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Nourishing our bodies does not stop with eating a healthy diet. All too often we stop at food though. We so easily ignore that nagging voice that says we need to take it easy, relieve stress, move more, and take some time for ourselves. Even those of us that know better still do this.

In this day and age when phones, Facebook, and overcommitments rule, I don't think it's so much a matter of time but of priorities and convenience that prevents us from taking this time for self care. It's just SO easy to grab your phone and check your Facebook feed as a misguided point of decompression than to do something that actually will help you rejuvenate. Unfortunately that social media session will just further use up your brainpower and sometimes it even leaves you feeling worse than when you started because you start comparing yourself to others. Why am I not on a vacation in Belize? How did SHE lose 20 pounds on that diet when I've been eating so healthy for so much longer? So on and so forth.

Since attention spans these days are short, I realized that maybe we needed a quick way to remind us to take a minute or two to ourselves. Enter the self care and movement dice!

 

These are two different cubes that hold simple stress relief, self care and movement techniques that take just a few minutes or less to do but can make a big difference in your attitude and outlook. Easy wins. All you need to do with these is print them out, cut them out, tape them into a cube shape and then set them on your desk, on your coffee table, on your kitchen island – wherever you might see them throughout the day. Then when you see them, give them a toss and do what they say. You can throw just one or both – one is simple self care techniques like breathing deeply 5 times, listening to sounds around you, or thinking of 3 things you are grateful for and the other is short movements, like a 1 minute plank, 10 pushups, 10 squats, or do a downward dog for 1 minute.

If for some reason you really hate one of them or can't do one (like the squats), simply cross off the words and write your own in. I'll just have to trust you that you don't put “take a shot of tequila” as one of them 🙂 And do what you can. If you get “go for a walk” and it's -20 out and 50 mph winds, walk to your bathroom. Or re-roll.

They are also great to use with kids – a perfect television or iPad break and a wonderful introduction to self care and love. It's so fun to hear what my kids come up with for “what are 3 things you are grateful for” or “give yourself a compliment”. Love giving them that positive reinforcement in this increasingly negative world.

I think you'll find that as you use these you'll feel less stressed and happier, and as you get these easy wins in you'll most likely notice a desire to do more. Research continually shows that little steps are the key to big results, so these are a low-key way of getting the ball rolling!

All you need to do is download the file below. (It's free, no email address needed or anything). Enjoy!