me to intentionally deal with the mail or bill or paper right then and there.
I try to go through our home at least once a month and gather up things that are broken, not being used, or that we don’t need any longer. Then I bag them up and drop them off at the local thrift store.
Check out the FREE Spring Cleaning Checklist HERE!
Reduce screen time
Multiple studies have shown that increased consumption of social media is correlated with poorer mental health, higher anxiety, greater rates of depression, and poorer performance in academics and work. Some great ways to start reducing your screen time are to set screen time limits on your phone, or set hours that you are not going to use your device, or even days that are social media free.
I have spent several months off of social media completely and was continuously blown away by the benefits I noticed on my mental clarity, feeling like I had so much extra time throughout the day, and just overall better mindset and motivation on my personal goals.
Prioritize sleep health
Sleep is so important, not only for your mental health, but overall physical wellness. When your body is in deep, restorative sleep that is literally when your body is healing itself.
Some strategies to improve your sleep at night include:
setting a bedtime routine
minimizing bright lights in the hours leading up to bedtime
reducing caffeine and alcohol in the afternoon
keep your room dark and cool
Make sure you are eating enough
So often we focus on not eating too much, but arguably we are doing just as much bad if we are not eating enough nutrient-dense foods. In our diet-obsessed culture, most people tend to focus on calories without giving much credit to the actual nutrients they are consuming. Focus on incorporating enough protein, carbohydrates and fats to fuel your body and enough vitamins and minerals to give your body what it needs to function well.
(Learn 6 easy ways to make your food more nutritious!)
Check into your finances
You’ve probably heard that finances are one of the top stressors for people and couples. The first step in combatting this is being aware of your finances. Check into your bank account, credit card statements, and savings and see where things are at and if you are making progress how you want to be. Simply having this awareness is the first step in making meaningful changes and reducing the stress you have tied up with your finances.
Gratitude Journal
It has been shown that those who regularly practice gratitude have improved sleep, better mental and emotional health, overall mood, and stronger immune function. I truly believe that those who are grateful are also more enjoyable to be around- I know personally I would rather be around someone who is encouraging and optimistic rather than complaining and negative all the time. It is emotionally draining.
One way you can implement a gratitude practice is taking 5 minutes in the morning to list out five things you are grateful for. When I started this back in college, Im ashamed to admit it took me awhile to think of five things. But the longer I practiced, the easier it became because I was literally priming my brain to look for and notice what I was grateful for more regularly. Out brains have a natural tendency to notice the bad or the negative- it’s actually a defense mechanism to keep us safe.
So, by changing the way we think and choosing to focus on the positive, we are literally changing the way we think! And if you’ve never heard the Ghandi quote, ill share it with you- your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits.
By changing the way we think and believe, we can change so much of the outcome of our lives.
Be generous
Giving has been shown to lower your stress levels and blood pressure. Oftentimes when people think of generosity and giving, they immediately think it has to be financial. And while that can be a great and powerful way to practice generosity in your life, there are so many other ways to share what you have with others.
Some ways you can practice generosity include:
cooking for others
donating your time to help someone (think of what skills or talents you have that may meet the needs of someone you know)
volunteer with an organization you’re passionate about
Stretch
Regularly stretching has been shown to reduce stress, help prevent injury, increase blood flow, and help your body recover quicker from physical activity. When you stretch, not only does it loosen your muscles, but it helps to release built up lactic acid that is stored within your muscles. If you are new to stretching, try finding a guided video on youtube to give you some guidance and direction!
Foster Creativity
We live in a generation where it is so easy to consume content- netflix, instagram, tiktok.. before you know it you have been watching videos for an hour and have lost all sense of time!
Set aside time for you to be creative. Some of my favorite things to do that inspire my creativity are:
journaling
being outside in nature
sitting outside with a cup of coffee and just enjoying the silence and my own company (without my phone or a podcast playing in the background)
doodling- i have always been a huge doodler. I had a teacher back in high school who said I never had to write my name on a paper again because he knew mine was the one that looked like a comic book 😂 But truly, I seem to always trigger new ideas when I am mindlessly drawing.
Spend time in nature
There is a term in Japanese that translates into “forest bathing”- it’s not hiking or recreating outside, rather its being present in nature. Think of standing in the forest and engaging all your senses- sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste.
It makes me think of the times I have sat on the beach and truly been present and how rejuvenated and relaxed I felt afterwards.
This intentionality in nature has been shown to decrease stress levels, reduce inflammation, improve sleep and so much more!
Read
I have always been a huge fan of reading but often times I think i’m “too busy”. Really I was just filling my time with things that were less important and not being intentional about setting aside the time to get into a book. Not only does reading help to calm your nervous system but you can learn new things or be inspired by a story.
It is a great habit to implement into your bedtime routine to help wind you down for sleep.
And with this being a FREE list, here are my favorite ways to read without purchasing books:
take advantage of your local library! Not only are there books and audiobooks, but our local library has activity sets and outdoor equipment you can rent as well
If you have a local library account, download the free app Libby. It connects to your library account and lets you borrow audiobooks straight to your phone
Free Little Library! I started noticing these pop up around my neighborhood and it is the cutest thing! Basically they are mini libraries in front of people’s homes or business and it’s a “take a book, leave a book” concept. You can check out the website to find out the closest one near you, or how to start your own!
Spend time in community
We are social beings- are are not meant to do life alone. Getting into community is so important for our mental and emotional health! Not to mention having people in your life to help you when needed.
Some fun ways to get involved in community are:
joining a church group or bible study
joining an outdoor hiking or recreation group (i am a part of several different groups on facebook!)
If you are a parent, join a mom or dad’s group locally
Strengthening your current community also doesn’t need to be complicated. Maybe send a text message to someone who’s been on your mind, or write a card, or plan a facetime date, or drop someone off coffee! Remind the people in your life that they are cared about and loved.
Find a hobby
I really think hobbies are dying in our generation. It seems everything we do has to be monetized or for a “purpose” other than purely enjoyment. We, myself included, have fallen into this false idea of “productivity”.
In actuality, taking time to truly enjoy yourself and pursue your passions ends up making you more productive in the long run.
Some hobbies I am currently trying and enjoying are:
learning to bake with a sourdough starter!
editing family videos
cooking from scratch more
Exercise
This past year my husband and I have slowly been building our home gym. We learned that will a toddler, if is getting harder and harder to find time for us to both get to the gym without taking her to the daycare. Maybe your gym has a nice daycare… ours is questionable 😅
But I have learned you do not need a ton of equipment to get a good workout in, or really any to be honest!
Search on youtube for bodyweight workouts and you will literally find thousands. I also really love Nourish Move Love for free workouts! She has everything from strength training videos, to ones that are specifically for prenatal or postpartum seasons!
Exercise is great for your physical health sure, but it is also amazing for stress relief, blood sugar regulation, mental health, and building self confidence!
Goal Setting!
I decided to end the list with something that I think is one of the most fun- dreaming and planning and intentionally writing out your goals! I think it is so fun looking back on the goals I had last year and how they have been accomplished or maybe the goal has changed. It is such a neat way to look back and see what was important to you in each season.
If you are not in the habit of regularly writing out your goals start small by thinking of something you want to accomplish today. Then expand it to what is something you want to accomplish this week, this month, and this year!
When you write down each goal think of the tangible steps you will need to finish in order to accomplish the goal.
For example: In 2022, one of my goals was to launch a health coaching business. In order to accomplish that I needed to start my website, finish my certification program, and gain experience working one on one with clients. Each step I completed brought me one step closer to being here today!
There you have it- 20 free things you can start doing today that will help benefit your holistic wellness. If you loved the ideas, make sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter where I share more health tips, the latest on the blog, and some of my favorite wellness brands to help you on your health journey! I know how annoying it is to always have your email flooded with spammy emails, so I really intentionally only send mine out once a month and I focus on making them as useful and valuable as possible. Promise!
Remember that most of the time, your biggest successes throughout your wellness journey are going to be the things that change your lifestyle and habits- not the quick fixes or supplements, but the habits you partake in day in and day out.
If you find yourself struggling with creating and sticking to habits, reach out! I’d love to chat with you are help you make lasting, sustainable habits for your holistic health and wellness.
-Kaelyn
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