Set Yourself Up To Thrive: 7 Wellness Habits To Stay Centered And Focused

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I like to think of every new season as an opportunity to start fresh, and autumn is no exception. For many people, autumn symbolizes a time to return to regular routines, re-apply ourselves to our learning goals and embark on new projects. It’s also the perfect time to refocus on fostering better, healthier lives.

We all know the last three years have brought a lot of change and uncertainty. In times like these, I rely on healthy habits to cope with stress and to help me continue to grow with passion and purpose. I am grateful for my early childhood years in India, which planted within me the seeds of many wellness habits that I have now worked into my daily routine.?

As a kid, I spent my summer vacations visiting my grandparents in the foothills of the Himalayas. We’d wake up early to milk the cow, make home-cooked food with freshly sourced vegetables from the garden and would walk a couple of miles down the hills (and back up again!) to go shopping for groceries. We slept well and lived in harmony with nature. Since those days, I’ve lived and worked in multiple continents and countries. My life, family and habits have evolved, but those early practices formed the foundation of my self-care, wellness and mindfulness routines.?

I’ve also pieced together many resources on wellness, including the Stanford Well for Life program’s definition of wellness: a state of balance that is a combination of multiple factors, from spirituality to health. I’ve discovered that this modern concept of wellness has philosophical synergy with the wisdom of ancient texts. Around 400 B.C., the ancient Indian text Charaka Samhita espoused holistic health, balance and prevention. Around 300 B.C., The Huangdi Neijing synthesized centuries of Chinese traditional beliefs on natural rules and harmony within the body and with the environment. (In China, health has continued to be the number-one priority for centuries.)

There are common threads that tie together this ancient thinking from China and India, and advice from modern experts like Dr. Deepak Chopra. Together, they support seven wellness mantras that may well be the key to building a healthier future for us all.?

1. Eat a balanced diet that is high in plant-based foods

Balanced, predominantly plant-based nutrition is the starting point for health. There are multiple routes to achieving a wholesome diet, but I find the Nutrilite color wheel is a helpful tool for explaining different color categories of fruits and vegetables. Each of these categories has a unique fingerprint of phytonutrients, or organic compounds, that are naturally present in plants.

Science is discovering new connections between mind and gut — what we eat may even impact mood and depression. An increase in home-cooking during the pandemic provided a great opportunity to create and stick to new habits. This needn’t be overly complicated or time-consuming. There are countless online resources, including Amway entrepreneurs who share their tips.?

?2. Get your daily steps in

Moderate daily exercise complements a healthy diet. For most adults, 20 to 30 minutes of daily running, brisk walking, swimming, or biking is a great habit. For me, this can mean a lively walk with our dog, Tyra, getting on a bike or going for a run — and I can do these things almost anywhere in the world. Inspired by our entrepreneurs, I’ve also started on a journey of twice-a-week weight-training.?

3. Prioritize a deep and restful sleep

As per the Mayo Clinic, stress can have negative effects on the quality and quantity of our sleep.?

But the need for long, sound sleep is more important than ever. As I’ve shared before, I love logging seven or eight hours of sleep a night.?

If you are seeking the science, I would nudge you toward Matthew Walker’s book Why We Sleep. In it, he shares that sleep greatly enhances our evolutionary fitness — oftentimes, in ways we can’t see.

4. Adopt a mindfulness practice

The mind-body connection created by meditation is finally being better understood by modern science. Yet, the benefits of soothing a racing mind and nervous system through breathing and movement have been around for millennia.?

Quite honestly, I am still new to this journey, even though I come from the country of yoga and meditation. If you are looking for ways to get started, the Netflix Headspace series may be one option.?

5. Tend to others with love, compassion and kindness?

The economic impact of the last several years has been tough on so many, especially on economically vulnerable groups like women. On top of that, we’ve got a never-ending stream of divisive issues in the news these days.?

Developing empathy and compassion is a personal journey we can all undertake right now, guided by spirituality, family values and friends. This can be applied at home, in our local community or at work. At Amway, ‘leading from the heart’ is one of the three pillars of our culture.

6. Foster a connection with nature?

On my 2019 ‘Listen and Learn’ trip to Bogota, climate change emerged as the number-one issue for young entrepreneurs. Gen Z is fueling a movement and is driving choices as consumers. Even Bill Gates believes climate change could be worse than the COVID pandemic — this is no passing fad.?

Nutrilite has practiced sustainability for 85 years on its organic farms, long before it became a mainstream priority. While there is so much more to be done by us at Amway, showing love for Mother Earth every day is a great starting point.

7. Engage with a community of shared passion

The above six mantras are important and are fueling a trillion-dollar wellness industry. But there is a glaring paradox. While almost all of us start every year with a resolution that’s some combination of the above six, in most cases the habits do not stick. Despite the science, the sheer number of wellness choices can be confusing. Our willpower alone is unable to hold us accountable over a long period of time.

This gets to the seventh keystone mantra: creating communities of shared passion. Wouldn’t it be great for all of us to be part of a like-minded group with common interests and passions — be that adventure, fitness, yoga, parenting or cooking? Imagine having a true community – online or offline – that provides support, holds one another accountable in a compassionate way, helps with the learning curve and makes new habits stick.?

This is the future we envision at Amway, where anyone, anywhere, anytime can be an entrepreneur and a creator in the passion economy, inspiring communities to live healthier, better lives.

Thanks for reading! I'd love to know your thoughts in the comments below. For more insights on taking business to the next level, be sure to?subscribe to Passion and Purpose, my newsletter.