24 Healthy Lifestyle Tips!

Oatmeal +

Not only is oatmeal an energizing, nutritious, and delicious breakfast; it's an easy way to introduce healthy additions to your daily food habits! Try different topping combinations to give your mornings some tasty and health-boosting variety. A few of my favorites include blue berries, raspberries, blackberries, chia and flax seeds, dried coconut, almond slivers, almond butter, and a pinch of brown sugar.  I also love strawberry, banana, and cinnamon!  What are your favorite oatmeal combinations? Comment below to share!

Check out some of my flavor combinations for more inspiration: 

Nature's Path Organic Instant Hot Oatmeal, Original, 14 Ounce (Pack of 6)

$20.10

At the center of wellness, we find yoga

Yoga. What do you need to begin the ancient discipline of meditation and movement?

Only your body and an open mind. 

By way of introduction, we often define wellness as a healthy mind, body and spirit, and yoga exercises and strengthens them all together. With simple guidance, beginners can experience the wealth of health benefits the practice provides, from increased flexibility and lower blood pressure to relief from chronic back pain. 

In this section of Self Haven we’ll explore physical exercise focusing on yoga. You’ll find instruction for all skill levels, whether you’re just starting or are a lifelong practitioner.

You may feel intimidated at first by all the different forms of yoga — there are more than 100! — and not know where to start. Fortunately, you don’t even have to be flexible to begin, and just like other types of exercise, you can start at your own knowledge and skill level and learn as you go.

Beginners won’t have to wait long to be encouraged. A study cited by greatist.com found that just one yoga class “had the ability to significantly reduce tension, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility and fatigue.” After 12 weeks, lower back pain was lessened. 

One of the first poses that yoga students learn is called the mountain pose, illustrated in the photograph above, and you can try it now by just standing up. Pace yourself as you follow these simple instructions from dailyburn.com:

“Stand with your feet together and arms at your side. Ground your feet, making sure all four corners are pressed down. Next, straighten your legs, then tuck your tailbone in as you engage your thigh muscles. As you inhale, elongate through your torso and extend your arms up, then out. Exhale and release your shoulder blades away from your head, toward the back of your waist as you release arms back to your sides.”

There is so much more you can do, and we invite you to explore this amazing resource for self care.

Food for the whole self: An introduction to our resources on nutrition

"Food is our common ground, a shared experience." Ted Eytan/Flickr

Nothing brings us back to earth like a simple, satisfying meal shared in the company of people we care about.

James Beard, the celebrated chef and author, put it eloquently: “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” He meant that when we break bread together, we feed more than our bodies: We reset and recharge what makes us whole.

In the Physical Wellbeing section of Self Haven you'll also find articles on everything culinary, nutritious and communal about food. We call it “Nourish.” In the spirit of presenting food as a basic part of holistic wellness, you’ll find informative videos, articles about making good food decisions and different ways to have fun in the kitchen.

It sounds obvious, but oftentimes life divides our attention away from watching what we eat, and eating is an essential part of self care. It’s easy to forget that eating to little, too much or eating poorly can have long-lasting effects on our mood, our energy or productivity, and even our relationships.

Food is essential to physical, social and spiritual health. And here’s the good news: Anyone can begin with his or her next meal. Good, colorful food from the earth is a great place to start.

Eating healthily — and eating together — is restorative to our well-being. In fact, mental health counselors recently told The Wall Street Journal that cooking is proven to relieve anxiety and depression. They found it helps to “soothe stress, build self-esteem and curb negative thinking by focusing the mind on following a recipe.”

The website Eater noted that psychologists call that “behavioral activation,” meaning by “increasing goal-oriented behavior and curbing procrastination,” we feel accomplished. The rewards for healthy eating are high, and we hope you enjoy the resources we’ve collected.

The Journal article began this way: “Many cooks know what a sanctuary the kitchen can be.”

When a plan comes together, life is good. Especially if the result is delicious.