This last year or two has brought on a new season of my life. I think- technically- at 35 I’m considered to be in my mid-thirties. Though if you ask me directly I’ll still say “early thirties.” And health has suddenly become a priority. In fact, it’s not just a priority- it’s a theme of my life.
A few sad realizations I’ve come to over the last couple years:
- Calling a bag of Doritos and a Dr. Pepper “breakfast” doesn’t make it okay.
- Drinking 8 cups of sweet tea isn’t the same thing as drinking 8 cups of water.
- I am past the stage in life when I can survive on less than 4 hours of sleep.
- Carrying and chasing toddlers doesn’t count as my exercise (because, well, I don’t have toddlers anymore!)
I’ve also realized that life is way too short to stress about the small stuff. And, coming from a very Type A girl- I do really mean the small stuff I used to spend WAY too much time caring about!
As health has become a theme in life, I’ve made lots of adjustments to invest in my well-being. I drink gallons of water (La Croix counts, right?), and eat more vegetables than ice cream. I stopped using my treadmill as a place to throw laundry. And my kids aren’t the only ones in the house with a bedtime.
AND- I decided to travel more.
What does travel have to do with health you might wonder? Actually a lot!
I love the article posted by Positive Health Wellness that gives 8 reasons why traveling is good for your health– both mentally and physically.
Many of their reasons go past just the basic “get moving” aspect of travel (which is obviously important) by pinpointing the mental benefits too. I’m really good at crossing concrete things off of a list (for example: Run 2 miles today), but I struggle with the abstract side of wellness (example: be happier today.) The article really breaks it down and points out why and how travel leads to better health.
I particularly love the last lines of the article and I wholeheartedly agree: “Traveling really is one of the best things that you can do. All you need to decide now is where you will go first.”
Let’s do it, where do you want to go?
You might also enjoy reading:
Maintaining A Healthy Lifestyle While Traveling
