4 Stupidly Simple Physical Activities I Do To Take Care Of My Mind

A ridiculously straightforward blueprint to good health

I used to get annoyed seeing listicles about Health that made it all seem easy.

I gradually realised that taking care of your health isn’t easy but it is indeed relatively simple.

I’m happy that I was wrong.

It’s not rocket science. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

Doing these 5 things alone will make you way healthier than the average person.

#1 — Aimless Walks In Nature

Walking amongst nature and seeing all the colors around me is therapeutic.

Feeling the wind in my hair, listening to the sound of birds chirping, hearing the giggles of kids playing — ah, what a beautiful life.

Walking aimlessly gives me valuable time with myself. It helps me gather my thoughts and think about life.

Going on walks has also helped me quit smoking. When I feel the urge to smoke, I just go walk instead.

I’m not saying going for a walk will solve all your problems, I’m just saying there’s no problem that’s going to be made worse by going for a walk — Ryan Holiday

Want a more powerful motivator? Going on walks is linked with a longer (and better) life because it leads to reduced blood pressure, improved cholesterol levels, and better cardiovascular health.

#2– Eight Hours Of Sleep

Earlier this year, I went through a terrible depressive phase.

I wasn’t sleeping, I wasn’t exercising, I wasn’t eating healthy, I wasn’t doing anything right.

Everything changed when I finally managed to fix my sleep.

I used to force myself to wake up at 5 am every day because I thought that’s what determines one’s productivity and good health. Dumb, I know.

Things have a funny way of falling into place when you’re sleeping right.

• I’m sleeping sufficiently even if it meant waking up later
• As a result, I’m well-rested and more energetic
• I regularly exercise because I feel fresh and motivated every day
• Because I’m exercising, I’m eating healthy because I don’t want to waste all that hard work at the gym by eating crap
• My sleep, nutrition, and exercise are back on track. Thus, so is my happiness

I went from depressed to happy just by sleeping enough.

Good sleep is a catalyst habit, it starts a domino effect that ultimately leads to everything in your life improving one by one.

#3 — Tracking Food

Logging in my calories has made me stop emotional heating.

Back when I was in the throes of Depression, I found myself overeating for literally every single meal.

The external world seemed bleak to me so I found comfort in food.

When I snapped out of the rut and began exercising, naturally I wanted to lose all the weight I’d gained. So I began to track my food.

I’ve not only managed to start losing weight but also rid myself of the pesky vice of overeating.

Weighing my meals using a kitchen scale has given me a deep understanding of how much food my body actually needs.

When we engage in emotional eating, we’re feeding our minds, not our bodies.

You know what I’m talking about — that weird feeling when your stomach feels full but your mind is not entirely satisfied.

Tracking my food made me understand exactly how much of each dish fills me up sufficiently, and how much would mean I’ve overeaten.

I have IBS, so I eat the same 8–10 dishes. I don’t want to and can’t afford to experiment with a lot of new food items.

So now I know exactly how much of something to eat, regardless of what my mind is telling me.

The best thing you can do for your health is stop listening to your mind and listen to your gut.

#4 — Daily Exercise

Walks are great but they aren’t enough.

You need something to get your heart rate up every day in order to stay in shape.

My chosen forms of exercise are playing sports and lifting weights.

Physical exercise, for me, actually has nothing to do with my body. Sure, I want to be physically fit, but my bigger desire is to just feel good mentally.

Being active and sweating it out releases endorphins in our brains. Endorphins are ‘feel-good’ chemicals that have the power to completely transform one’s state of mind.

I was inconsistent with exercising when I did it to lose weight. Now that I do it just to feel good, I’m low-key addicted. I can’t go a day without some form of working out.

External goals don’t drive me as much as internal ones. I want to look good but I realize that that’s a little superficial. Feeling good on the other hand? That’s what it’s all about for me.

Closing Thought

We’ve complicated health and fitness too much.

You don’t need to wake up at 5 am and have cold showers to be healthy.

Just do the basics right.

The basics are stupidly simple: sleep enough, eat well, and move daily.

But these aren’t sexy enough for us. These aren’t shiny enough.

The harsh truth is this:

Simple is good. Unsexy works. Boring is effective.

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