8 Ways to Improve Your Life for FREE (That Actually Work) | Healthy Habits That Cost $0

Hi everyone, how's it going? Welcome back to my channel and to another video. Today I want to talk about some ways that we can improve our life and our health without spending a penny and some of the things that I have done over the years that have helped to support my health and make my life better overall for free, for absolutely free. Despite us being tempted sometimes to buy so many things to better ourselves, many of which can absolutely be very useful and very beneficial. Some of my most favorite ways to support my wellbeing don't cost a thing. Number one is hands down tracking my menstrual cycle. I was in my early twenties when I very first began tracking my cycle and every single month I keep track of when my period starts and it is such an ingrained habit for me that has really helped me to better understand my body and the way that I'm feeling and the changes in my mood and my energy levels, all kinds of things. I'm even able to predict a little bit, to some degree, how I'm going to feel in the upcoming days or in the next couple of weeks just by looking at where I'm at in my cycle. The different phases of our cycle, the follicular phase, ovulation, luteal phases, all come with different bodily signs and changes in how we feel. For example, in the follicular phase, our energy tends to improve, our mood tends to be pretty, you know, pretty good. Around ovulation is when I tend to get so much more energy, I feel like more creatively energized, I have lots of ideas, I'm also a feral animal as well. And then once I enter my luteal phase, my energy, without fail, just it really dips, it dips, I feel so much more tired, I start to be more prone to being irritable and all the things that can sometimes come along with PMS. I use the free version of the app Clue, but there's so many different kinds of apps out there that you can check out, that you can use. Food costs money, obviously, but what doesn't have to cost money is how we eat our food. One thing that has helped me a lot over the years is practicing some mindful eating, and I don't always get it right, especially with having like a toddler at the table, mealtimes can be kind of chaotic. But when I do, when I do practice more of that mindfulness around mealtimes and the food in front of me, and when I'm eating, I enjoy my food a lot more, and I'm just better able to tune into my needs when it comes to food. I know that when I'm like rushing through a meal, or when I'm, you know, preoccupied with something and I'm not paying attention to my hunger, and then I end up like missing a meal, and then I'm like super hungry later, or I'm just distracted, I don't feel as good physically or mentally, obviously, because we miss out on like these various cues. Eating slower, paying attention to things like hunger and fullness levels, limiting distractions when we are eating can all make such a big difference. I really notice a difference in the mornings when I don't grab my phone right away. I'm not perfect at it, but even if I delay checking it by 30 minutes maybe, ideally longer if you can, it just helps me to feel so much calmer in the morning, a lot less frazzled when I'm not starting my day immediately by scrolling social media, seeing what's in the news, all the things. Using our phone immediately upon waking kind of primes our brain for that cheap dopamine, which can lead to more of that reward-seeking behavior throughout the day, and can kind of just squash our focus and stuff like that. I'm actually looking into getting a bedside alarm clock, like just an alarm clock, because I do use my phone as like a clock, and I want to stop doing that. I think that that would be really, really good. So let me know if you guys have an alarm clock that you really like. I know there's like lots out there. My husband and I love going for evening walks after dinner. We've done it for so many years, although since having our daughter, we can't get out there quite as often in the evening, just because of bedtime routines and that kind of thing. But still, even short walks when we're able to always makes me feel so good. And there are real benefits to it too, when it comes to specifically walking after a meal, like after lunch, after dinner. It can help to boost digestion, because physical movement helps to stimulate activity in the stomach and in the intestine, so it can be really good if you're bloated or if there's any constipation, that kind of thing. But it's also great for helping to stabilize blood sugar after we eat too, so getting a little bit of exercise after a mealtime doesn't cost anything, but super worthwhile. So, Sean and I got some dumbbells a few months ago, and we have created a routine where about three days a week, we do some strength training together. But what makes this so much more doable and also fun is having an accountability partner. So in my case, I'm doing it with my husband, but having that element of accountability when it comes to something like fitness, oh my gosh, it makes such a big difference. If one of us feels a bit less motivated, there's the other one there to kind of pick that up a bit and to like encourage the other. It also just gives you that like extra thing to show up for, because you're doing it with someone. So whether it's a friend or your partner or like an online buddy system, maybe like a WhatsApp chat with friends or something like that, having that accountability, oh my gosh, it is such a game changer. Most mornings, I love to open up my back door and step outside for a moment, or even just poke my head out for a moment and get some of that morning light or that sunlight. Helps me feel kind of grounded first thing, and I also just love getting some fresh air as well. Something that's actually nice now that my daughter's in preschool is that her school is so close to us. So we walk to school every morning and I get a nice little morning walk-in, which I love that too. But research shows actually that five to 10 minutes of morning sunlight can help to support our circadian rhythm, signals to your brain to stop producing melatonin. It gives you a healthy boost of cortisol, which helps you to feel more awake and can help you to like sleep better at night. One of the easiest ways to build and stick to healthy habits is to use visual cues. Our brains respond so strongly to things that are in front of us. My personal favorite way to use a visual cue is actually for drinking water. I find that if I have a visible glass of water or water bottle with me, because it's there, because I can see it, I'm so much more likely to actually grab it and to drink that bottle of water as opposed to not having it out and needing to just like remember to fill up a glass of water, which I don't always remember to do. But this goes for so many other things. Keeping a bowl of fresh fruit out on the counter or on your kitchen table can make it easy to grab those things. Or things like leaving a book that you're reading or your journal on your nightstand so that it's there, you see it, easier for you to grab it and use it at bedtime instead of scrolling your phone. Like it's kind of right there, you see it instead of them like being hidden away. Research shows that friendships and community support are very important for our health, just like nutrition and movement. For me, this has looked, you know, different in different seasons of my life. For example, ever since my daughter was a baby, she's almost three now, we have gone to all kinds of different free programs, library programs, mom and tot groups, all kinds of, a lot of them being completely free in my community as a great way. I mean, for me, especially as a mom to like meet other moms, but you know, good for her too, to socialize. Earlier this year, two of my good friends who live really far away, we started a WhatsApp group chat so that the three of us could just like chat more easily, like through the week. And it's such a great way for us to stay connected. I mean, even small things like calling a friend when you're out for a walk or going for a walk with a friend, like all these things are so important for staying connected, nurturing the friendships and the relationships. What the frick was that? For nurturing the friendships, the relationships in our life, as an adult, it can be harder to make new friends. And sometimes it does require that extra effort to stay connected and to get out there and like make new connections if needed. And I know that in this digital age today, we like to think that we're more connected online. And in some ways we are, but in a lot of ways, it actually takes us away from those real life in-person connections that matter so much more than just simply seeing what people are up to online. So there you have it. Eight ways to improve your life completely for free. Zero dollars required. Thank you so much for watching. Let me know if there's anything that you do in your life that has made your life better in some way that has cost you absolutely nothing. I would love to hear from you. So let me know in the comments and that's it. I will see you all in the next one.