No matter your age, you should follow these self-care tips for active people to ensure you live a healthy and long life. I try to implement all ten tips even while I am traveling.
Keeping active and staying physically fit — these are great goals and things that most people aspire to. So, through working out and getting your body moving, you’re sure to build muscle and resilience and there are undoubtedly mental health benefits to exercise.
10 Self-Care Tips
You may find your body and mind can feel a little burnt out, so, it’s important to prioritize self-care. By taking the time to rest and recuperate, you’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll do in your fitness journey. Here are 10 self-care tips for active people.
1. Make time for sleep
Whatever physical activity you go in for, what you want to avoid is burnout. By taking time for recovery, you can actually push yourself further in the long run and do even better in your fitness journey.
Take the time each night to wind down, so you give yourself the best chance for a good night’s sleep and give your body the best chance at recovery. You’ll help boost your immune system and keep yourself feeling well. Try using a sleep tracker to see how much sleep you’re getting each night.
2. Nourish yourself
Life isn’t all about celery sticks and green juices. While eating well is important, that’s different to truly nourish yourself with good food. Make sure your diet is filled with an abundance of fruits and veggies, as well as carbohydrates and protein.
This will mean your body is fuelled with the right types of food to achieve your goals but is also a chance each day to love yourself and do things that are good for you. Take the time to consider how food makes you feel, and what makes you feel fulfilled and happy – this can help you on your path to understanding and getting in tune with mindful eating.
3. Get a massage
Treating yourself to a massage may feel like the ultimate indulgence, but it can make a world of difference. Depending on your needs, you can choose different massages.
For some, a deep-tissue sports massage will help tightness and niggles that can build after training, and for others, a relaxing massage can help calm a frazzled mind. If you find it makes a difference, try budgeting this into your monthly plan, so you can have something to look forward to regularly.
4. Create ‘me time’
Do you love getting your nails done each week, quietly reading a book, or cooking up a storm in the kitchen, but feel guilty about doing it?
Whatever it is that you enjoy doing by yourself, try and remove any guilt that it might not be ‘productive’ enough and take the time to just do you! Quiet time by yourself fills up your cup much more than you might think and will make you a better person the rest of the time.
5. Pamper yourself as one of the self-care tips
For some, the sports and activities they do day-to-day can wreak havoc on their hair, nails, or skin. So, taking some time out to gently care for your body, can actually have a big, positive impact on your mental health.
That doesn’t mean you need to get a mani-pedi twice a month, but instead, it could mean researching hair care tips for swimmers and making some changes to help your hair, or taking 10 minutes a day to undergo a calming skincare routine. Whatever works for you, and makes you feel pampered, is the right course of action.
6. Take a social media break
Whether you’re an avid gym-goer, a frequent traveler or you’re busy with work and never find the time to sit down – chances are, you still find time to scroll on social media. But studies have shown that frequently using mental health can cause a mental strain, and can even cause some people genuine anxiety or depression.
Wherever you are on this scale, think about taking a break from social media once in a while, be that for a weekend or a few hours. It can make a huge difference. By focusing inwardly on yourself, you can really care for yourself and your needs, not what other people are doing online.
7. Get outside
Take some time to see nature in all its glory – smell the roses, feel the grass under your feet, listen to the sounds of the trees around you. Soak in all the goodness that nature has to offer and see how this makes you feel. Go for a run and take in the sites and sounds.
Sometimes stepping outside and taking a deep, calming breath can be one of the kindest acts of self-care that you can do for yourself.
8. Meditate
There’s a reason why meditation has been around for thousands of years. It’s so beneficial in helping you center yourself and calming day-to-day anxieties. Daily meditation is a brilliant act of self-care that can make a huge impact on your life in general.
There are many different types of meditation out there to choose from, so you can discover the one that works for you. If you’re new to meditation, you could try out an app like Calm or Headspace, as they’re accessible and easy to follow.
9. Play Games as one of the Self Care tips
Play for adults is underrated. It’s a great stress reliever and an active way for some people to relax. Consider incorporating daily play into your life – maybe you like board games or chess, or just larking about in the pool? Let your hair down and basically, get silly and enjoy yourself!
10. Get grateful
Take a moment out of your day to write what you’re grateful for – this can imbue a greater sense of calm and happiness than you ever expected. You could even keep a gratitude journal on you throughout the day, so you can jot down things you’re grateful for, or look back on things that you’ve been grateful for in the past.
This act of gratitude can help ground you in what’s good about your life and help you stop and enjoy yourself. It reframes your mindset and makes you understand what makes you happy, and even what doesn’t!
Hopefully, this list of tips and tricks has helped give you some inspiration for self-care for active people.
*This is a contributed post, all images owned by jetsetandforget, unsplash.com, pexels.com and pixabay.com