7 Health and Wellness Tips for Women
Hello, I'm Marian, Shiatsu Acupressure Therapist, Wellness Blogger, lover of beautiful skincare and mum to a 1 year old girl. 🙂
Life is busy, life is challenging but I do what I can to keep it simple and practical. And, that's my motto when it comes to taking care of my health - keep it simple, keep it practical. It's what I teach my clients.
Being a mum I now realise a lot of the health and wellness advice I gave my clients previously was great but not possible with the time people often have available to them. I have a lot less time for my own health and wellness which I find frustrating. And, as I’ve mentioned in a previous blog I have found motherhood to be a big adjustment. So, for now, I've had to pair it back.
I’ve come up with 7 simple strategies for myself to make sure that I’m still looking after me:
Take 5 mins to meal plan for the week - different proteins, different veg, different grains. Write a list of grocery items and do 1 shop. I make sure we eat healthy Mon-Fri and then we work out the weekends at the weekend. Make sure you make enough on a Monday that you can have leftovers on Wednesday. We’ll also often do a bigger roast so there are leftovers for some other time in the week. Yummy roastie potatoes can be used in so many different meals. This last weekend I made a corned beef, not my favourite cut of meat but hey sometimes you have to economise. With the left over meat I’m going to do a toasted sandwich with gherkins and sauerkraut.
I take a few supps to make sure I'm definitely getting all the nutrition a sleep deprived mum needs. The brand I use is Usana. It's high quality pharmaceutical grade brand. They use cell signalling technology so rather than just general nutrition your cells are actually getting what they need. When it comes to supps I'd rather pay a bit more knowing I'm getting better quality. For my clients who are moving through motherhood and menopause I recommend a good multi, fish oil, magnesium and calcium and a great supp to help manage hormones. For more info on these click here.
I'm in bed by 9/9.30. Sleep is super important and when you get woken throughout the night it's good to go to bed early so you can get in some extra zzzz's. I’ve found that if I don’t get into bed by this time my sleep quality isn’t as good.
I also use this early to bed time to read for a bit or do a meditation so I know that I've done something that nourishes my soul at least once a day. Sometimes I might only read for 5-10 minutes before my eyes are starting to flutter closed and I just have to go with that. Something is better than nothing.
Before bed I always cleanse and moisturise my skin. It's part of my sleep routine.I’m gentle with my face and give my skin a slow massage to start sending signals to my brain that we’re moving into rest mode. In the past I’ve been a bit slap dash with what products I use. Usually just finding the cheapest option. But that is just not good enough for me anymore. I’m worth a good quality brand that actually works with my skin and gives my skin the nutrition it needs. I’m glad I’m doing this now before my skin begins to age to much. The range I use is Celavive. To make it easy on myself I bought the day and night regime (dry/sensitive combo for me). It’s a simple step by step routine that leaves my skin feeling super hydrated. You can purchase it here.
Social media stops at 7 and never on a Sunday. I have to be strict with myself on this one. Social media can create bad habits and if I'm on too often it has a negative impact on my mental health. I go back to my old habit of comparing my life with others highlight reels. Nasty stuff. It also takes me away from quality time with my daughter.
I don't get a lot of opportunity to exercise at the mo so I make sure that if it is a sunny day my daughter and I go for a walk. No exercise, no movement is really crap for my emotional health. In Shiatsu we say it causes Qi stagnation. This can lead to those more low mood feelings or bursts of irrational anger. I’ve had more of those recently (oooops). Best try and get a few more walks in :)
At Soul Body Shiatsu based in Bayside Melbourne, we specialise in Women’s Health and Women’s Wellbeing. We offer Shiatsu Massage to help with: Menopause, Hot flushes, Night sweats, Insomnia, Anxiety, Depression, Headaches, Menopause weight gain, Fatigue, Perimenopause, Postmenopause, Menstruation, Irregular periods, Heavy periods, pregnancy & more. Diet, exercise and lifestyle guidance is tailored to each woman’s needs and is incorporated into all treatment plans.
To book in for a shiatsu where we can also discuss some personalised simple health and wellness strategies for you call 0403 550 695 or email soulbodyshiatsu@gmail.com 🙂