Self-Improvement

Who said New Year’s Day is the only time of year when we can come up with a list of ways to improve ourselves? Fall is a fantastic season to begin making some beneficial changes to your daily routines. This practice can help you find balance and peace of mind during the coming months of holidays and winter weather. Since September is National Self-Improvement Month, we thought this was the perfect time to compile a list of simple activities that can help strengthen your mental and physical health.

Meditation

The positive effect of meditation on mental wellbeing has been documented in various studies for decades. For instance, you can read this study from Harvard Health Publishing, which argues that mindful meditation may ease one’s level of stress. Out of all the suggestions listed here, meditation is the easiest to incorporate into your daily routine. You only need a window of 10 or more minutes in your day and a quiet, comfortable spot to sit. Your spacious Whitney Ranch home and the community’s beautiful parks are ideal places to practice meditation. If you have never meditated before and would like to start with your best foot forward, check out Mindful’s excellent guide to meditation.

Yoga

Although yoga incorporates aspects of meditation, this low-impact workout can benefit your body as well as your mind. It’s easy to make yoga part of your life at Whitney Ranch since our community hosts yoga classes for residents every Thursday at 9 am! Although attending a class is a great way to add yoga to your schedule, you can also get your yoga on just about anytime, anywhere. As with meditation, you can enjoy doing yoga in the quiet privacy of your home, or you can head to one of Whitney Ranch’s parks. At the park, you can practice your downward dog and other positions, while feeling the warm sunshine and gentle breezes on your skin. If you would like to learn more about the benefits of yoga for your overall well-being, we encourage you to check out this entertaining and informative video from TedEd.

Reading

With our busy schedules and plethora of apps vying to distract us with endless feeds, it’s not uncommon to leave little to no time for reading. Many of us would like to be reading more but have trouble squeezing it into our day. One way to get back into reading is by being aware of the documented benefits that daily reading can have on your physical and mental health. Researchers have even used MRI scans to show that reading can strengthen our neural networks and increase our brain connectivity — as is highlighted in this article by Healthline. You can also encourage yourself to start reading again by setting aside 30 minutes of your day that is reserved solely for reading. Make sure you place your phone on silent and/or somewhere out of reach when you sit down to bury yourself in a book. Check out more reading tips in this inspiring article from Medium.

Creative Activities

Did you used to love painting, writing, dancing, singing, etc, but have not given time to these activities in months, or maybe even years? This Self-Improvement Month, we encourage you to begin investing time in these passions once again. Tapping into our creativity for fun is one of the best ways to increase our overall happiness and improve our sense of self, so why not pick up that paintbrush or put on those dance shoes.

Whitney Ranch offers the perfect setting for starting your self-improvement journey, from tranquil parks and trails, and community events at The Ranch House, to peaceful homes with plenty of space for pursuing activities that enhance the mind, body, and spirit. Contact our Community Representatives, today, to learn more about the Whitney Ranch experience.