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What better gift than a gift of wellness? What better reason to treat yourself to a gift than simply because you deserve it? There’s no need to wait for your birthday or the holidays to roll around, especially when the reward is good for your well-being — good for your mind, your body, and your soul. We all deserve to treat ourselves now and again, and the fact that we are doing it for the sake of own health minimizes the guilt and maximizes the benefits. The following are just a few suggestions for wellness items to add to your personal wishlist.

Your mind

Of course, you want to take care of your mind.  Stretching your brain in new ways helps ward off dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, not to mention stimulates you to grow and develop as a person. I found these great ideas at SheKnows:

• Use it or lose it. Scientists teamed up to create the Beef up Your Brain puzzle book.  There are exercises for improving focus, memory, and mental fitness.  Available from Amazon.com.
• Puzzle me this! Take jigsaw puzzles to a whole new level that is artistic and challenging with the Alex Beard Not only are these puzzles complex and beautiful, they offer you a cool creative outlet — you can assemble them in whatever way you would like because of how the pieces fit together.

Your body

We’re all aware that taking care of our bodies is important, but there may be more benefits than you ever considered.  Some experts say that not only will better physical fitness keep you slimmer and help fend off various health concerns, it can help you sleep better, improve your social life, put you in a better mood, and even improve your sex life. Here are some great gift ideas from the Chicago Tribune to gift yourself:

• Stay hydrated! Are you working a workout into your lifestyle? Don’t neglect hydration!  Do it in style with the Elle bkr. It’s whimsical, dishwasher safe, and fits in your car’s cup holder.
• Track your workout. The right activity tracker is fun and user-friendly and could even become your favorite fashion accessory. If you need some real-time coaching, try the TomTom Spark GPS Fitness Watch. It offers a voice coach to encourage you through your workout and even plays music to accompany your routine.
• Kick it! Looking for a way to monitor your activity without actually having to wear a tracker? Try the Adidas miCoach Smart Ball. It’s a soccer ball that tracks every time you kick it and formulates feedback based on spin and impact data that improves your game.  What fun!

Your soul

Items that promote peace and inner well-being are indispensable. Here are some wonderful recommendations from Redfin for gifts that feed your soul:

• Not just for kids anymore! Coloring books for grownups are all the rage, and with good reason. These simple exercises are crafty, you can enjoy them at home, and they inspire your imagination. Enjoy them as a meditative and creative outlet!
• Downtime.  Let’s face it, it’s a dog-eat-dog world, and most of us are on the run more than we should be. Give yourself the gift of downtime with a home-cooked meal delivered to your door.  Blue Apron offers meals which require minimal effort on your part and lots of homemade goodness. Top it off with that extra bit of time to savor it and relax, you can hardly go wrong.
• Speaking of homemade. Spend a little time in the kitchen making something that pampers but won’t be gone in one sitting. Try a homemade mustard, tapenade or a delectable jam that will spice up boring fare. Visit CentralJersey.com for some great recipes.

Use these inspirations to put together a wishlist that will improve your lifestyle and promote a healthier you! Go ahead, give yourself the gift you know you’ll use. Trust me, your mind, body, and soul will thank you.

This article is courtesy of Scott Sanders

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Scott Sanders is the creator of CancerWell.org, which provides resources and support for anyone who has been affected by any form of cancer. He is also the author of the book Put Yourself First: A Guide to Self-care and Spiritual Wellness During and After Cancer Treatment.

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