Do you want to live a healthy and happy life to the fullest? Do you feel anxious because of your diet and exercise habits? Do you have too much stress in your life? Take a look at these ten must-have habits for healthy living, and learn how to adopt some habits that will transform your unhealthy lifestyle into an active and healthy one. Let’s begin!
Whether it’s the traditional type of habits like flossing or healthy habits like drinking enough water, there are some things you can do today to live a more healthy life.
Being healthy doesn’t have to be a struggle. In fact, it can get pretty easy if you adopt these 10 habits.
1. Have a morning routine
Do you have a routine for waking up in the morning? Most people I know do, even if it’s just rolling out of bed and stumbling to the bathroom so you can brush your teeth. A routine is important for many reasons. It makes life easier because it takes away thinking about what to do next. Having a routine also shows that you are organized and don’t just wait for things to come to your door.
Routines are great because they turn small, scattered habits into something that happens without any effort. If you have a routine, then in theory all you have to do is stick to it.
If your routine is “get up whenever” and eat what you feel like, when you feel like it, then in practice you have no routine at all. But if your routine is “wake up at 6:00 every morning,” then when six o’clock comes around you are already awake. You don’t have to force yourself to get up; you can just get up.
And once you’re awake, having a routine makes it easier to eat right. If breakfast means eating leftover pizza out of the fridge, then getting up at 6:00 becomes a problem; but if breakfast means sitting down with your family and eating an apple and some yogurt, then getting up early doesn’t seem so hard after all.
So try having a morning routine—or make one if you don’t already have one—and see how it goes for you.
2. Stay hydrated throughout the day
If you’re thirsty, you’re already a little dehydrated. That’s the body’s way of telling you that it needs fluids to function properly. If you ignore that thirst, you’re making yourself more likely to feel tired and sick.
In the morning, drink a glass of water when you get up and another one 30 minutes before breakfast. During the day, make a point of drinking a glass of water at least every 2 hours. By the time you go to bed for the night, you should have taken in at least a gallon of water for the day.
This isn’t just about drinking when you’re thirsty, though. If your mouth is dry when you wake up in the morning, that means your body is already dehydrated even if your thirst sensation hasn’t kicked in yet. When that happens, double or triple your intake to catch up.
It can also be helpful to drink warm lemon water every morning on an empty stomach, followed by a hot cup of tea or coffee with no sugar or milk. This helps to detoxify your liver and kidneys so they’ll be less sluggish during the day.
The recommended daily intake of water for adults is 8 glasses (2 liters) per day. That seems like a lot, especially since most people don’t drink that much on an average day, but it’s important to remember that we’re constantly losing water through our skin and breathing, so we need to replace those losses throughout the day.
3. Have a fixed workout routine
“I’m going to the gym,” said no one. Everyone is aware of the importance of exercise in a healthy lifestyle, but in a world where we work longer and longer hours, it is easy to convince yourself that you will “get in a workout” in the evening after a long day of work.
In order to make sure you get your workout in, set aside a specific time for it each day. Make it part of your daily routine. It could be at 8:30 AM after breakfast, or 4:30 PM after work, or right when you wake up if that works for you.
Workout trainers will tell you the best time to work out is when your metabolism is most active, which would signify morning or late afternoon/evening workouts. If you prefer a morning workout, great!
But make sure you do not start your day with a workout unless you can devote yourself solely to it. Once you have picked your time slot and made sure there are no other pre-existing commitments during that period (unless they are more important than your health), try committing to that schedule for two weeks straight. You will see how easy it is to follow through on something if you plan ahead and schedule everything else around it.
So if you’re serious about working out, you should probably have a set workout routine. Here are some tips for setting up a routine that works for you:
1. Choose a popular workout routine. If you’re going to stick with your routine, you’ll do better if there’s a lot of information available about it. That includes information on how to do it (it shouldn’t be too hard) and how long it should take (so you won’t feel like quitting).
2. Choose an exercise that you enjoy enough to want to do every day. If an exercise is really fun, it can help you stay motivated even during the hard parts of your routine (like the last few reps). And if an exercise is really boring, it can make your whole workout seem like more of a chore than something fun to look forward to.
The important thing is to make an exercise routine part of your daily routine along with brushing your teeth and taking out the trash. Do it first thing in the morning if that works best for you.
4. Take the stairs over an elevator
In a perfect world, we’d all have a personal trainer to motivate us and help us avoid the stairs by carrying our groceries up to our apartment. In the real world, however, we have to get off our butts and do it ourselves.
What better way to start your day than taking the stairs over an elevator? It’s a small change that will make a huge impact on how you feel throughout the day. All you have to do is force yourself to walk up one flight of stairs whenever possible. After a while, you won’t even notice the extra 15 seconds it takes!
If you are considering taking the stairs instead of an elevator, here are 9 reasons to do it.
🏃🏻 It is good for your physical health.
💪 It makes you stronger and healthier in the long run.
👨 It keeps you fit through exercise.
🤸 Improves your posture over time.
🏃 This habit increases the amount of oxygen in your body when climbing stairs.
⛑ This habit gives you a feeling of being in control of your life, which is important for your self-esteem and confidence in life in general.
⏲ This habit makes you feel younger in spirit by helping to keep your heart, lungs, and muscles in good shape with regular exercise.
📚 This habit helps to keep you mentally alert and active throughout the day because the stairs make you walk up and down more frequently than waiting for an elevator can do (making it a great alternative to standing or sitting) during the day-to-day activity of life at work or at home; this can help prevent depression and Alzheimer’s Disease.
😍🌞 This habit will increase your energy level and help you feel happier and more positive (and also help to fight depression).
5. Get a fitness tracker
If you want to get in shape, a fitness tracker can be a great tool. It can help you set and reach fitness goals.
Fitness trackers are not just for losing weight. They can be used to keep an eye on any number of things including heart rate, blood pressure, pulse rate, calories burned, and more. Many people find that keeping tabs on these numbers helps them stay motivated and focused on their goals.
A fitness tracker is a great way to help you stick to your routine and ensure you’re always meeting your activity goals. There are lots of different types out there, so do your research to find one that suits your lifestyle.
Tip
If you wear glasses, make sure the fitness tracker you choose is compatible with them. It’s also important to make sure the tracker is comfortable enough for you to wear at all times.
The growing popularity of fitness trackers is a reminder that one can quantify just about anything — and that it’s sometimes enlightening to do so. A fitness tracker is a gadget that monitors and records your daily physical activity and makes it easy to share with others.
The devices, which come in a range of styles, typically include an accelerometer to measure steps taken and stairs climbed, a heart rate monitor, and other sensors. Some also integrate GPS technology for distance tracking and provide data on sleep quality.
In addition to the hardware, most fitness trackers are paired with smartphone apps that allow users to analyze their activity data. In some cases, they can even sync with other health-related apps, such as weight-loss programs or calorie-counting websites.
The most popular brand of fitness trackers is Fitbit, which was founded in 2007 by James Park and Eric Friedman. The company’s original product was called Fitbit Tracker; it was a clip-on device that counted steps. In 2009, the company released its first wireless product, the Fitbit Ultra. By 2011, the company had sold over 1 million devices. Today Fitbit has 19 products in its line of health-tracking gadgets. According to Consumer Reports’ February 2018 poll, Fitbits are the top-rated activity trackers on the market today.
6. Use non-toxic, chemical-free products
We are exposed to toxins every day, everywhere. The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat are all laced with them. Even the products that are supposed to keep us clean may be loaded with chemicals that are potentially harmful. The best way to keep your skin clean is to have a skincare routine that doesn’t include any chemical cleansers or soap products.
The skin is our body’s largest organ. How it looks and feels depends on how well it is cared for and protected. If you want your skin to look and feel great and stay healthy, then you need to use natural, toxin-free products that won’t harm your skin when used over time.
The best option is to use natural, organic products that will leave your skin looking and feeling its best without putting any toxic chemicals on it. These types of products may cost a little more than their chemical counterparts, but in the long run, they’ll keep your skin looking fresh and healthy without doing any damage to it.
You probably wouldn’t eat food with ingredients you can’t identify, so why would you put something on your skin or in your body that was made by a company that won’t tell you what’s in it?
Chances are the products you’re using now contain chemicals with names like “propylene glycol” and “fragrance” that aren’t required to be tested for safety. Often they’re derived from petroleum or natural gas—the same stuff that fuels cars!
It’s time to take charge of your health and choose safer healthier alternatives. And while you’re at it, try going without cosmetics altogether. Your body is a beautiful thing — don’t cover it up!
7. Stand up every 30 mins while working
You should stand up every 30 minutes during the day – even if you do not think you need to. It can be done, and it is very important for your health.
The most common cause of back pain is prolonged sitting. One study has found that people who sit at least 6 hours per day are three times more likely to develop chronic back pain than those who sit for fewer than 3 hours per day. Some people are even developing “desk hernias”, which are bulging disks resulting from the pressure of prolonged sitting.
Many studies have shown that taking short breaks in between sitting can significantly reduce the negative effects of sitting, including reducing the risk for diabetes, obesity, heart attack, stroke, and other conditions.
The best way to take these breaks is to stand up and walk around – just for a minute or two. This will help improve circulation and eliminate any blood clots that may have developed during the time you were sitting. Taking this type of break will also help strengthen your muscles by making them work against gravity when you are standing up. This helps prevent muscle atrophy when you are not exercising regularly.
8. Get 10-15 mins of sunlight every day
Sunlight is necessary for our bodies to produce vitamin D to absorb calcium – vital for healthy teeth and bones.
The body does not store Vitamin D for very long. It must be replenished on a daily basis. If you are not getting 20 minutes of sunlight every day, you are probably deficient in Vitamin D. And with that deficiency, it is likely that you are also deficient in calcium.
To get the most benefit from the sun, follow these steps:
- Make sure you have at least 10-15 minutes of sunlight daily without sunscreens, sunglasses, or any clothing that covers your torso or arms.
- If you wear makeup, make sure you remove all makeup before spending time in the sun
- Do not use any sunscreen cream with an SPF above 15
To achieve the highest level of health benefit from sunlight exposure, it’s best to expose yourself to direct sunlight in the early morning or late afternoon. Ideally, you’ll want to expose yourself at around 10 AM or 3 PM.
9. Get enough sleep
Sleeping is not just resting, it is repair and replenishment. It repairs your body and your mind. It repairs your immune system. It repairs your gut lining. It also replenishes neurotransmitters, hormones, and other chemicals that you use up during the day.
Sleep deprivation has been shown to have an impact on everything from fat metabolism to blood pressure, from insulin sensitivity to blood sugar levels, from inflammation to heart disease risk.
The need for sleep varies from person to person, but science shows that most of us need between seven and nine hours a night.
A major study of more than a million people in the United States found that sleeping less than six hours per night, or more than eight hours per night, increases your risk of death by a third. Sleeping too little or too much is associated with a range of diseases and conditions, including obesity and diabetes; heart disease; psychiatric disorders; and cancer.
The only reason most of us don’t get enough sleep is that we don’t prioritize it. We value other things more highly: like watching TV, or surfing the Web after midnight, or having another drink. That’s understandable. The problem with sleep isn’t that it’s unimportant — it’s that it’s inconvenient. It happens at night.
Getting enough sleep should be one of your top priorities. Do you want to be alert at work? Do you want to have energy for your children? Do you want to be able to enjoy your life? Then you need to get enough sleep. What kind of priority is sleeping if not the highest priority?
10. Spend 25-30 mins alone
Being alone with our thoughts, and at peace with the silence helps us to be more centered and present. It can also help us to be more creative and productive.
How to do it: Set a timer for 25 minutes and just sit quietly without distraction. You can close your eyes or you can keep them open and rest your gaze on a single point, like a candle flame or a picture on the wall. The key is to avoid focusing on anything that’s distracting (like television, newspapers, or your cell phone). Just let your mind wander as it will, noticing whatever comes into it.
Taking time each day to consciously breathe deeply nourishes our bodies and minds and creates a sense of well-being and calmness. It’s also one of the best exercises we can do for our health — deep breathing oxygenates our blood and tonifies the body, helping to ward off disease and illness. In addition, deep breathing relaxes the mind, allowing us to release tension from our bodies and minds that otherwise might manifest as stress or anxiety in our lives.
This is the time when you can best listen to your inner voice and solve problems that might be troubling you or get in touch with your deeper self.
When there is “no one else around,” we tend to feel safe enough to allow our true selves to emerge. It’s important to get in touch with yourself on a regular basis so that you know who you truly are and what you want. You will be able to see your situation more clearly and make better decisions about what is really important to you.
Conclusion
Health is vital to living a long and healthy life. Health means having control over your body, mind, and spirit. When you are healthy, you can achieve more in your life.
Healthy habits are the things you do every day that help you maintain or regain your health. They include everything from exercising regularly to eating right to getting enough sleep. These habits form patterns that influence the quality of your life.
