9 fun, fabulous and totally free ways to live more mindfully

Women's Month is the perfect time to remind yourself and the women in your life to look after your physical health and mental wellbeing all year long. And you don't need to spend a lot of money to do it!

Why is it important to prioritise yourself? It's a common misperception that resilience is about pushing through the pain. Not so. Studies show that resilience is about how you rest and recover. It's about listening to your body, noticing when you feel fatigued and finding ways to protect and recharge your energy supplies when they start to burn out.

So, if you want to be your best self, you need to take care of you. Discovery Vitality wellness experts recommend nine fun, fabulous and totally free ways to live more mindfully every day:

Just breathe

Close your eyes and inhale through your nose. Count to four and then exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat until you feel refreshed. You can also try this short video introduction to breathwork with Dr Ela Manga.

Take a nap

Schedule a meeting in your diary... with your pillow! A 15-minute power nap in the middle of the day can make all the cobwebs go away.

Go for a walk

If you want to feel happier, grab your takkies and take a stroll around your neighbourhood or, even better, at your nearest, greenest park.

Play with pets

Whether it's a dog, a cat, a tortoise or a rat, studies show that playing with pets can boost your mood and make you feel good.

Get Vitamin D-lightful!

When you wake up, take your morning cuppa out into the sun. Just 15 minutes of basking in morning sunshine sets the tone for your day.

Create alone time

Book time to do... whatever you want! Tell your family you're taking time out to read a book, drink some tea, take a bath or do all three.

Get your heart racing

Just 30 minutes more exercise a day can make you healthier and happier. Plus, reward yourself with a coffee or more when you achieve your weekly exercise goal on Vitality Active Rewards.

Grab coffee with a friend

Making time to have coffee with a friend is a wonderful way to relax, refresh and reconnect. Plus, achieve your weekly exercise goal and get your coffee on us! (See the previous tip).

Take a scroll break

Sometimes you need to unplug to recharge. Make it your personal goal to switch off your phone an hour before you go to bed and switch it back on an hour after you wake up.

Another way to prioritise yourself? Complete the online Vitality mental wellbeing assessment to understand and improve six key areas that influence your mental wellbeing: resilience, depression, anxiety, wellbeing, drinking and sleep. Vitality members can earn 500 Vitality points twice a year for doing the assessment.

Feel unstoppable with Vitality and win!

Treat yourself and the unstoppable women in your life with a bumper edition of social media giveaways, unbeatable deals and not-to-be-missed special events. Find out more about Vitality's #WomenMove campaign.

Not a Vitality member yet? Join Vitality today and get your first 3 months for free!

Plus, start getting rewarded from day one with:

• Up to 25% back when you buy HealthyFood
• Up to 25% back on HealthyCare products
• And up to 75% saving on monthly gym fees
• Half-price movies with Vitality and Ster-Kinekor
• Weekly coffees, smoothies, shopping rewards and more for getting active.

And so much more!

Live mindfully with Vitality