When you’re a kid, all you do is dream about finally being an adult. When you finally grow up, you realize that going to bed late and eating junk food for breakfast isn’t all that fun. As well as that, you don’t even do it because it’s fun. You do it because you have too much on your plate and because you’re too stressed and tired to cook. It seems that we all share this busy lifestyle and that we’re putting our needs last. Is there a way to actually live a balanced life where you get a full night’s sleep and where you actually get to eat healthy?

1. Get some rest

Resting your mind and body should be the first thing on your to-do list. You might feel like there’s too much to do and that you don’t need the rest, but remember that you’re not a robot. Your body, just like your mind, can only take so much. This means that, whenever you feel tired from working, you should make time to rest. Whether you do it by taking a walk by yourself or by taking a nap, it’s all up to you.

In fact, both of these methods of resting are very important. When we mention resting up, we usually think of physical rest and sleep. Even though this is an extremely important part of resting, we can’t forget about mental exhaustion. You could be perfectly well physically rested, but you still won’t be able to get anything done if you don’t give your mind a break.

This is why you should find time to do things that interest you and to just shut your brain off. One of the best ideas for living a balanced lifestyle is to find a day of the week when you can completely chill. Depending on your work schedule, this could be a workday or a day of the weekend.

No matter how busy you may be, you can always set aside one day of the week for yourself. This day will keep you moving further and motivate you to keep working hard, as your body and your mind will get to recharge properly. Let’s not forget that you also avoid burning out this way.

2. Start your day with a workout

Exercise should definitely be a part of your balanced lifestyle, no matter how busy you are. Regardless of how big you are on working out, you have to realize that exercise has a lot of benefits for a busy person, especially if they’re dealing with a lot of stress. One of the best ways to implement exercise into your routine is to do it as soon as you wake up.

Not only will you have an easier time actually waking up, but you’ll also give yourself the energy boost you need. Whether it’s a morning run or just a light workout at home, you’ll feel much better about the day you’re about to have. The thing is, exercise helps your body fight stress and prompts the production of happy hormones. This means that it keeps you energized and happier. Now, isn’t a busy and stressful day much easier to handle when you start your day in a good mood, full of confidence?

If you really aren’t a morning person and feel that working out would just be another burden as soon as you wake up, you can simply end your day with a workout instead of starting it. This is also good because you’ll have the chance to get rid of all the negative energy that you accumulated over the day. The frustrations and stress can be out in just the span of a half an hour- or hour-long training session. Depending on your stress levels and athletic ability, you can make these sessions as intense as you want.

Whether you’re working out in the morning or evening, you’ll notice that your sleep has improved and that you suddenly have more motivation to keep nailing your routine. Remember to be patient with yourself though, as sticking to a new routine will take some time and practice.

3. Stay hydrated!

Without proper hydration, you won’t really be able to handle your workload. When we’re busy, it gets really hard to remember we’re actually supposed to drink water. You may not even feel thirsty, but your body most probably is. Not only will proper hydration help your inner organs work optimally, but it will also help you focus.

During long and hard days, we sweat a lot, no matter how hot or cold it may be outside. This means that you should always have a water bottle handy and that you should drink as much water as you can. As well as improving your bodily function, water can also clear your skin and make you glow. Let’s not forget you’ll feel less drowsy and more energized, too.

If you’ve recently taken up exercising, you should work even harder on drinking enough water during the day. There are a lot of helpful apps that track your water intake and remind you to drink enough water. They’re very good options for those who just can’t seem to remember themselves.

4. Spa, spa, spa

One way to indulge yourself and make sure your happiness and well-being don’t come last is to give yourself spa treatments. You don’t have to go to professional spas and spend a lot of money to get the treatments you need to feel physically and mentally better. Taking care of your body starts at home.

One of the best spa treatments you can do yourself is to take a towel and soak it in hot water. Then simply take the towel and start dabbing your body from your feet up to your neck. You’re going to feel more refreshed than you have in ages. As well as that, this soothing spa treatment can give you more energy and get rid of the dead skin cells on your body. If you do this regularly, you’ll be much more relaxed and you’ll have skin that glows.

5. Eat smarter

Instead of pushing yourself to cook and feeling guilty about not eating a homemade meal again, figure out a way you can get healthy food without cooking it. Eating at expensive restaurants that cook healthy food is often expensive, but don’t worry, there are other options. For one thing, you can always use your Sundays to meal prep for the upcoming week. This way, you’ll have the meals ready for each day and you won’t spend as much on groceries during the week. Of course, this could mean that you’d have to give up your rest days for meal prep.

If you really don’t feel like doing this, you could opt for another alternative. One of the most convenient solutions to eating healthy is to have the best healthy meals delivered directly to your address. The modern (wo)man simply has no time or energy to cook anymore. Why would they have to when there’s someone to do it for them?

With this method, you’re not even limited to just eating at home. As the meals will be delivered to your home, you can just take them with you anywhere you’re going. In other words, you no longer have to spend your lunch break at work at the nearby fast food joint.

6. Treat yourself

Finally, be kind to yourself and reward yourself for all of the hard work you’ve been doing. Living a balanced life without the stress isn’t possible if you keep putting pressure on yourself to be perfect. You don’t have to do everything amazingly all the time. Instead, let yourself breathe and realize it’s okay if you didn’t manage to completely balance your day once in a while. Sometimes you might treat yourself to lunch at your favourite fast food place, or you might skip a workout, or you might stay up late. All of these things are fine as long as they’re done in moderation.

You could also simply give yourself permission to be lazy. The world isn’t going to end if you’re not productive for a day or two. Instead of feeling guilty about it, realize that this is the rest we talked about earlier.

Another way you can treat yourself is to splurge on something you’ve wanted for a while. The present you buy for yourself will be even more special now that you feel that you deserve it for all of your hard work. Rewarding yourself with something you’ve been wanting for a while can only motivate you to keep working further.

Conclusion

As you can see, living a balanced life is entirely possible. Now, this doesn’t mean that it’s going to be easy. Switching to a more balanced lifestyle takes a lot of time and hard work, but we’re confident you can do it. Remember that living this kind of lifestyle means making the same healthy decisions every day, not just once.

Author's Bio: 

Mia Johnson is a writer with a ten-year-long career in journalism. She has written extensively about health, fitness, and lifestyle. A native to Melbourne, she now lives in Sydney with her 3 dogs where she spends her days writing and taking care of her 900 square feet garden.