15 Wellness Habits to Make You Look and Feel Great

In this post, you will learn wellness habits to practice as a mother that will make you look and feel great by nourishing your mind, body, and soul with love and respect.

There is something to be said about how our outer appearance can influence our emotions, mindset, and overall state of being. We all know how a good hair day or fitting in our jeans has the power to give us an instant confidence boost. Saying that all we care about is how we feel on the inside, no matter how beautiful and admirable that may be, would be a flat-out lie.

We are humans living in a civilized world — we care how we look. As women, we have been conditioned our whole lives to care about how we look. That conditioning is strong and although we can work on giving it less power, there will always be an element of it inside of us. However, there is a healthy level of caring and a good way to go about looking and feeling great.

What 3 unhealthy habits should you avoid?

Now that we’ve clarified that how we look is definitely an important element in how we feel, we have to discuss the unhealthy way to go about looking and feeling great.

1. Obsessing about how you look

What does that mean exactly? Well, an obsession is an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes a person’s mind. If you’re doing the dishes and thinking about how much more weight you need to lose, that’s an obsession. If you’re playing with your kids and all you can think about is if you look good doing it, that’s an obsession. If you spend enormous amounts of money on makeup and clothes, not because it brings you joy but because your self-love depends on it, that’s an obsession. If feeling unattractive keeps you from being in photos with your children, that’s an obsession. I think you get the point. 

2. Going to extremes

We should not put ourselves in uncomfortable positions in order to improve our appearance. I don’t mean healthy discomfort like taking a really difficult yoga class. I mean going to the gym twice a day for 2 hours at a time. I mean starving ourselves or following extreme, dangerous diets. I mean maxing out credit cards on clothing. If we’re doing something for the sake of bettering our appearance and it’s costing us large amounts of money or compromising our mental or physical health, we’re going to extremes. Going to extremes might make us look good for a little while, but it defiantly won’t make us feel good and those effects can last for a long time.

3. Letting your appearance take ownership of your life

As someone who went through a deep depression all throughout high school because I didn’t feel beautiful enough or thin enough, I know all too well the reality of letting appearances take control and the pain it can cause. I would not wish that kind of pain on anyone and my hope in writing this post is to hopefully save you from ever having to feel that way. We can care about and take pride in our appearances without letting it take ownership of our self-worth. Don’t let what you think you lack in the looks department keep you from loving yourself and living your best life. You are more than a face and a body. You are a heart and a soul. You have wisdom, opinions, ideas, and stories to share with the world. You are worthy and you deserve great things in this life even if you’re appearance is not your idea of “perfect”. What is perfect anyway?!

Okay, I got a little bit serious there, but it’s only because I am really passionate about this topic!

Look and feel great by nourishing your mind, body, and soul

The best way to look and feel great is to adopt wellness habits that nourish your mind, body, and soul in a healthy way. In order to look and feel our best, we need to show our bodies love and respect — and that’s not done through obsessing OR neglecting.

When I talk about not obsessing over your appearances or going to extremes, I don’t mean you should throw your hands up in the air and let the chips fall where they may. This isn’t an invitation to eat ice cream for breakfast and stop washing your face. This isn’t about NOT caring. It’s about caring from a place of love, respect, and appreciation for yourself and your body.

If you want to look and feel great, you have to take a lighthearted, loving, holistic approach. Nourish your mind, body, and soul because you love and respect yourself enough to know that you deserve the best. Cultivate wellness habits that are good for you and practice them every day. Small but consistent actions add up to create amazing, lasting results. 

Check out the 15 wellness habits that will make you look and feel great below

1. Drink warm lemon water every morning

One of the best things you can do to feel and look great is to drink warm lemon water every morning. Lemon water supports the liver’s natural ability to detoxify, which means better digestion and less bloating. Lemon water is full of vitamin C, which contains antioxidants that help your skin look younger. Vitamin C also helps the body to produce collagen, which we all know prevents wrinkles. Drinking lemon water can promote weight loss by hydrating the body and naturally suppressing hunger. Plus, it gives you more energy and enhances your immunity. Adding a lemon water habit to your day is a gentle way to support your body and feel amazing!

2. Dry brush before every shower

Something we can do to help our skin look brighter, smoother, and healthier is to dry brush before every shower. If you’ve never heard of dry brushing, it’s the process of taking a soft bristle dry brush and using it to exfoliate the skin on our bodies. Some of the benefits of dry brushing are improved circulation, reduction in the appearance of cellulite, prevention of ingrown hairs, discharge of metabolic waste, and fewer clogged pores just to name a few. If you want to learn more details about dry brushing or how to do it, check out this article on MindBodyGreen.

3. Use an ointment or cream instead of lotion to moisturize after showering

You’ve probably heard that the best time to put lotion on is right after you shower. Well, apparently lotion isn’t the best moisturizing option. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, lotion can be irritating and contains preservatives. It also evaporates quickly and is, therefore, less effective at locking in moisture than ointments and creams. If you want to make sure your skin stays healthy and truly moisturized, swap out your daily lotion with a daily ointment or cream instead!

4. Implement a natural skin care routine

If you have ever suffered from acne, you know how much the condition of your skin can affect your self-esteem. That’s why it’s so important to find a skincare routine that works for your skin and implement it daily knowing the effect it can have on your emotional health. However, in my opinion, not just any old skincare routine will do. I think in order to show your skin the love and respect it deserves, you should aim to create the most natural skincare routine you can. That means using products that are free of toxic, harmful chemicals. The more we expose our body to toxins, the harder it has to work to get rid of them. We can show our skin respect by using products that nourish and protect it, so it doesn’t have to work so dang hard.

5. Use non-toxic personal care and cleaning products

Your skincare routine isn’t the only place you can go more natural and save your body the stress of having to work extra hard to detox excess chemicals — you can make ALL your personal care products non-toxic. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, makeup, toothpaste, etc. There are so many personal care products that we can replace with non-toxic alternatives. And while you’re at it, why not replace all your cleaning products too? Laundry and dish detergent, dish soap, kitchen cleaner, bathroom cleaner — all the things! Our skin is our largest organ and everything that touches it gets into our bodies. By making sure that everything that gets into contact with our skin has the least amount of chemicals possible, we are showing our body love and respect.

6. Give yourself some makeup free days

Speaking of your skin, one of the best things you can do for your skin is to give it a little breather. Give yourself some makeup-free days! If you’re a makeup person this one might be hard. I know some women love putting makeup on in the morning and don’t feel like themselves if they don’t. Personally, makeup has never been something I really loved and I feel like I’d rather spend the time it takes me to put it on doing something else; so this one is easy for me to recommend. But if you find joy in wearing makeup don’t deprive yourself of that, just try to give yourself at least one day a week to go without makeup and let your skin breathe.

7. Eat less sugar and processed food when you can

One way you can show your body love and respect is to eat less sugar and processed food. I am not going into detail about why refined sugar and processed food are bad for us because I think that’s basically common knowledge by now. I am not telling you to deprive yourself or follow a strict diet. Anytime you make something completely off-limits it just makes you want that thing so much more. I’m simply suggesting getting into the habit of making a better choice when given the option. For example, let’s say you are deciding what to have for breakfast today. You know had cereal for breakfast yesterday, so maybe have something healthier today, like a smoothie or avocado toast. It’s all about balance and mindfully making better choices more often.

8. Make one meal a day completely plant-based

One way to guarantee some balance in your diet is to make one meal a day completely plant-based. Be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It doesn’t matter. Eating a plant-based diet has been proven to provide numerous health benefits such as weight loss, lower risk of diabetes, improved digestion, improved skin clarity, and more energy just to name a few. Translation — eating plant-based will make you look and feel great! However, eating completely plant-based can feel limiting and hard to do if you feel like you’re forcing yourself to do it. That’s why making it a daily habit to eat at least one plant-based meal a day is a great place to start.

9. Eat more mindfully and without distractions

Respecting and loving your body means not giving it more food than it needs. As an admitted overeater, I know the pain of a stomach that’s too full and the guilt that quickly follows. Overeating is definitely an emotionally rooted issue and if you think you have a problem with overeating, I highly recommend checking out Marisa Peer. You can find some really incredible information and resources about overeating on her website and YouTube channel. One way we can try to combat eating more than our bodies can handle is eating more mindfully and without distractions. When we are watching TV while mindlessly scooping ice cream into our mouths it’s easier to look down and realize the whole carton is empty. Conversely, if we are sitting at a table without distraction or chatting with someone face to face we are way more likely to realize how much we’ve eaten. Getting into the habit of eating more mindfully and without distractions can help us from consuming unnecessary calories and gaining weight as a result. 

10. Eat dinner before 7pm

Another healthy eating habit we can get into is eating dinner before 7 pm. Eating an earlier dinner gives your body a chance to digest the food you just ate before you go to sleep. It’s generally suggested that you don’t go to bed for at least two hours after eating a meal. Eating dinner before 7 pm can help with heartburn and weight control as well as help you sleep better and give you more energy. Of course, eating early is sometimes easier said than done. I know for me sometimes I’m working and don’t realize the time and end up eating dinner at 8 pm because if I don’t I’ll wake up in the middle of the night starving. It happens more often than not. That’s why it’s so important to make eating early a daily habit that you don’t have to consciously think about but instead it’s just ingrained in your day. 

11. Drink more water

Okay, okay I know you’ve heard this one a million times before, but I’m going to say it again — the best way to show your body love and respect is to stay hydrated! When you don’t drink enough water you are more likely to crave sugar, feel hungrier, get a headache, get constipated, feel sleepy, have dry skin, and even have a lower concentration level. Basically, not being adequately hydrated makes you look and feel like crap. Even knowing all the negative side effects of not drinking enough water, drinking enough water throughout the day is a hard habit to implement. I am the worst at remembering to drink water. Usually, the day will fly by and I’ll realize I didn’t have anything to drink but a cup of tea. If you’re looking for ways to up your water intake, check out this article on easy ways to drink more water. I love the suggestion of drinking water every time you pee. I’m going to try that!

12. Move your body every day in some way

Finding the time and energy to work out as a busy mom is beyond hard. Unless you’re one of those women who love exercising and it’s at the top of your priority list, it’s most likely not going to happen. But we all know how important exercise is for our mental and physical health, so we can’t just throw our hands in the air and call it quits. We have to get into the habit of moving our bodies every day in some way even if it’s hard at first. Any type of movement is better than no movement at all. Going to the gym or doing a high-intensity workout isn’t the only way to get your body moving. Find a way to move your body that you love so you’re more likely to do it. Do you love running? Wake up earlier and run every morning before your kids get up. Do you love dancing? Sign up for a dance class or put on music every day and just dance. Do you love being outside? Go for a walk every day with the kids. Do you like more calming workouts? Put in a yoga DVD while your children nap. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but we have to try harder to get our bodies moving every day if we truly want to look and feel our best.

13. Practice gratitude daily

Gratitude is scientifically proven to improve a person’s psychological well-being and new studies show that practicing gratitude can actually improve your physical health. Start to become more aware of the ways in which you can practice more gratitude as a way to show your body love and respect. One of my favorite ways to practice gratitude is by having a gratitude journal. Every day I write down at least 5 things I feel grateful for that day. Another thing I love to do is thank the universe for the things I’m grateful for thought the day. For example, as I’m eating breakfast I’ll say in my head, “Thank you universe for this amazing oatmeal!” After every shower, I thank the water for making me clean again. I know that sounds so silly and ridiculous, but being in a constant state of gratitude and appreciation really has the power to change your life.

14. Go through your day mindfully

Simply put, mindfulness means being more aware of your thoughts, feelings, and actions at the moment. Practicing mindfulness is proven to reduce stress, which causes anxiety, insomnia, frequent illness, and gastrointestinal issues, just to name a few. One of the best wellness habits to cultivate is going through your day mindfully. Do your best to be completely present in every moment. When you’re playing with your kids, just focus on playing with your kids. Not the list of the million things you need to get done tomorrow. When you’re at work, just focus on the task at hand. Not the meeting you’re nervous about later that day. When you’re going for a walk, notice the sky, trees, and sounds of nature. Instead of letting your mind wander. Mindfulness takes practice, but the more you do it the easier it gets and the better you’ll feel.

15. Meditate every single day

Daily chronic stress can take a huge toll on your appearance. Under-eye bags, premature aging, wrinkles, grey and thinning hair, dry skin, and acne are all negative effects that stress can have on your looks. Meditation is the best stress reduction technique you will ever find. Getting into the habit of meditating at least once a day for 15 minutes can drastically reduce your overall stress levels. Even beyond your appearance, meditation also controls anxiety, promotes emotional health, and lengthens your attention span. All things I know every mama would love. If you are interested in learning more about meditation and its ability to reduce stress, check out Emily Fletchers Stress Less, Accomplish More. She teaches a great meditation technique that’s great for busy moms.

In summery, it’s all about intentionality and balance.

Feeling and looking great shouldn’t feel like a struggle. Being your best self and looking your best is all about treating your body with love and respect. Be intentional about your choices and create balance. I believe that if you truly nourish your mind, body, and soul equally you will effortlessly look better than you ever have. Not only that, you will feel better than you ever have — and isn’t that the most important goal anyway?