Some of the best health habits don’t take a considerable amount of time or effort; they merely take an active awareness and daily action for you to complete. However, many of us tend to get sidetracked. We allow life to interrupt our routines and we forget to take care of ourselves. Health habits are just as important as financial habits, career habits, or any other.
Caring for your health should be a priority, because without your maximum health, you won’t be able to focus on your career, relationships, family, or anything really. Health habits are incredibly important as they establish how you’ll deal with you routine daily.
- Breakfast
It’s important for a bunch of reasons. It jump-starts your metabolism and stops you from overeating later. Plus, studies show that adults who have a healthy breakfast do better at work, and kids who eat a morning meal score higher on tests as it develops your brain activity from the very beginning of your day.
If a big plateful first thing isn’t for you, keep it light with a granola bar or a piece of fruit. Just don’t skip it. Here’re some quick and healthy options you should consider: nut butter, banana and chia seeds toast; berry and yogurt smoothie; oatmeal with eggs; quinoa and chia porridge.
- Drink Plenty of Water
The best drink you can have, and it can do so many good things for you. Staying hydrated is at the top of your daily to do list, but it may also help you lose weight. Sugary drinks are linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes. If you aren’t a fan of plain water, add flavor with slices of orange, lemon, lime, watermelon, or cucumber.
On average, the National Health Service of UK, for example, recommends that you should drink between 6 or 8 glasses of water per day, which is about 1,9 liters. However, if you are in a hotter climate, you should drink slightly more.
- Being offline
Nowadays we are constantly checking emails and social media. But do you really need to see it every second while at work and even after work? Set a time and put all your digital devices on hold. When you cut back on-screen time, it frees you to do other activities. Take a walk, read a book, or help cooking a healthy diner.
If you want to take it further, reserve at least one or two weeks per year to have a vacation in the countryside or near the beach where you have no access to internet. That will give you more time to yourself and to spend with your loved ones, improving your social life too. You know you might be crazy to see Instagram or to check the sport scores and see if the LA Dodgers are succeeding in the odds to win the World Series, but during this time you should avoid all these, since it will make you less stressful.
- Cook and Eat at Home
One study from Cambridge University found that elderly Taiwanese people who cooked most of their meals lived longer than those who did not prepare most of their food at home. Here’s what’s likely to happen: Cooking your own food gives you much greater control of what goes in it.
You can make healthy ingredient swaps if you care to; you can also control portion sizes and the freshness of the ingredients when you’re cooking for yourself. If you’re constantly spending money on lunch at work, try to prepare your meal in advance and bring them with you. Not only you’ll eat better, but you’ll end up spending much less. Win-Win situation you should consider adopting.
- Sleeping
With too many benefits to list them all here, a good night of sleep keeps you in a better mood, sharpens memory and focus, and helps you learn quicker. In the long term, it lowers your risk of heart disease and helps you keep trim. Try to aim for 7 to 9 hours a night and for the best rest, do it on a schedule, waking up at about the same time every day.
- Eat Apples or Fruits Regularly
Not only do apples contain soluble fiber, which has been shown to reduce things like intestinal disorders, but it also helps to control daily insulin levels by releasing sugars slowly into the system.
Other studies have shown apples to reduce skin diseases, cleanse and detoxify the blood, reduce cholesterol levels, decrease mucous, lubricate the lungs, and control hunger. Fruits help you maintain the regular vitamin intake and keep you fresh-looking daily.