Your Guide to Creating a Balanced Holistic Wellness Routine
- Jolie Vie Team
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
What does Holistic Wellness mean ?
Holistic wellness is an approach to health that considers the whole person. The body, mind, and spirit rather than just treating specific symptoms.
Where do you Start ?
Creating your own wellness routine from scratch can be tricky, especially if you don’t know where to start. The important thing to remember is that long-term habit formation takes time, which means consistency is key.
Ready to find your balance? Here are eight steps to building a holistic wellness routine that supports long‑term wellbeing :
Step 1 : Building Consistency
Starting with small, manageable actions and increasing them gradually supports the development of sustainable long‑term habits. This approach reduces the likelihood of feeling overwhelmed & supports steady motivation.
Sustainable habits solidify with time and repetition. As the behavior becomes more consistent over time, it'll make it easier to keep it part of your routine.
Don't worry, getting started doesn't need to be complicated. It can be as simple as adding a 10 minute walk to your daily routine or upgrading your fruits and vegetables intake.
If you're aiming to enhance your physical routine, slow and steady wins the race. Gradually increasing movement leads to longer-lasting behavior than abrupt spikes. For instance, someone who doesn't move regularly might find it challenging to suddenly start maintaining a walking routine of 7,500 steps per day. Building up to that level is a more sustainable long-term approach.
Consistent walking is associated with significant reductions in the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.
Don't expect to be perfect from the start, you'll most likely miss a day or experience the occasional lapse. It's totally normal and will have little to no effect in the long-run.
Step 2 : Prioritize Quality Sleep
It's recommended for adults to aim between seven and nine hours of sleep every night. The importance of a healthy sleeping schedule isn't a myth. In fact, both insufficient and excessive sleep can increase cardiovascular risks.
Achieving seven hours of quality sleep isn’t always easy, but there are ways to help you improve your bedtime routine.
To start, you can try going to bed and waking up at the same time every day (including weekends), because it'll reinforce your body’s circadian rhythm. If you have trouble winding down before going to sleep, you can take a warm shower, read a book, meditate, etc. The goal is to guide your brain into a state of calm, so it can smoothly shift into restful sleep mode.
While extra sleep can help reduce sleepiness and restore some cognitive functions, fully catching up on lost sleep is largely a myth, as mood, memory, and overall brain recovery often require several nights of consistent rest.
In addition to establishing a consistent sleep schedule, managing your exposure to blue light in the evening can help your body prepare for sleep. In fact, the blue light that emits from television or cellphone screens suppresses melatonin, the sleeping hormone. Therefore, the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine recommends avoiding screens 1–2 hours before bed, or using blue-light filters if necessary.
Step 3 : Move Daily
The goal isn’t to test your limits on a daily basis, since that can lead to overexertion. Instead, it’s to get you moving at least a little every day, because even brief, regular movement improves heart, mental, and cognitive health.
In fact, the World Health Organization emphasizes that regular physical activity releases mood-boosting brain chemicals (like endorphins and serotonin), enhances self-esteem, improves concentration & sleep, and reduces anxiety & depression.
A key element is to nurture your spirit. If you love the activity you’re doing, you’re more likely to stick with it over time, because you won't feel like you have to do it, you'll just want to. For example, if you like to go on walks, you can take up brisk walking (walking at a faster paste) for 20-30 minutes a few times a week.
If you're new to exercise, you can try starting with low impact cardio, like four minutes of high-intensity movement a day. Just that small effort could cut a woman’s risk of heart disease almost in half.
You can try cycling (stationary or outdoors) for 20 minutes (two to three times a week), swimming/aquatic exercises for 20-30 minutes (two to five times a week). The important thing to do is to gradually increase duration in order to avoid overexertion/discouragement.
Step 4 : Prioritize Recovery
Recovery is an important step of your workout schedule. A beneficial way for your mental & physical health to recover safely is by doing contrast therapy (otherwise known as contrast bathing, hydrotherapy or as the thermal cycle).
It is the therapeutic use of water at alternating temperatures - hot and cold.
It is used to stimulate psychological responses that support healing & regulation of the body, especially the circulatory and nervous system.
Step 5 : Nourish yourself with balanced Nutrition
In today's society, we’re always on the go, which can make incorporating healthy meals a real challenge.
A few helpful tips: focus on whole foods — fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats. Omega-3s (found in salmon, walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia) support both brain and heart health.
Remember to eat mindfully — slow down, chew thoroughly, pay attention to your hunger cues, and stay hydrated (keep a water bottle with you).
Key takeaway: Nutrition isn’t about strict rules or deprivation; it’s about balance, variety, and consistency.
Step 6 : Care for your mind
Taking care of your mind is just as important as caring for your body. Engaging in activities that stimulate your brain and nourish your mental well-being can have lasting benefits.
One way to support your mental habits is through tracking and social support. Writing down your goals, using habit-tracking apps, or involving accountability partners can significantly improve your chances of success.
Additionally, practicing gratitude regularly does more than lift your mood. Research shows that noting what you’re thankful for can boost optimism, sharpen focus, enhance emotional well-being, encourage more physical activity, and even improve sleep quality.
Step 7 : Social connection
It might not immediately come to mind that strong social connections are linked to better physical and mental health, but research confirms it.
In fact, a lack of social connection and loneliness is closely associated with poorer physical health and a higher risk of mortality. Having solid social ties can support your mental well-being and even reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
When it comes to relationships, prioritize quality over quantity. It’s far more beneficial to nurture a few meaningful connections than to maintain a large number of superficial acquaintances.
Step 8 : Reflect & Adjust
It is completely normal not to get your holistic wellness routine perfectly balanced on your first try.
The most important thing is to stay as consistent as possible. Skipping a day or two doesn’t mean failure, because small inconsistencies won’t derail long-term habit formation. Instead, reflect on what went wrong and adjust your routine accordingly.
Finding the right combination of wellness activities is often a process of trial and error.
Most importantly, be patient with yourself ; progress takes time and every step matters.
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