7 Simple Wellness Practices to Start Right Now
Photography by Tamara Cikic Gorski. Courtesy of Restore + Revive.
A seasonal transition is the perfect time for a wellness reset. After all, we’re primed for change, our routines are shifting, and the view out our windows is transforming daily. With healthy resolutions in mind, we reached out to four wellness experts across the country for recommendations on how to reset, develop healthy habits, and identify simple changes that can have a big impact. Here, they share practical and easily achievable advice for feeling stronger, more centered, and supported well into winter and beyond.
Create small daily habits. According to Dabney Poorter and Taylor Dukes, co-founders of Restore + Revive Wellness Center in Fort Worth, Texas, “Too many people get overwhelmed with making healthy choices and don’t know where to start, and then they put it off.” Therefore, they recommend clients aim for progress, not perfection. A few of their favorite measurable daily goals include getting eight hours of sleep a night, saying three positive things before you open your eyes in the morning, drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day, and spending one hour a day disconnected from all technology. These small daily habits can add up and have a profound impact on your health and wellness.
Get back to the basics. In this media-saturated era, it’s easy for people to believe that wellness lies in jumping on the bandwagon and adopting the “it” exercise class, embracing the superfood of the moment, or slathering your skin in expensive face oil, observe Ashley Brooke James and Elizabeth Moore, co-founders and co-CEOs of Triluna Wellness in Nashville, Tennessee. “What we really need is sunlight, time with loved ones, nature, nourishing foods, water, a good laugh, and sleep,” they say. “Real wellness doesn’t require a serum or detox, it just needs intentional direction and some self-compassion. Build your practice around the things that bring you joy and make your wellness work for you.”
Become selfish about your self-care. When we take care of ourselves first, every other aspect of our lives benefits. “We show up better, respond better, and can be more present when we consistently focus on our own inner peace,” Currie Gossett, owner of C.O.R.E. Grown Strong, a movement and meditation studio in Greenville, South Carolina, explains. So whatever “self-care” means to you, do it—go to the spa, take an exercise class, take a nap, have lunch or coffee with a friend, or indulge in a hobby. “Just devote a consistent time to yourself, uninterrupted, and don’t cancel,” she says. “You’re worth being the priority.”
Make focused breathing a practice. Our breath is a built-in stress reliever, and you can practice mindful breathing anywhere, at any time. “By focusing on our breathing, we can physically calm our bodies and our minds,” Gossett says. “We feed our inner warrior with confidence, optimism, resilience, and energy with every single intentional breath.” She recommends trying this pattern: Inhale through the nose for a count of four, then exhale through the nose for the count of four. Try for 10 sets upon waking, and right before you go to bed.
Consume leafy greens every single day. In keeping with getting back to basics, Emma Ryan, founder and owner of Emma Ryan Vitality Coaching and Plant in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, recommends making eating green foods daily a goal. “Whether you choose a big leafy green salad for lunch, a side salad at dinner, or simply a handful of fresh greens in your morning smoothie, it’s crucial to consume leafy greens on a daily basis,” she says. “These vibrant plants will give you powerful phytonutrients that support you in living your best life.”
Move your body daily. Staying physically active throughout life, especially as we age, is the key to overall wellness. Ryan explains that this can be as simple as walking your dog around the block a few times or as extreme as training for a marathon. Whether you like high intensity workouts or yoga stretches, she encourages you to do something every day for a few minutes. But most importantly, she says, is to choose a movement that makes your soul happy in the moment. This will ultimately result in craving physical activity on a daily basis.
Stop trying to make habits stick. Many people struggle with maintaining a new wellness practice, and to that end, the ladies at Triluna Wellness recommend choosing things that you genuinely love doing and building them into your routine. “So much of our daily wellness practices are about discipline and guilt, and it doesn’t work,” James says. “That’s one of the reasons why diets have an over 90% failure rate. They aren’t realistic. They don’t make sense in the everyday rhythms of your life. If you hate high intensity workouts, then you won’t keep doing them.” Instead, she recommends choosing something that you truly love—and to keep hunting until you find it.
TSG Tip 401 from Dabney Poorter and Taylor Dukes share, co-founders of Restore + Revive Wellness Center in Fort Worth, Texas; Currie Gossett explains, owner of C.O.R.E.Grown Strong, a movement and meditation studio in Greenville, South Carolina; Ashley Brooke James and Elizabeth Moore, co-founders and co-CEOs of Triluna Wellness in Nashville, Tennessee; and Emma Ryan Vitality Coaching and Plant, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Restore + Revive Wellness Center appears in The Scout Guide Fort Worth. C.O.R.E.Grown Strong appears in The Scout Guide Greenville. Triluna Wellness appears in The Scout Guide Nashville & Franklin. Emma Ryan Vitality Coaching and Plant appear in The Scout Guide Oklahoma City.
