How to start a holistic lifestyle using the 80/20 rule

Seek knowledge to find the answer

How to start a holistic lifestyle using the 80/20 rule? Before we answer that, let’s back up a bit.

Wellness looks different for everyone and our needs tend to change throughout the year. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some sort of roadmap when you don’t know where to start? No worries! I have you covered! This post is meant to be Part 1 of a Wellness Guide to give you some practical ways that you can stay healthy all year long.

From someone who started at the bottom and didn’t know anything, to where I am now 10 years later, my journey continues to grow. I’ll share the things you can do right now to start having more energy, stay well, get restful sleep, maintain good mental health, and help prevent a lot of sick visits to the doctor.

Note: I am not a doctor or claim to be one. These tips are my opinions alone. I’ll be sharing all the helpful things I’ve learned along the way and how they worked for me. Hopefully you will find some useful takeaways and be inspired to start your own wellness journey. Let’s dive in!

Find your why

One thing I will mention, is that finding the reason why you are starting your wellness journey is really important. Is it to have more energy, to reduce stress and anxiety, to have more restful sleep, to balance your hormones, or to just feel better overall?

Once you focus in on the reason why you want to start a wellness journey and live a more holistic lifestyle, the easier the road will be. It gives you something to move towards. I suggest picking just a few small goals to work on, and not overwhelm yourself with too many big goals that can seem so far away.

One small step in the right direction can lead to bigger steps over time.

A balanced approach

None of us are perfect or know all there is to know about wellness. But, we can do these hard things together and keep moving forward to healthier habits. My goal is to teach you that it is possible to make healthier habits, but that you can also enjoy a few of your favorite things along the way. Balance is the key. If I can do it, you can too!

You may have days when you are so good at taking your vitamins, using your wellness roller (I’ll share more on this below), eating tons of fruits and veggies, drinking a lot of water, getting adequate sleep etc. Other days you may be lucky to just get one of those in. And that’s okay.

Don’t let those days make you give up too fast. Sure, you need discipline and consistency to get to a healthier version of yourself, but you also need to give yourself some grace. That’s why it’s called a wellness journey and not a wellness race.

If you celebrate a special occasion and go out to eat at your favorite restaurant, enjoy an alcoholic beverage and even a dessert. But….don’t then beat yourself up about it. Enjoy that special occasion without worries! Then just go back to your normal way of healthy eating the next day.

The key is not to restrict yourself or punish yourself the next day. Teaching your body that you have to do it this way can make you associate indulgences or special occasions with bad choices or regret, and that just isn’t true. Balance is where the sweet spot is. It makes a healthy lifestyle more sustainable over time.

Holistic living

How to start a holistic lifestyle using the 80/20 rule? I love a holistic approach to wellness. This is just a fancy way of talking about the mind/body connection. It can also mean a lot of things to different people. Once you find what works best for you, then you will be well on your way to a healthier version of yourself.

Some examples of holistic living are:

-eating more organic whole foods and less processed foods

-getting some form of exercise in everyday

-choosing more organic, plant-based products

-natural remedies and DIY’s

-meditation and mindfulness

-working on your growth and personal development

-being intentional with your thoughts, words and actions

-healthy emotional outlets

All of these in combination can help you feel well overall. Experiment with one and see how it makes you feel. Remember the things that benefit you the most will be unique to you. The goal is to learn to become more intuitive with what your specific body needs.

The fun part is starting small and getting good at one or two things. Then add in another habit to work on. The more you do it the more these healthy habits just become a part of who you are. All key components to overall wellness.

When you fuel your body with good things you will feel good!

The 80/20 Club

Now this may not be an actual club, but we are starting one right now. You may have heard about the 80/20 diet before, but how do you feel about carrying that idea throughout the other parts of your life. Mainly referring to holistic living and your wellness journey.

This whole idea basically means that you stick to 80% healthier choices, and leave room for 20% everything else. That could be having a dinner out, a sweet treat, or that one product you can’t see yourself swapping out just yet.

Wanna know a secret? You don’t have to be perfect with your health and wellness to still reap the benefits! 😮

Obviously the goal is to get better everyday, but knowing you don’t have to be perfect to achieve your goals is the right mindset to have. Living your life this way is much more attainable.

Shocking I know. Here in the 80/20 club we do things a little different. We create small, healthy habits one step at a time while still having the freedom to treat yourself every once in awhile.

This not only gives you more balance in life, but it’s much more sustainable in the long term. One other thing to remember is that when you stick with something for at least 30 days, you begin to see and feel the benefits. So don’t give up after one week. Keep going!

I’ll share more about how I do this one step at a time with a monthly wellness box subscription (sent straight to my door) in a future post.

Mental Health

All of us deal with some degree of a mental health issue. Whether that’s anxiety, depression, or something else. It doesn’t matter if it’s been clinically diagnosed or not, you know when you don’t feel your best or feel like something is off in your body. This is why Mental Health is SO IMPORTANT!

I have personally found ways to support my mental health that have helped so much. I occasionally deal with anxiety as I’m sure many of you do too. For me things like mindfulness, meditation, exercise and personal development seem to be the exact things I need to feel good.

Things I do to support my Mental Health:

• Meditation using the “Smiling Mind” App
• Exercise at least 4-5 times a week (walking outside, strength training, yoga, Foundation Training)
• Reading, listening to music, or watching an uplifting movie
• working on personal development (learning from a course, YouTube video, book)
• Self Care Day (pedicure, hair appt, extra sleep, time for whatever I need)

I know a lot of people also seek out therapy. That’s great! I personally haven’t done therapy yet but I wouldn’t count it out. Especially knowing it helps so many people in many ways. Never feel ashamed to ask for help.

Keep in mind that this list will look different for everyone. The key is to find what makes YOU feel good. I know if I don’t workout regularly, I don’t feel very good. So, exercise is one thing I have been consistent with my whole life.

Check out my post “5 Daily Habits to live a more positive life” HERE. This is another great reference filled with tips related to mindset and metal health.

How to start a holistic lifestyle using the 80/20 rule?

I hope this post was helpful for you! The whole point of going on a wellness journey is to become a better version of yourself each day. Continuously learning and growing into a better place than we were the year before.

This isn’t saying there is something wrong with you. It’s more about feeling your best so you can give your best to others around you. We are all here to help and to learn from each other.

You can’t pour from an empty cup, but the good news is that the cup is refillable!

Connect with me

There will be a part 2 of this wellness guide coming soon! In the meantime, be sure to follow me on social media. I spend most of my time on Instagram @motivate.educate.repeat or use the direct link HERE. This is where I’m sharing the latest and will keep you up to date on new recipes and other blog posts.

Want more on “How to start a holistic lifestyle using the 80/20 rule?” If you’d like something you can easily reference, you’ll want to subscribe to my email list HERE! When you sign up, I’ll send you a comprehensive wellness guide to help you get started on your journey. It’s filled with more info about the 80/20 lifestyle, grocery list, DIY recipes, and my favorite essential oils and supplements.

 

Wellness Guide (Part 2)

Nutrition, Supplements and Essential Oils

I hope you found this information helpful. I encourage you to take it one step further, check out my Wellness Guide (Part 2) HERE where I share all of the details about nutrition, supplements, and essential oils. Also included are some DIY recipes to support your body’s needs. You’ll want to save these for later!

I challenge you to pick TWO NEW THINGS to focus on this year. Stick with it for 30 days. Once that becomes easy to maintain, add another. This is a one step at a time approach to holistic living and wellness.

For more information on the 80/20 club and to stay up to date on the latest from me, follow me on Instagram ( @motivate.educate.repeat) or click the direct link HERE. I wish you a year full of health and wellness! I would love to hear your feedback in the comments below.