Safinaz's 4 Best Practices to Achieve a Healthy Lifestyle at Dell Technologies

Safinaz S. | Advisor, Talent Acquisition | Malaysia

Like most people, my journey with health is complicated; I have succeeded, failed, tried again and almost given up. I truly embraced a holistic approach to wellness when I realized it was really a matter of choice. I asked myself, what is it that I want from life, and what can I do to achieve it? While in the beginning I was focused on losing the kilos and looking good in outfits, my focus slowly shifted to incorporating several different elements that could provide me with not only physical fitness but also mental serenity. To this day, I incorporate these simple things into my daily routine, and it has worked wonders. I would love to share some of the practices I have in the hopes that you may find them useful too.

Meal regime:

I don’t believe in fad diets since I love food too much! Instead, I practice portion control and mindful eating.

I always followed the notion that if you deprive yourself of foods you enjoy, you will eventually gorge on them, and that will impact your health. One of the ways I control my portions is to eat on a smaller plate, tricking my brain into thinking I just ate a plate full of my favorite food. It was tough initially, but now it has become a habit.

I also practice mindful eating. How many of us are guilty of eating our meals either while working, while watching TV, or while on the phone browsing social media? Mindful eating is simply disconnecting from everything and focusing on what you’re eating. Let yourself savor the flavors of the meal, chewing slowly and tasting each bite. You’ll see that you’re not only enjoying your meal, but your tummy will be happier and fuller.

Exercising: Endorphins? Yes, give me some of that! Exercise is one of the best ways to rejuvenate and boost your mood. It’s hard for someone who has not exercised a day in their life to suddenly start exercising. I started by getting a personal trainer to help me. If that’s not an option for you, there are simple ways to start—perhaps going for a walk or dancing if that’s what you enjoy. The key point is to move around and sweat it out. Even doing housework could be a form of exercise. To make it into your daily routine, choose an activity you enjoy so you’ll never get bored doing it! Don’t look at the scales. That’s right! I said it! I changed my goals from losing weight to being healthy. Instead of watching out for weight loss, I noticed my exercises made me feel good, made me feel more energetic, and helped me stay focused. These are long-term benefits, while losing the excess weight is just an extra bonus. Trust me, if you are consistent, the weight loss will come.

Sleep:

A lot of people have trouble sleeping or often sacrifice sleep by choice to pack more active hours into the day. I used to do this until I realized the impact it had on not only my mental well-being but also my physical outlook. Believe it or not, I gained weight because of my disrupted sleep routine.

Over time, I changed and started creating a more sleep-friendly environment. I cooled down my room by switching on the air conditioner before bed, and I bought blackout curtains to filter the streetlights from outside. This is a toughie for anyone, but I also always put my phone away from me before I go to sleep. I allow absolutely no electronics nearby for me to get distracted. If you have a diffuser, that's even better; be sure to use it with essential oils like lavender, chamomile, bergamot, or others to set the tone of your room.

I also created a consistent bedtime schedule. I sleep at 11 p.m. and wake up at 7 a.m. every day, yes, even on weekends. This helped me regulate my internal body clock, and eventually, it became a habit.

Mental Wellness: Mental wellness is probably the most important aspect of everyone's wellness journey. Without being in the right state of mind, any of the above would be almost impossible to achieve. To care for myself, I usually do the things that bring me joy, such as creating art. I don’t publicize them, but just the idea of creating something for myself gives me a sense of achievement and happiness. Pick something that you enjoy doing and turn it into a hobby. Take at least an hour to delve into these activities. There’s no right or wrong in choosing something you enjoy, so if housework is what makes you happy, then go for it! As long as, at the end of the task, you feel fulfilled, you are doing it right.

I’ve also started becoming more aware of my surroundings and being more mindful of each activity I do, even the most mundane ones. As they say, take time to stop and smell the roses. When you actively take in your environment, you become more aware of the importance of being in the moment. I even do this when I am taking a shower. We speed through our days and forget to embrace the tiny moments that are given to us. Once you start doing this, you’ll notice your general outlook on life will become more colorful.

In many ways, when I started working at Dell Technologies, I didn’t feel like my wellness journey would be affected in any way. In fact, I found an abundance of resources to help me through this journey, from our array of ERGs, Dell’s Wellness Hub, to having access to Intellect, an app that Dell has collaborated with to improve our well-being. I managed to not only continue but also improve my routines.

While embarking on a wellness journey may be difficult to start, the fact that you chose to start is a victory. Start off small. You don’t need a complete overhaul of your life; it will take a long time before you finally embrace the routine you established. Most importantly, if you fail, it’s okay; do not be too hard on yourself. If you’re confused about where to start, register with Dell Wellness Hub, participate in the activities, get connected with like-minded people, track your progress, and get yourself onto the Intellect app. It may be just the thing you need to kickstart your wellness adventure.

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