toolbox/health
How to have a healthy, happy weekend!
What’s the key to a happy, healthy weekend? What are some habits to try this weekend to truly enjoy your time off, relax, still be productive, but feel refreshed come Monday morning? Here are some tried-and-true tips. Choose to take some on this weekend—or all of them, if you’re feeling ambitious—and we promise you’ll feel happy and rejuvenated once Monday morning rolls back around.
INDULGE IN SOME VITAMIN G. GREEN SPACE, THAT IS. Getting out into nature and soaking up its goodness has SO many benefits, from clearing your mind to boosting your mood to detoxing your body through movement and sweat. As part of the challenge to unplug, find some green space outside and go for a walk, meditate in the park, or do anything you can to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of the outdoors. It’s amazing what even an hour can do for your mental, physical, and emotional health. And yes, this should be time without your electronics! CHALLENGE: get outside in some capacity for 1 hour each day over the weekend!
ENGAGE WITH A HOBBY. Do you ever find that during the week, work is so mentally taxing that you come home and don’t want to do much of anything? This might include hobbies that you love. You know you love doing them, but laying on the couch just seems so much more inviting. Over the weekend, try to indulge in a few hours of hobby-time. This gets your brain moving in a different way than work, and makes you feel clear, happy, and challenged—which we all need! It also reminds you of your different abilities and talents. Whether you love playing music, painting or drawing, writing, photography – whatever your hobby is, do yourself a favour and do it this weekend. It might seem a bit daunting to start, but once you’re doing it, you will feel light and happy. There’s a reason they’re hobbies—they’re enjoyable for us and don’t feel like work. You deserve that me-time! CHALLENGE: spend a few hours this weekend on a hobby you’ve been neglecting.
AVOID THE TV. With all the options today on Netflix and other streaming programs, it is so tempting, after a long week, to flop on the couch in your sweats and ‘Netflix and chill’. Before you get sucked into the world of marathoning your favourite TV show and getting that “Are you still watching?” message from Netflix, try keeping your TV off for the majority of your weekend. If you really want to challenge yourself, don’t turn it on for the whole 48 hours. However, for some people it is relaxing to watch one episode of their favourite show on a Friday night or catch up with a friend over a movie in the background. We’re just recommending you don’t spend multiple hours a day in front of the tube. Why? It might feel relaxing, but it actually is stimulating for your mind, but not in a positive way. You’re staying dormant while your mind is working—similar to working throughout the week. It generally does not make you feel relaxed after watching TV for prolonged periods of time, and it might leave you feeling lethargic. Unplug, leave the TV off, and enjoy the other parts of your weekend. CHALLENGE: try not to have the TV on for more than 3 hours this weekend.