Healthy Living
In times of struggle, it is hard for us to make good and healthy choices, which can result in unwanted health conditions and stresses on the body. However, your daily performance relies on a healthy body and mind, and this blog is all about helping you achieve the state of wellbeing that you are looking for. Remember that your health should always be the priority in order to have an enjoyable and joyful life.
**If you are feeling unwell, please seek medical attention and contact a physician. This list of resources can help you achieve a healthy and desirable lifestyle, but does not contain any medical insights.
1. Exercise
Yoga
Family yoga is a great way for family members to come together and practice mindful and easy exercises with their children. Remember that it is always more effective when siblings can encourage each other to finish the entire yoga session!
Some youtube channels recommended are:
- Cosmic Kids Yoga (suitable for children ages 3-10), colorful and engaging, accompanied with slow and easy yoga poses in short sessions. Cosmic Kids Yoga is also available as an app.
- Yoga With Adriene (suitable for anyone 10+), focused on stress relief for teenagers, enhances body strength and mindfulness practice.
Reminder: when practicing yoga moves that feel a bit risky, make sure you are supervised, and that you don’t force yourself to avoid injury.
Meditation
Along with yoga, a quick meditation can be really helpful to relax the mind and help you stay focused on the present. You can practice meditation alone or with loved ones, no matter where you are. Mindfulness exercises are a holistic approach that reduces anxiety and stress, especially during periods of crisis.
Here are some youtube channels that can be helpful:
- Mind Garden (suitable for all ages). Includes guided breathworks, simple meditations and mindfulness exercises. Great introduction to meditation if you are just starting, and can help in building a habit of meditating daily.
- Calm (suitable for all ages, available as an app). I am recommending the app Calm to teenagers because of the different people that lead their meditation sessions. I find the Lebron James series very interesting, where he talks about how he helps himself focus on the present when playing important games, and how he calms himself during timeout.
- SleepTube (suitable for all ages). For someone that can do meditations without a guide, these audios will for sure enhance your meditation experience. Their super focus series is a personal favourite. As someone that often gets distracted by music, but can’t focus on a task without music, these ambient beats really kept me entertained and aware of what I needed to complete.
Nature Walks
Taking nature walks is a great way to stay active and connect with the outside world at the same time. Bringing your siblings on a quick walk in the trails is a great way to enhance your mental wellbeing and have a nice chat. Remember that it is always okay to share your emotions with someone you feel safe around. This person can be a family member, a friend, or any trusted adult.
2. Diet
Basic Nutrition
- It can be hard to keep a nutritious and healthy diet during stressful times, but your body relies on the 3 meals you take each day to provide proper functions. The best way to make sure your diet is good for you is to follow Canada’s Food Guide. There are also some interesting recipes in the food guide kitchen to try out at home and have fun with your sibling!
- Canada’s Food Guide also includes tips for healthy eating with children, which focuses on how healthy snacks should be prepared, and how eating with your family can have a positive impact on your health.
- Another part of Canada’s Food Guide that can be useful for someone experiencing a crisis is eating habits, like hunger cues. It is important for someone that might be fully occupied with thoughts to notice that they need food, or that they are full.
Drinking Water
It is easy for to forget about drinking water, especially when we are stressed or busy. But your body needs a lot of water on a daily basis to stay hydrated and function the way it is supposed to. Here’s a quick fun fact that you may have heard of: if you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated!
- healthychildren.org has some great advice on how much water children/adolescents should drink according to their age, how to make drinking water fun, unhealthy drinks to avoid, and signs of dehydration.
Outro
Stress is our body’s natural response to a threat or obstacle, but understanding the issue and working towards solving it is the way to keep yourself healthy, both physically and mentally.
During stressful periods, don’t forget to live in the present, and stay connected to the world around you. Eating and drinking healthily, sleeping and exercising regularly can help your body repair and recover from the impacts of stress. To enhance your mental health, talk to friends that can support you emotionally, and practice mindfulness meditations and breathing exercises. Reach out to people you trust when needed, and thrive to enjoy the life that you have right now.
If you are seeking support, feel free to take a look at the youth hotline resources on our page to direct you to professionals that are happy to help.
