Wellness on a budget…is that even possible?!
So, you’ve decided to embark on a journey towards better health. Yay! Prioritizing your health is one of the best investments you can make in your life, and in those around you…but that doesn’t mean it has to break the bank!
Today we’re breaking down how to pursue wellness on a budget, because in a world that feels dominated by the shininess and allure of pricey greens powders, detox teas, expensive supplements, and the like, it’s easy to feel like improving your health comes with a price tag that warrants getting a part time job.
The good news is this: prioritizing your health doesn’t require that you fork out hundreds of dollars a month on these types of products, potions, and gadgets. There are numerous FREE ways you can start investing in your health, starting today – and we’re breaking them down today!
Think of this article as your how-to guide for prioritizing your health without breaking the bank. In it, I’m sharing 6 simple and budget-friendly (how does FREE sound??) strategies that prove you can improve your health with resources you already have access to.
Regardless of your budget, you deserve to be able to improve your health – and you CAN. Not sure where to start? Look no further than the following 6 strategies!
Get Outside
In today’s industrialized, tech-driven society, it’s easy to spend all day inside – from the time we wake up to go to sleep. For many of us, if we aren’t intentional, the only time we get outside is to walk to and from our cars.
What does this have to do with your health? Turns out…a lot.
When we are exposed to natural sunlight, especially first thing in the morning, it helps set our circadian rhythm. Maybe you’ve heard of your circadian rhythm before; you can think of it like the internal clock inside your body that regulates every other function going on in your body, including:
- Hunger and appetite regulation
- Hormone secretion and function
- Heart rate
- Insulin and glucose regulation
- Metabolic rate
- Fat loss or storage
Yep…something as seemingly random as natural light can directly impact all of these functions!
What does this mean for you? If you have a health goal to lose fat, improve your blood sugar, or gain better control of your food choices – stepping out for some morning sunlight is an incredible tool that you have access to that will support that goal…for free!
Ideally you want to be outside for 10-15 minutes, and have your eyes exposed to the sun. If you wear contacts or glasses, try to do this without them, and pull off your sunglasses, too. It’s not as effective if you’re looking through a window, so if you can get outside or roll your window down on the way to work – perfect!
This still works even on cloudy days, though ideally you’d want longer exposure times. But if that’s not feasible (or even if the 10-15 minutes isn’t feasible), ANYTHING is supportive…even 5 minutes! And if you can’t get outside first thing in the morning after sunrise but you can around 9 or 10 am? Perfect. You’re still reaping benefits.
No Screens After Dark
This second tip of no screens after dark piggybacks a bit off that last tip. I’m sure you’ve heard this suggestion before, but it’s worth repeating. When we look at blue lights (from phones, laptops, tablets, TVs) after the sun goes down, it messes with our circadian rhythm – the internal clock we just talked about.
With the introduction of blue light, melatonin production shuts down. This can make it harder to fall asleep for bed, or perhaps you lay down and feel wired. Overtime, this shift in circadian rhythm can contribute to increased risk for cancer, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular dysfunction, immune dysregulation, reproductive problems, mood disorders, and learning deficits.
I know many people feel like mindlessly scrolling social media or zoning out to a TV show before bed helps them to relax and fall asleep, but it may not be the deep, restorative sleep that contributes to better health.
Try it out for a week or so: aim to put your phone up or turn your TV off at least 30-60 minutes before you plan to crawl into bed. Fill that time with a relaxing evening routine: take a hot bath, do your skincare routine, read a book, journal, pray, make some hot tea – probably things you’ve heard before, but I want to challenge you to actually take action on them. These actions can help your mind and body wind down at the end of the day, making it easier to drift into a deep sleep so you wake up energized and motivated to tackle the day…and crush those health goals!
Go To Sleep Earlier
You didn’t think we were done talking about sleep, did you!?
When it comes to working towards a health goal, most people focus on aspects of their nutrition and fitness. And those are definitely helpful! But another HUGE pillar that most overlook is their sleep, which is why it’s one of my favorite ways to pursue wellness on a budget 😀
One, better sleep supports your body’s function at a cellular level – this essentially means it helps everything run more efficiently, like it’s supposed to. Getting sufficient sleep also ensures you keep your metabolism running at it’s highest capacity, helping you burn more calories even at rest.
Prioritizing getting better, more high quality sleep also makes it easier to stick with your healthy food choices and desire to workout. Think about the times when your motivation to move or eat healthy were low or non-existent – were you teeming with energy? Or did you feel exhausted and like you could sleep for 15 hours?
When we are physically tired, our bodies naturally will have us reaching for higher calorie, higher carb food choices for quick energy. Our bodies will also stifle the desire to move our bodies, because hello…we’re tired, we want to conserve energy!!
Finally – skimping on sleep can lower our ability to make wise decisions…including decisions around food. Like mentioned, you’ll likely crave more carbs and higher calorie foods when you’re tired. Additionally, you’ll also likely have a harder time resisting those cravings because your decision-making capabilities are hindered by poor sleep. Your thinking becomes less rational.
If you normally head to bed later than you know you ought to or could, start by inching up your bedtime by 15-20 minutes at a time. Usually hit the hay at 11? Aim for 10:45 for a few weeks. Then push it up 15-20 minutes earlier, so on…and so on.
Yes – this will require adjusting your evening, and possibly your afternoon schedule. Be flexible and open-minded. And remember: you can catch the replay of that show tomorrow 😉
Slow Down At Meals
Onto the fourth free way to pursue wellness on a budget…slow down at your meals, sis!
Last year in the Redemptive Health Membership we had a monthly challenge to push members to chew each bite of food for at least 20 times. The results and feedback were amazing! Everything from enjoying food more, eating less food overall, to feeling less bloated with improved digestion.
Most of us are living at a pace of life that feels lightning fast. This pace creeps into our meal times and how we eat. Fast. Hurried. Mindless….even we even remember to eat at all.
There’s a few issues with this:
When you eat fast, you tend to eat MORE. This usually leads to feeling bloated and uncomfortable for many people, and perhaps like they can’t be controlled around food. You also tend to enjoy your food less, which can lead you to seek out eating more food shortly after to fill the void of enjoyment. This can make it harder to reach your health goals and enjoy a healthy relationship with food – no bueno.
However, when you slow down at meals: chew your food, put your utensil down between bites, do away with distractions like screens or TV you can expect to experience:
- More enjoyment from the meal in front of you
- More mindful eating experiences
- More satisfaction
These all make it easier to naturally eat less (without focusing on restriction), feel in control around food, and make wiser food choices that fit your health goals. Just from slowing down.
My favorite way to implement this is to sit down at a table at meals whenever possible and focus on chewing most bites of food at least 15 times. It takes practice (it’s essentially building a new habit), but try it out for a few days and see how it feels. You can always go back to that hurried and frenzied way of eating if you want to…but you probably won’t.
Create a Weekly Meal Plan
Yet another free way to pursue wellness on a budget to prioritize your health is taking a few minutes each week to plan your meals for the week ahead! Not only can this help you save money as you prioritize your health, but it also can save you SO MUCH TIME (and from having to experience decision fatigue – can I get an amen on that one?).
This doesn’t have to be elaborate, and honestly it doesn’t have to change too much week to week. Meal planning can take as little as 5-10 minutes while you’re sipping your morning coffee after your quiet time, but it can save you hours during the week…and make it easier to stick with healthy eating habits.
A common pushback I hear is “well what if I don’t know what I want to eat next Thursday??”.
I totally get it. I’ll admit, planning ahead does feel a bit more concrete than winging it every night. At the same time, how has “winging it” worked out for you thus far? Does it leave you making better, or worse, food choices? Does it feel more freeing, or less?
There’s not a right or wrong way to meal plan – if you do want that spontaneity, then just plan a few days a week, or stick with only planning breakfast and lunch! Any amount of planning can help you save time and money running through the drive thru, and it’s also a great way to use up what you already have in the pantry and freezer to save money that way, as well.
Have a set time each week to sit down and plan for the week. Start with 1-2 meals if it feels super overwhelming. Keep them simple, repeat meals you and your family love. Over time it will feel more second nature and will become one of your core health habits you can’t live without, no doubt.
Walk Daily
And for our last free way to prioritize your health….walking! The lowest barrier to entry when it comes to exercise. It’s free, you don’t need a lick of equipment, it’s low impact, and you can do it practically everywhere!
When clients come to me with the goal to lose weight or improve their body composition, they’ve often tried the route of increasing their time at the gym. The problem is…that’s not quite sustainable. It’s also a recipe for burnout, cortisol dysregulation, and potential injury. No thanks!!
Instead, one of the easiest ways to increase movement, and to support better health, is by infusing more walking into your daily routine. A few reasons:
One, walking gets you moving…obviously! We live in a society where it’s really really easy to be sedentary: driving to work in our car, sitting at our desk all day, driving home in our car, sitting at the dinner table, lounging on our couch, then going to sleep.
Walking is an easy, and gentle, way to increase your calorie burn from non-exercise activity thermogenesis: the amount of calories you burn from general movement that isn’t structured exercise. This is one of the easiest ways to increase your overall calorie burn in the day without burning yourself out at the gym. Going on two or three 10-minute walks could have you burning up to 150-200 more calories a day.
That movement also helps lower blood pressure and blood sugar…yep, even as “little” as a few 10-minute walks a day! I can’t think of a better way to describe “wellness on a budget”…
Two, walking (can) get you outside. Now, of course you can walk inside on a treadmill or around a track, or even up and down stairs. These all count!!! But if possible, getting outside for a walk – even if it’s 10 minutes around the block when you get home from work – can feel like such a refreshing reprieve in your day. The fresh air is invigorating, sunshine can feel energizing, and it can even serve as a way to clear your mind between tasks, spark creativity for a problem you’ve been trying to solve at work, or cool off after a hard conversation.
Third, walking can help lower stress (learn more about sneaky sources of stress in this post!). Most of us know that stress can absolutely wreak havoc on your health, but thankfully something as simple – and accessible – as a gentle walk outside can help decrease stress, making it easy to take better control of our health.
Hopefully you picked up on the fact that it doesn’t have to be a long, or strenuous, walk for you to reap the benefits. Look at your current routine – when could you step out for a quick 10-20 minute walk one or two times during your day? After lunch, around your work building? Or right when you get home, before heading in to cook dinner?
Wellness On A Budget Recap
I know each of these tips and actions are relatively easy to do…but that means they’re also easy to NOT do and to skip over, right?
So, if you find yourself tempted to brush these off, thinking they aren’t impactful enough or “hard” enough – I want to challenge you to lean into them and DO them.
Remind yourself of your “why”…why do you want to lose fat, improve your blood sugar, feel healthier in your day to day? Small, daily habits like the ones listed above will help you get there, because it’s usually the quality of our daily practices that make the biggest impact over some mythical, magical moment we’re waiting for.
Hopefully you feel encouraged that when it comes to prioritizing your health, you don’t have to drop major bucks on pricey supplements, detox teas, or expensive powders to reach your goals – there are hundreds of free ways you can support your health every single day. Achieving better health doesn’t have to break the bank or feel out of reach – it should be something that is physically and financially attainable.
