I have been known to say, or should I say hashtag, #sweateveryday. I prefer this to "workout everyday" because when people hear the word workout they tend to get overwhelmed, thinking that this means they need to spend an hour at the gym or run a long distance, or attend a 90 minute yoga class EVERYDAY! When you break it down to simply doing something that makes you sweat everyday, this allows for your activity to align with your fitness level and takes away some of the loftiness of having to exercise everyday.

This thought process can be applied to many different aspects of life but there are three areas that I would like for you to try and apply it to EVERYDAY! Everyday you should aim to do something to nurture your Mind, Body and Spirit. I understand that our to-do lists are already so jam packed but again, this doesn't have to be lengthy and time consuming, and more often than not these tasks will help to give you more energy, remain more focused and help you to have a more efficient day. Additionally, many of these overlap, helping to nurture more than one area.

MIND

This area has always been at the forefront for me, possibly even more than nurturing the body. I love to learn and have a bad habit of looking up facts that I don't know the answers to in the middle of a conversation. Thank you Google. Sorry friends that I am in conversation with. Here are some simple ways to make sure that you are keeping your mind healthy on a daily basis.

Meditation - This one seems daunting, but with the help of short guided mediations that you can find online, 5 minutes of mediation can do wonders. Just like anything else the more you do it the easier it becomes to turn off your mind and get a moment of peace. The simple act of following my breath in and out as I breathe has done wonders for my anxiety issues that I have suffered in the past. I use an App called Calm.com and I love it. I have also found others that I like on Spotify. (Mind, Body and Spirit)
Read - Reading has been proven to be beneficial in so many ways. Not only is it entertaining and educational, it can help you to relax and sleep better (unlike TV and Computers which stimulate), and it can keep your mind sharp with the added possibility of defending your brain from Alzheimer's disease. Not sure what to read? Ask a friend or coworker for some recommendations and I am sure they will have a short list for you to try and possibly even borrow. (Mind and Body)
Play Games - Card games, board games, logic and puzzle games all force you to strategize and think, keeping your mind in tip top shape.

BODY

This is an easier area for me, but only because I adopted the "sweat everyday" mentality a long time ago. One day I will attend a 90 minute yoga class, the next I will have a five song dance party in my kitchen with my pups while I cook. Keep it simple and most of all fun.

Sweat - Walk, jog, run, dance, swim, bike, skip, jump rope, hike, canoe, surf, skate, hoola hoop, climb stairs, climb trees, climb mountains, lift weights, stretch, do yoga, do an exercise video or class, 10/20/30 through out your day (10 push ups, 20 squats, 30 crunches or 30sec plank hold), play with your kids or pets. Vary these activities throughout your week for best results, choosing some longer activities and some shorter based on your allotted time. (Body and Mind)
Hydrate - I cannot stress this enough. When people say they don't like drinking water or they just don't think about it, I tend to get really fired up. Forget about it being good for you for just one minute and realize how lucky you are to even have clean drinking water. According to dosomething.org, 884 Million people in the world lack access to safe water sources. Do you understand how for granted we take having access to water from a faucet or a store and not have to travel miles to get water from a semi-polluted source for your daily activities (hygiene, hydration, cooking)? Even if you don't like it, drink it in appreciation for your life and your body!! Just do it already. Another reason that everyone should drink more water is that dehydration can cause sleepiness. Anyone here ever too tired throughout their day and could use some extra energy? I rest my case. (Body and Mind)
Sleep - Again, I sense some eye rolling here. Sleep is the time in which our bodies, and our minds reboot from a long day of activity. If you do not give yourself the proper amount of time to sleep (shoot for 7-9 hours) your mind and body never get to sort through the day before and recharge for the next day. Results of lack of sleep include but are not limited to: lack of alertness, impaired memory, relationship stress, and QUALITY OF LIFE!! What's more important than the quality of your life?? Do what ever needs to be done to create a sleep pattern that supports your MIND and your BODY.

SPIRIT

No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, the following activities will help to keep the one body that we have in optimum health.

Be Still - Meditation, prayer, and yoga all intend to quiet your mind from the incessant chatter that occurs inside us everyday. Take a few moments to sit and do nothing. This allows the universe, God, or a higher being to open your spirit to new possibilities. Don't believe me? Try it out for a few weeks and see what happens.
Spend Quality Time - By quality time I mean time in which you can actually connect with one another. Not watching TV or amidst the hustle and bustle of a crowded place, but in a place where you are free to talk and listen to one another. Go for a hike, listen to easy going music, make a meal together. Also, analyze the people that you are spending that quality time with. Are they people that feed your soul or suck it dry? Life is too short and quality time is too scarce to be spent with people that leave you feeling tired or stressed.
Play the Smile Game - I often see how many random people I can get to smile throughout my day. There are a lot of people that feel they don't have much to smile about or that are having a stressful day and there is nothing better than breaking their day of worry and sadness with a friendly smile, a gracious "Thank You", and even a chuckle from an oh-so-corny joke or pun (my specialty).

While there are many other activities that help to nurture your Mind, Body, and Soul but this list is filled with ones that overlap, making it easier to nurture all three as well as ones that are so easy that you can squeeze them into a busy schedule.

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, your body with sweaty fun, and your spirit with both stillness and laughter, EVERYDAY."