6 ways to improve your health without breaking your piggy bank!

Taking care of yourself and improving your health is the basis of well-being. I would even say that it is the most important part of a personal and professional transformation. It is by taking your health to heart that you will learn to love yourself, to know yourself and ultimately, to release positive energy. 

Improving your health can seem like a costly investment, especially if you're in business. Believe me, I'm used to living on a budget. But low budgets don't mean you have to pause your journey to healthy living: especially not improving your health.

Without further ado, I share with you my 6 secrets to improve your health without breaking your little piggy!

1. Regular sleep schedule

It looks so silly, but it makes all the difference! Getting quality sleep is probably the fastest way to improve your health. The return on investment is immense!

And now, don't tell me: it's expensive to get a good night's sleep because I'm not working. Stop. It costs you much more not to sleep since it causes a lot of careless errors, a lack of concentration, a loss of motivation. I tell you about it in the article: 7 tips for good time management when working from home. Not to mention all the detrimental effects lack of sleep has on your physical and mental health.

Not to list them all, here are some health benefits of a regular sleep schedule: 

• Improves your immune system and cardiovascular health
• Prevents weight gain
• Boost your concentration and memory
• Improves your mood
• Prevents aging of your skin

I am and I always will be, a pro entrepreneur 8 hours of sleep/night (and even more) Bye bye mentality: " I make money while you sleep " !

2. Take time for yourself

Another "no-brainer". But a reminder never hurts, especially if you're like me: always busy with 500 projects at the same time. It’s good to be busy and achieve our goals. Whatever "milestones" you reach, if your mental health is affected, it won't mean anything.

Even more, if we are not well in our head, how can we improve and develop in the other aspects of our life? Even before your physical health, your mental health should be the priority. It is for this reason that I advise you to give yourself personal time. Little moments with yourself where you can rest.

I suggest that you take time each week (if you can each day) to do things that you enjoy. Here are some free ideas.

• Connect with nature/outdoor activity
• Draw
• Cook
• Meditate
• To exercise
• Listen Netflix

It goes without saying that all these activities will never replace medical help. If you feel the need to consult, it is important to take the necessary steps to take charge of your mental health. This is a priority!

3. Work on your relationship with food

A big step in the process of improving health is changing our relationship with food. Personally, I am a "foodie" at heart and I do not agree with diet culture. I do not see the point of restrictive diets, except that we regain all our weight in the months that follow and that they undermine our perception of food.

It's a daily job, even for me. But learning to eat healthy, to listen to the needs of your body and its signals of satiety without restricting yourself and calculating everything you ingest is a long-term investment in your health. 

Especially as women, we tend to see our relationship with food as an everyday battle. For what ? Life is too short. There is nothing more demotivating than the yo-yo diet cycle… which is why for the past few months, I have been learning (and practicing) intuitive eating. Which consists (roughly) of getting to know your body and its needs better, not restricting yourself while eating healthy. 

It's a concept that appeals to me a lot since I don't want to live a life in constant battle with myself. Living a healthy life, without constraints is the key!

4. Monitor your fluid intake

We can't talk about healthy eating without discussing our drinks. A free way to improve your health is to simply watch your fluid intake, especially the kind of liquid you ingest.

We all know that very sugary drinks such as soft drinks and alcohol are harmful to health if consumed in excessive amounts. I therefore challenge you to reduce your consumption of these drinks for at least a month. No need to cut everything cold. But you will notice a huge difference in your health just by cutting half of your usual intake.

We also know that high caffeine consumption is bad for the metabolism. If you're the type to have multiple coffees a day, try replacing a few with tea or herbal teas. 

Another obvious thing: drink more water! We can no longer count the benefits that water consumption brings to our health. However, it is so difficult to consume enough water! Gradually increase your water intake and quickly you will consume enough!

P.S. In order to know how much water you need to drink each day, you need to divide your weight in half and drink that amount of water in ounces.

Again, I'm not asking you to go crazy. You can afford a soft drink here and there, an extra cocktail or a little afternoon coffee. Rather, I am talking about using good judgment and watching out for excesses. This is simply a change of habit. It's a free thing, which will bring you huge health benefits!

5. Avoid negative news

Nowadays (and especially since confinement), we are constantly bombarded with more negative news than the other. When we're faced with so much bad news, it's normal to feel a bit depressed. This is why I advise you to take breaks from the media when you feel the need. It costs nothing and your morale will thank you. Television and social media are fine. But you will see that reconnecting with real life will energize you and relax you. 

As long as taking breaks from social media, why not clean up your subscribers/subscriptions at the same time? Some people in our network may share content that is negative and inconsistent with our values. Delete them! The fun thing about social media is that we have the power to choose what we want to see. Remove unpleasant content from your view and subscribe to pages that will do you good! 

6. Have a passion/goals

Nothing better than having something that inspires you and that you genuinely love doing. Whether it's a hobby or your job, knowing that something good is waiting for us in a moment is a great motivator to happiness.

If you feel like there's nothing waiting for you in your life, make a change! This will be a huge step in improving your health. Create goals that are achievable in your eyes. It could be to keep your new plant alive, to complete professional training or even to start a business ! Nothing is too small or too big. If it motivates you and makes you happy, that's the important thing!

Improve your health at low cost

Finally, it doesn't cost too much to take care of your health, does it? No need for an exorbitant gym membership or spending $2,000 on a meditation retreat. Take care of the basic elements of your health and you will reap the many benefits!