Most of us hear the term wellness and assume that it’s something beyond our reach. Or perhaps we think that wellness is only for advanced yogis, holistic doctors, or wellness practitioners, but not us — not everyday people just working the daily grind and living busy lives. But this is where we make the mistake. Wellness is nothing more than small daily choices that lead up to lifelong, very big changes — that’s it. Anyone can achieve wellness, whether that means you’re a stay-at-home mom or a full-time working adult, maybe even juggling two jobs just to get by. You don’t have to have a lot of money, time, or even kitchen skills because all of us have access to wellness if we choose to.

To help you achieve wellness, here is a checklist you can go by that if followed, will have you well on your way to a healthier and happier you in just a month. These tips are simple, doable for everyone, affordable, and absolutely life-altering when all combined. Here’s how to choose wellness one day at a time:

Eat berries with breakfast

Berries are an incredible food, rich in nutrients for our brain, our digestion, and they’re disease-preventative. They’re also a fresh source of produce and keep us fuller than processed cereals with dried fruits. Add 1/2 cup of your choice frozen or fresh berries to either a smoothie, oatmeal, or just have some with some unsweetened coconut yogurt and a little chia or flax seeds. Berries are also a great source of Vitamin C to kick-start your immune system.

Eat one green food per day

Eating one green vegetable per day or one leafy green is a great way to get yourself healthier in the kitchen without much thought. It can be a cup of broccoli at dinner or spinach snuck into a smoothie.

Drink a glass of water when you wake up

A new health practice that many observe, drinking water is essential to hydrating your body first thing in the day after a night long fast. It helps wake you up and is an excellent way to flush out your body first thing to keep you regular, a key part of staying healthy.

Cook your own meals

Cooking at home does two things: It puts you in touch with the food that you’re using to keep you well and it keeps you away from restaurant options that someone else prepared for you, probably using ingredients that aren’t the best for you (excess oil, salt, sugar, etc.).

Use herbs instead of all the salt

Instead of shaking salt on all your food, try using herbs to flavour them instead. For breakfast, use cinnamon, cardamom and ginger for a sweet and spicy flavour. For lunch, use Italian seasonings, sage, black pepper, and/or cayenne and turmeric. For dinner, try some garam masala, pepper, oregano, basil, and thyme. Mix these up however you like, but use them more often; they’re some of the best ingredients that provide antioxidants, mood-boosting benefits, and even anti-cancer benefits. They also reduce blood pressure levels, unlike excess salt that can lead to hypertension (chronically high blood pressure).

Aim to get in a 20-30 minute walk or jog

This might sound difficult but is easier than we all think. Getting up just 30 minutes earlier in the morning will give you plenty of time to get in a good walk (or jog). If you like to run, even better, but walking is great too. Moving first thing in the day boosts your serotonin levels, provides energy to the body, and also helps you focus better throughout the day. It is also an easy way to improve your metabolism to help manage your weight.

Don’t over sit your welcome

Sitting is not as evil as its being made out to be now, but it is tremendously important that we don’t "over sit” our welcome. We need to stand more throughout the day, even if that’s while chatting with friends, talking on the phone, or just getting up in between nightly relaxing activities before bed.

Practice active errands and commutes

When commuting to work throughout the day, running errands or the like, it’s important to be active during those activities when you can. For instance, if you can take the stairs more often, do it. If you can walk to work, do it. If you can park further away at the store, do it. You get the idea.

Do something you love every single day

This can be as small as something such as cooking your favourite breakfast, writing in a journal a few minutes a day, participating in a local event, participating in a favourite hobby, or anything else that you just truly love. Doing something small for yourself every day is a great way to enhance serotonin levels in the body to raise those feel good hormones on a regular basis.

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