Living in today’s modern world can be tough. We are trying to juggle our busy lives while making sure we are looking after our minds and bodies. At some points, it feels like we can’t do it all. This can lead to dull and aged skin, which can be caused by a lot of stress and a not much downtime in our lives.
But don’t worry – we have a solution! Blue zoning your life is the way to go. Blue zoning is the ideology of bringing small changes into your home life that will benefit your mind and body. There are five different places around the world that have been seen as the original ‘Blue Zones’ where people live longer than other areas of the world. These locations are:
- Loma Linda (California)
- Ikaria (Greece)
- Sardinia (Italy)
- Nicoya (Costa Rica)
- Okinawa (Japan)
But it’s not all about just trying to expand your life span. The people who live in these Blue Zone are healthier than average, which is the secret to living a longer and happier life.
You can also be like this if you make changes in your life. We don’t mean taking up a crazy diet or spending hours working out. We have come up with some simple blue zone changes you can put into your home life to make you healthier and focused for life
Walking more is one of the most simple and effective ways to improve your health and incorporate blue zoning into your life, so our tips will show you how you can get more steps in without even thinking about it!
Stepping around your living room and kitchen
The living room is another place in your home where you take time to relax. It’s where you read or catch up with a Netflix binge. But would you be surprised if we said this activity can add to your total step count?
If you put the TV remote in another area of the room where you aren’t, you will have to get up to change the channel throughout your watching time, and you will burn calories doing a simple task. You can turn from a couch potato to an active TV addict in no time.
With being in the house more, you will not be popping out to cafés and restaurants to grab a coffee. So, carrying out quick little tasks while waiting for your coffee to brew will add to your step count, such as taking the recycling out. By doing this, you will be doing more than the 17-step average when making your coffee, like the average 35–44-year-old. Taking out your old copies of Vogue will contribute towards 80–120 steps to your daily count.
Do even more steps and make your home spotless by running the vacuum through your hall and dining rooms. Follow the lead of the over-55s who do on average 320 steps when hoovering, more than double that of people younger than them.
Make a peaceful place
Your bedroom is the place in your house when you should feel most peaceful. Having your bedroom tidy with no mess and making sure it is a tech-free space is proved to be better for the mind than having a disorganised room. Also, by carrying out weekly jobs such as changing your bedding can benefit the body and mind. A great kind of bedding to use to benefit the body is silk bedding. It helps keep skin more moisturised and hair shiny as it does not absorb moisture from the skin, unlike cotton bedding.
If you are trying to hit your daily steps target, bedroom chores may not actually be the best task to do. Statistics show that only people aged 45–54 do more than 70 steps on average when completing these jobs. But, by taking your silk bedding to your room separately this will help get in some extra steps as you will be climbing the stairs more than once.
Simple tasks you may not regularly do, such as sorting through your wardrobe and fluffing your pillows, can help your body too. Who would have thought that sorting through your designer bikinis would be so good for the body and soul?
Don’t forget about your mental health. Health professionals that it is beneficial to have a tech-free area in your home. Keeping electronic devices such as phones and TVs out of the bedroom makes you sleep better, but also allows you to switch off from the world outside.
Meditation is another great way to improve your life. This can improve your outlook on life. But we don’t mean the mediation where you sit cross-legged and chant. Doing basic meditation for less than 10 minutes a day can benefit your mind. You can do it anywhere but doing it in a peaceful place such as your bedroom will make the benefits greater.
Grow a gorgeous garden
Gardening may not be the most fun task, but a beautiful garden can be mentally beneficial. Getting outside is good for you, but you may not know how good it is.
By doing only 30–45 minutes of gardening a week you can burn over 150 calories. This can be as simple as just doing the weeding. Moving by mowing the lawn or raking are extra ways you can get in your daily steps and make your garden look beautiful.
Gardening is a stress-relieving, mood-boosting activity because you are outdoors, and you will be soaking up some vitamin D and surrounding yourself with nature in the fresh air is beneficial to your body. Spending time in nature has benefits such as:
- A sense of calm
- Mindfulness
- Reduced stress levels
- A happier mood
Flowers are also a great way to bring the outdoors in. Bright flowers are proven to be mood boosters, and you will also be doing another calorie killing activity by watering them.
We hope this article has shown you that being more physical and having better mental health is important and that it only takes small changes in your life to achieve. As lives get crazier and we feel like we have no time to do anything, it is important to take these measures to keep ourselves happy and healthy.
