If your life was a movie, you would be the main character in it. This is something to keep in mind every day and give yourself the attention you deserve. The road to self-improvement starts from home since that’s where our lifestyle took root. Although resolve and dedication are the most valued for change, other things can help as well.
To inspire healthy habits at home, you need to decorate for health that will give you a push in the right direction. It doesn’t have to be big or expensive since even a few details can encourage you to lead a healthier life.
Here are some ways to do it — room by room.
1. Healthy habits start with decluttering
Decluttering has been one of the most popular processes when it comes to household improvements. This comes from the fact that mess and disorder create the same situation within ourselves, leading to negative outcomes to mental well-being based on 2016 research.
The hardest part is to start decluttering. Go through this taking one step at a time by decluttering something small that won’t take a lot of time and effort. For example, you can declutter your desk or kitchen counter and then proceed to something bigger, like your closet.
If you have trouble deciding where to start from, approach decluttering with a room-by-room strategy. Also, don’t set unrealistic and troublesome deadlines for cleaning up your home since that can make you quit or do the job poorly. Find pacing that suits you and try to enjoy bringing order into your space and, consequently, your life.
2. Finding your Zen in the bathroom
If you researched how to decorate for health, you probably encountered articles about the importance of your bathroom appeal. This comes from the fact that modern people don’t spend enough time resting and de-stressing. Even if you can afford to travel to a relaxing getaway, you still need your personal mini-resort to care for your body and mind.
Scented candles will bring exotic fragrances to your bathroom even when unlit, but you can also use aromatherapy products, like essential oils. The bathroom is the one place in your home that can do without natural light, but you should focus on artificial one. Install a dimmer so you can control the intensity of light, like setting a calming atmosphere to soak in the bathtub.
Changing the tiles and switching to brighter paint will make the space more positive and airy. Replacing your shower with a standalone bathtub can cost you extra, but the benefits are priceless. Warm water bathing can relax your muscles, increase serotonin levels, and help you sleep better.
3. Improve your diet with a new kitchen
The kitchen can inspire healthy habits if you organize it to remind you to eat healthier. The first thing you should do is get a bigger island or counter space. This will give you room to prepare your food, chop vegetables and fruits, and display appliances. That said, blender and juicer should always be easily accessible to encourage you to use them for smoothies and refreshing beverages.
Use your refrigerator to display motivational messages and recipes, as well as reminders of what to buy at the grocery store. A filtered water dispenser or pitcher should always be visible so you remember to pour a glass when you see it. Additionally, pour the water in a jug and add fruits, like blueberries and lemons to make it visually attractive to drink and infused with vitamins.
Ask your friends to get you a plant gift delivery for your newly decorated kitchen so you can create a small herb garden. Fresh basil, thyme, and rosemary make for wonderful spices in dishes, as well as bring sweet scents to the kitchen. However, when you are organizing your kitchen, don’t put food away in the pantry, but rather keep it at eye level. It’s a sure way to use healthy ingredients, like brown rice, nuts, and quinoa more often.
4. Create a dining room for the whole family
One of the main reasons people gain weight, are malnourished, or don’t eat regularly is because they don’t observe their meals as significant. However, you can change this by decorating your dining area so that you and your family want to spend time eating there together and without distractions, like phones.
Get a big enough table for all household members and comfy chairs, even if you suffer from a lack of space. Design solutions for tiny places have gone a long way and now you can find pieces that don’t take a lot of space but don’t restrict you either. For example, opt for tables that fold against the wall or have narrower dimensions.
A well-decorated dining room will help you build a healthy relationship with food. The ideal color is red because it stimulates the appetite. Since it may be overly energetic or considered aggressive, orange shades are a good second choice emitting a feeling of warmth and wholesomeness. Finally, a bowl of fruits on the table may remind you to take an apple or an orange for a snack instead of unhealthy options.
5. Make your living area a nurturing place
When it comes to the living area, you have more freedom to decorate it than any other part of the house. This comes from the fact that you and everyone else from your household will use this room as an entertainment and leisure space. Natural light is crucial for the living room, making the space brighter, bigger, and more open.
The best color choices are pastel, neutral, and uplifting colors that are not stimulating. Some of the popular choices are green, blue, and lavender, as well as earthy tones that make the room calmer and soothing. Artwork on the walls and plush furniture will make you want to spend more time in this room and relax.
If your living area is big enough, you can set up a workout space here. A yoga mat and dumbbells in the corner are excellent reminders to spend 20–30 minutes exercising in the morning to start the day energized. The Himalayan salt candle holder is thought to help eliminate allergens and pollutants from the air, as well as look great as a decoration. Lastly, keep a few plants in your living room, especially those that make more oxygen and purify toxins, based on NASA.
6. Turn your home office into a motivational space
The global pandemic has turned a lot of people into remote employees, with the majority of them working from their home offices. To give results and be productive, you need to decorate your home office to be an encouraging and stimulating environment. Start by framing motivational messages and hanging them on the wall, or have them as screen savers, if you lack the space.
The desk should be clutter-free all the time so you are not put off to work and procrastinate. Bring as much natural light as possible since it can keep you on your toes. Being exposed to crucial for proper circadian rhythm responsible for the sleep-wake cycle.
Plants should be a mandatory part of your home office considering they help increase productivity, lower stress levels, and make the space more attractive. Nature has an enormous impact on mood and behavior. According to a UK study, plants not only make the space aesthetically more pleasing but also increase concentration and productivity by 15%.
7. Decorate your bedroom for de-stressing and sleep
The bedroom is your private, inner sanctum — a place where you want peace to sleep and recharge for the next day. Before you start any other decoration, remove all electronic devices from the room, even your phone. TV, tablet, and phone screens emit blue light that can affect your circadian rhythm, tricking your mind and body that it’s still daytime. The same applies to unwanted lights coming from windows, so switching to drapes with nature motifs, like flowers and birds is more calming.
The mattress and size of the bed also have a huge role in having a good night’s sleep. Choose stores that allow returns in case you are unsatisfied to find the right one, even if you don’t plan to make a purchase online. Bed linens, pillows, and covers should all be made from comfortable and quality materials that won’t cause discomfort and allergies.
Sleep is essential for immunity, cell regeneration, memory, and mental health. When you decorate your bedroom, choose colors that will create a serene and warm environment, encouraging you to fall asleep. Slate blue, terracotta, and cream are some of the shades that are perfect for bedrooms, although neutral and soft tones will generally work well.
The bottom line
Living healthy is not only about exercising and eating better but about creating conditions that will inspire you to make life-long changes. When you decorate for health you are supporting healthy habits at home and adapting to them as a new normal. Sometimes all a room may need is a color change, but other times you may have to change the layout and make bigger transformations. But regardless of your budget and time, even the smallest change can be a start of an improved lifestyle.
Nina Simons is a lifestyle blogger, yoga aficionado and travel enthusiast with a distinctive taste for home decor. She’s passionate about learning new things and sharing meaningful ideas. In her free time, she loves to design clothes and furniture. If you wanna see what she’s up to you can find her on Twitter.
Image courtesy of Sasha Kim.
