Health is a bit vague, isn’t it? I would contend that to be healthy is to be absent of unhealthy qualities, such as sickness and disease. To be healthy takes hard work and intention. If it were easy, everyone would do it! But it’s not, and that is why illness is running rampant in today’s society.
If you desire to be absent of unhealthy qualities, you must come to learn that it is alllll about forming healthy habits. Think about it – how does one become healthy if they are not consistently making healthy choices?
The following 10 habits, done on a daily or regular basis will help you achieve and maintain good health for all of your years to come.
1. Eat Whole Foods
Just to be clear, I’m not saying that you have to shop at Whole Foods all the time. I’m talking about eating whole foods that are not processed with added preservatives and chemicals. Think of preparing meals with foods that have not or have minimally been touched like fruits, veggies, whole grains, eggs… you get the idea. By eating these foods you will get many more of the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Junk foods only send yourself backwards.
2. Drink Water
Plain-jane water, folks. I am willing to bet that the majority of those reading this blog post do not drink enough plain water. You should be drinking about half of your body weight in ounces of water per day. Water intake is necessary for flushing out toxins and waste from the body, allowing bodily systems to work better. Don’t wait to drink water until you are thirsty because you are already dehydrated at that point.
3. Regular Exercise
Exercise not only has benefits to physical health like increasing muscle mass and decreasing fat, it improves mental health as well. More oxygen travels to the brain and there is a release of endorphins (happy hormones) during and after exercise which boosts mood. Exercise is a great stress reliever for some, too. Movement is life!
4. Limit Sugar Intake
Sugar promotes inflammation in the gut and the brain. In all honesty, sugar does not do a lot of good for the body in general. Sickness and disease feed on sugar. Sure, it gives us energy, but we can improve our energy in other ways. The sugar we do get in our diet should be from natural sources and complex carbohydrates.
5. Get Enough Sleep
Good quantity and quality of sleep are imperative for good health. Muscle repair and overall body recovery happens overnight during a good slumber. A routine sleep schedule normalizes your Circadian Rhythm (the body’s natural sleep/wake cycle) and cortisol levels throughout the day. In addition, lack of sleep can contribute to daytime fatigue.
6. Reduce Stress
“How do I reduce my stress?” is the million dollar question. Everyone is presented with their own kinds of stress, but it’s how we deal with it that makes the difference. Reducing stress brings a balance back to your hormone levels and not to mention your mental health too. There are many different things to try at reducing stress levels; breathing exercises, physical activity, picking up a new hobby, and prayer to name a few. The goal is to “distract” your brain by actively engaging it in another task.
7. Think Positive
Your mindset is incredibly powerful. It’s actually crazy how drastically it can affect your daily life. Forcing yourself to think positively in every situation will change your life. And yes, this is a healthy habit.
8. Write In a Gratitude Journal
A gratitude journal is a journal that you would write 1-2 things in every day that you are grateful for. Even an entry as simple as “laughing” or “salads” counts! This takes thinking positive to the next level. A switch goes off in the brain when we physically write something down that elicits the positive mindset.
9. Set Goals
Personal growth is a necessary and an important aspect to optimizing health, in my opinion. Setting goals gives you something to strive for and work towards. There shouldn’t necessarily be one end goal, but many goals to achieve along the way. After all, it’s about the journey not the destination, right?
10. Prepare
Preparation is key! Set yourself up for success. Make these habits easy for you to do and remember to do. For example, have a water bottle in sight at all times to hit your daily water intake. If these habits are obvious and somewhat effortless, then the success rate on doing them will be a lot higher.
So, what is your “why”? Identify your motivation behind your desire for good health and remember that every time you’re wanting to skip your next workout. Think of yourself as a ‘healthy person’ instead of ‘someone who is trying to get healthy’. You’ve got this!