10 Simple Tips to Increase Your Wellness

10 Simple Tips to Increase Your Wellness

1. Park further away from your destinations during the day and walk the extra steps to get to where you have to be.
2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator. Each day, this can add up to a great consistent cardio workout that is already in your schedule. Take the stairs, both up and down!
3. Drink water throughout the day, as this will counteract the unhealthy cravings. Keep an H2O bottle at work, on your person and in your car. I prefer stainless steel – it’s better for the environment. LA-based fitness professional Brian Bartell says that the more water you drink, the less your body will hold onto it. It's counterintuitive, but more water in means more water out, and the more lean you will be. Water is what burns fat!
4. Make each meal about food enjoyment. Be conscious of what you’re eating. Never make the meal a secondary focus layered with many distractions. There’s a great article in the February New York Times about “food awareness.” In summary, the article says that the best diet is to be present during your meal and make the meal about satisfaction rather than satiation.
5. Stress may have extra letters, but it definitely is a four-letter word. Set your boundaries, and don’t put more on your plate than you can handle. I know sometimes that is easier said than done, but it is true that “charity begins at home”, so be kind to yourself and be your own best friend. That’s the California groovy part of me speaking.
6. Say something positive to someone each day. You’d be surprised how it not only makes the other person feel good and appreciated, but how much it makes you yourself feel good. 
7. Sleep is so important to the rejuvenation from each day. From my own work experience, it seems to be the most sacrificed element of wellness. Whatever time the next day has to start, try to coordinate getting to sleep at the time that will give at least 7-8 hours of rest. And whatever thoughts are replaying in your mind, attempt to “shut them off.” You can pick these thoughts up when you get up the next day. They’re not going anywhere. (And the beds at Blackberry Farm are a vacation in and of itself.)
8. Make sure to visit Blackberry Farm each season. There’s something new each time to experience for the senses. Taking a break from the hectic pace that is required of daily life is the best gift you can give yourself toward total balance in health. Enjoy the gift that the Farm is and make the most of each moment! Schedule a few hours during your stay to just sit in a rocking chair and just be. Then, when that’s done, jump up and do something fun out in nature with all the great Blackberry Farm options.
9. Another very important item: When hiking the Great Smoky Mountains and you hear the banjo playing the theme song from “Deliverance” – rule of thumb – hike the other way … just kidding! 
10. Do something FUN each day no matter how small. Try to do it out in nature – it’s there just waiting … ENJOY!

– Jay Anthony, Celebrity Wellness Trainer/Blackberry Farm Transformation Retreat Host