#NurseByLiv: 5 wellness tips to improve your overall health

I recently did a poll on the content that you guys wanted to see and I was shocked that many of you wanted more wellness advice and nursing content. Nursing has been such a big part of my life these past few years and I am so excited that you all want to be a part of this journey. If you have particular content you want covered let me know. 

As a nurse, I work with men and women who are struggling psychiatrically. Today, I am going to share 5 overall health and wellness tips that I have learned in nursing. These tips have not only helped improve my overall health but also the health of my patients. Implement these and your health, happiness and productivity will increase. 

Skip the multivitamin and take a probiotic instead: A multivitamin sounds like a great thing, right? It has all the vitamins and minerals that you need for the day but research shows that there is little benefit from these. The best and most effective way to obtain the proper amount of vitamins and minerals is through diet. Yup, eating a well balanced diet is better than a multivitamin ever will be.

Many say that Americans waste so much money on vitamins when in reality, we pee them out. More is not always better when it comes to vitamins and minerals because when we have hit our limit our body cannot absorb the excess and actually just excretes it out. Sometimes when you take a multivitamin your pee turns bright yellow because it is excreting the excess vitamins which means your money is just going down the toilet, literally.

Instead, take a probiotic. Research shows that probiotics, which are made up of good bacteria are effective and are important for digestive health. Probiotics have been shown to be helpful in improving gut health, vaginal health, urinary health and improving skin conditions like eczema and acne.

Food is Medicine: Have you ever heard the saying “you are what you eat?” Well, it’s true. Nutrition is such an important part of our health and is so easily overlooked. This past year, nutrition has been a huge part of my journey to an overall healthier and happier being. I have discovered that I feel so much better after I eat a plate full of veggies than I do from a bowl of pasta. That doesn’t mean I don’t eat pasta it just means that I am trying to get as much veggies/fruit into my life as I can. I’ve incorporated matcha, cut back on coffee, added Kombucha and discovered dark chocolate.

I’ve learned that rather than turning to a tylenol when my head hurts I can now determine whether or not I am hydrated or need caffeine. When my stomach hurts, carbonated beverages help ease my stomach better than tylenol or tums ever would. Acne? Yup, food helps. Once I started adding more veggies and increasing my water intake my acne started to clear up. Food is medicine and we need to start focusing on how we are nourishing our bodies.

Stress Reduction: Stress is a topic that is so important to me because as a self proclaimed #girlboss I am always running around from place to place. I live a stressful life which can cause physical symptoms such as acne, bloating, insomnia, stomach aches etc.

I’ve been really focusing on the body and mind connection because when I get really stressed two things happen: I become irritable and my hair starts to fall out. It is not a pretty sight. For me, deep breathing and meditation has helped to decrease my stress dramatically. Both meditation and deep breathing physically change your body by decreasing your heart rate and blood pressure.

Sleep is essential: Sleep is one of the most important things for our body to rest and relax. To ensure proper sleep it is essential that we all have a wind-down routine which consists of a similar routine every night. For me, turning off my electronics one hour before bed and sipping a cup of tea are my nightly routine that help to ensure deep and restful sleep.

For those of you struggling with sleep, melatonin is an effective supplement. Always discuss supplements with your doctor however, I have found that Melatonin is most effective at lower doses two-three hours before bedtime.

Have you started tracking your sleep? Find a smart watch and start using that to see what your sleep schedule look like.

Find an exercise that you like: This seems simple but it took me years to figure this out. I was running, which was an activity I don’t really like and I was wondering why I had no motivation to workout. I recently discovered barre and it has changed my world and helped to make working out fun.

I am working hard on trying to move my body daily in whatever way I can, even one nightly walk is better than nothing.