Self-care through mini-routines - for a healthy body

Eagerly awaited by some, far too early for others: the first stores are already full of colorful spring outfits. So winter will soon be saying goodbye again. The perfect time to ask yourself: How do I actually want to look in summer? If you're already thinking about your rocky road to a crisp beach figure with a headache, we have a few power boosts for you to push your health. They work almost incidentally and - if followed regularly - will really show their effect by the summer. Sound too good to be true? See for yourself.

Anna Moscagiuri

14.03.2024

in #Active

Lesedauer: 5 minutes

Eine Person hält ein Smartphone auf einem Tisch mit Notizbuch und Kaffeetasse.

The legend of the changeable all-inclusive body

It used to be paintings, later movie stars. In the 90s it was skinny models, nowadays it's fit fitness influencers who tell us what they look like around the clock: You should look like us! And we are easily impressed by these images and want a body that meets these exact standards. The unsolvable problem is that beauty ideals are constantly changing. The pressure caused by trends is immense and cannot be overcome without massive effort.

This is why it is time to focus on the only thing that really counts: Real health and lived acceptance for your own body. And this is where you can support yourself wonderfully.

Eine Person macht einen Kopfstand auf Matte im Wohnzimmer neben Sofa.

Aesthetic through health

The basis is to focus on what is really good for your body instead of focusing on what "looks good". A super-flat stomach and flawlessly toned thighs are certainly great, but what price do you personally have to pay if you're not quite made for that shape? Extreme diets and hour-long gym sessions day after day dictate a daily routine that not everyone can afford or wants - and even then, the body ideal is not guaranteed. What's more, even if you don't look like the classic fitness model, that doesn't make you unattractive or unhealthy.

The truth is: If you live a healthy life, you are automatically perfect! An upright posture, an authentic body contour, clear skin and a life-affirming radiance stand for health and honor your unique and beautiful individuality. We humans are made for diversity and we shouldn't deny that.

What can you do now to incorporate health into your everyday life? Targeted sports units that don't overtax you are of course ideal for your powerful organism. If it weren't for ...

... the race against the clock!

Nowadays, there is hardly anything more scarce than time. For many, the first thing to fall by the wayside when time is short is sport. Some of us are happy if we can at least get most of our daily to-dos done. The good news is that healthy routines also work on a small scale when they become a natural regularity. Our mini-techniques require almost no extra effort - but make a huge difference to your health in the long term.

Eine Frau meditiert auf einer Yogamatte im sonnigen Garten, umgeben von Bäumen.

Finding the biological levers of your own body

There are many health-promoting measures that have no impact on your daily routine - e.g. eating nutritiously, making sure you get good quality sleep or going through the day with a positive mindset. Speaking of walking:

Even with everyday exercise, you're treating yourself to a lot of fitness that doesn't require any extra hours in the gym:

Leave the elevator behind and dash up the stairs yourself. How long will it take you to be faster than the leisurely elevator? Practice it regularly and be surprised.
Set yourself small challenges for unproductive waiting times. Are you standing in line and nothing is moving forward? Make a mental bet with the checkout staff that you will definitely manage 50 calf raises before it's finally your turn.
Do you spend a lot of time in the car or bus? Think about whether you could walk or cycle some of the distances. If you don't have the opportunity to do this, use the journey time for invisible tensing and stretching exercises in your stomach, buttocks or thighs.

No matter which way you challenge your fitness: Ultimately, every extra gram of muscle mass ensures that your overall energy level increases - even at rest.

Apart from that, the body itself also has some health-promoting mechanisms in its quiver that you can activate simply and specifically:

Get your digestion and fat metabolism going naturally by drinking at least 1.5 liters of water or other unsweetened drinks. Green tea and lemon water in particular help your body to get going in the morning.
Pay attention to the protein content of your diet. For a healthy performance level, it should be around 30%. Nuts, pulses and lean meat are real superheroes here.
Give your stomach enough rest to empty completely once a day. This helps to burn off excess energy and sets some other healthy body processes in motion. Meaning: Plan your meals with enough time between them, at least four hours is recommended. If you want to delve deeper into the subject: Fasting - the science of not eating .
You should also allow your brain to shut down regularly. You can do this with meditation or autogenic training, for example. This reduces your stress hormones, strengthens your immune system and ensures that your body recovers better during the night. You will automatically look healthier and feel more efficient.

Eine Frau lächelt in einen großen, altmodischen Spiegel in einem hellen Raum.

Physical happiness is also a matter of the mind

In line with this, you can have a much more intensive effect on your body by actively controlling how and what you think (and what you don't think):

Try to notice the positive circumstances in everyday life. Be grateful for the good things that surround you and don't be sparing with praise and recognition for other people.
Consciously believe in the body's ability to regenerate and actively feel into all the processes of your biological miracle. Isn't it overwhelming how much it manages for you and how you can rely on it - even though it doesn't have it easy sometimes?
We don't want to overdo it, but we would like to seriously recommend this one idea to you, because its effects can be outstanding. Especially if you have a tendency to always be at odds with your body. Find a short, memorable phrase that you can use to literally program your subconscious mind - for peace between you and your body. For example, it could be: "I trust you to show me what you need", "I listen to your needs and respond to them" or "I appreciate your uniqueness". Repeat it in quiet moments and notice how your relationship with your body improves over time.

Physical happiness is not an inhuman balancing act. It lies in firmly loving our body and listening to what it needs. Forcing it into an ideal that may not suit it at all makes us neither healthy nor happy. So let's focus on our health and nurture it with daily rituals that give us lasting physical and mental strength. Because in the end, the healthiest body is the one in which we feel comfortable and happy.