Hello, lovelies!
Today I want to talk about some simple steps that you can take to improve your health, which will make you feel good and be happier too! These are going to be healthy habits that you could try incorporating into your life RIGHT NOW to make a difference in your health and wellness. Everything starts with a first step, and I'm here to give you some ideas of what that first step might be.
Now, I do want to say that ultimately, any changes that you want to make in your life have to come from you and have to be important to you. You know yourself better than anyone, and you have to focus your energy on the things that you most care about.
So go ahead and pick one or two things on this list that resonate the most with you, make a goal around that, and try to incorporate them into your routine this week!
Now, ON WITH THE LIST
1. Take the Stairs
Alright, I'm sure you've heard this one before. But truly one of the best ways to add physical activity to your day is to incorporate it into what you already do. Sometimes you may not have time to hit the gym, but you can at least include some physical activity throughout your day by taking the stairs whenever possible.
2. If You Can Walk... Walk!
This one is the same basic idea as #1. Find a time in your day to incorporate more walking into your life, that way you get some physical activity throughout your day! Maybe that means you park a couple blocks away from work so you have a 5-10 minute walk to the office. Maybe you can walk to the mailbox instead of driving by it on your way home. Or maybe you're lucky enough that your friend's house or doctor's office is within walking distance - find somewhere to fit in more walking, and your body will thank you!
3. Start Your Day With Water
When you first wake up in the morning, there's a good chance you're dehydrated. Think about it - you just slept for 7-8 hours (hopefully) and that whole time your body was keeping you alive and doing it's thing, but not taking in any water. Put a bottle of water on your nightstand the night before, that way when you wake up in the morning you can reach for it and give your body the little boost that it needs to get you out of bed and start your day right!
4. Drink Water With Your Meals
Our society tends to drink a lot of calories - sodas, alcohol, and juices might be adding more sugar and more calories to your day than you realize. Try swapping these things out for trusty old water when you can - you can start by doing this for 2-3 lunches a week, or maybe one meal a day. Look at where you're at now and decide what a realistic goal for you might be!
5. Cook at Home
Eating out can be fun. It allows you to be social, it means that you don't have to prep any food or do any dishes, and sometimes it's just a nice way to chillax a bit. However, I don't think it's a secret that sometimes we don't always eat "the healthiest" when we eat out. And that's okay! But if you feel that you eat out pretty consistently, maybe try to decrease your outings by 1-2 times per week, and replace those meals with homemade food instead. When you cook at home you have full control over the ingredients that go into your food. That means that you can make sure your meals are compliant with any allergies or specific eating patterns you have, you can use the quality ingredients that you are most comfortable with, and you have more control over what a "portion" looks like. Plus, your wallet might thank you as well. If you want to, you can even cook dinner at home and then pack the leftovers for lunch the next day! That way you've got two meals in one!
6. Keep Healthy Snacks Close
You're most likely to eat whatever is closest to you. Next time you go grocery shopping, stock up on some healthy snack options - fruit, nuts, or whatever your preferred healthy option is. Keep them where you can easily grab them - maybe a fruit bowl on the kitchen counter, and some healthy snack bars in your purse or backpack. Just make sure they are easily accessible so you're more likely to reach for them when the hunger hits!
7. Take Mental Health Breaks
So many of us sit in front of the computer for HOURS at our jobs. Make sure to give yourself a quick break every once in a while! Maybe set your phone's timer to go off once an hour, and each time it goes off just spend 5 minutes away from the screen. Maybe you walk up and down your hallway a couple of times, maybe you take some time to stretch. Or maybe you just sit and breathe, or even meditate if that's your thing. Just make sure to give your brain that break! When you get back after those 5 minutes I'll bet you'll feel rejuvenated and more prepared to take on the rest of your work for the day.
8. Pick a Bed Time
I'm sure you've heard before that it's important to get 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Well, I'm going to take it a step farther and say that going to bed around the same time every night is even better for you! Our bodies like routines, so pick a bed time and try your best to routinely stick to it! Think about what time you usually wake up in the morning for work or school, do the math to figure out what time you should go to bed, and set an alarm about 30 minutes PRIOR to that time. That way when your alarm goes off, you have 30 minutes to start your bedtime routine and get into bed. For example, if you wake up at 7am every day, that means you probably want to be in bed by 11 - so set an alarm for 10:30 and start getting ready for bed when it goes off! Again, this is about simple steps - so maybe try this just 2-3 nights this week and see how it feels.
9. "Wind Down" for an Hour Before Bed
It's relatively agreed upon in our society that staring at screens before bed isn't the best choice - the blue light can mess with your sleep hormones and affect your quality of sleep, and it's also just harder to shut off our brains after taking in all that digital information. So maybe try picking another activity to "wind down" with at the end of your day - try reading a book, journaling, taking a bath or a shower, or maybe just drinking some tea and spending some "chill" time with your family or pets. Try mixing up your wind down routine for even just a few nights this week and see how it makes you feel! If an hour feels like too much, maybe just start with 30 minutes and work your way up.
10. Make a Priority List Each Morning
This is the type of thing that is either super your thing.... or super not. So if this doesn't seem like something that would help you, then you do you! BUT as a health coach I have learned that this can be surprisingly helpful for a lot of people. Try sitting down in the morning, maybe while you enjoy breakfast, and writing out a realistic list of what you hope to get done that day. In fact, if you're up for it, try making two lists: a "primary list" and a "secondary list". Your primary list should include 1-3 things that you are 100% confident you can get done that day. THEN your secondary list can include another 1-2 things that you will work on after your primary list is complete, if you have time. Anything that is still on your secondary list at the end of the day can be moved over to the next day's primary list! This will remind you throughout the day to stay focused, and at the end of the day you will feel so accomplished being able to check off the tasks on your list! Try this for a couple of days this week and see if it's something that you would like to include in your regular routine.
Well, there you go! There are many other healthy habits that you could absolutely try, but these are my top 10! Pick one or two of these simple steps and make a goal around them! Try doing one of these once this week, twice this week, or even 3-4 times. Pick something realistic, see how it feels, and take it one step at a time! And if you want to learn more about how to create a great goal for yourself, check out my "New Year... New You?" post all about SMART goals!
Be Happy, Be Healthy!
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