10 Healthy Habits to Easily Adopt Into Your Everyday Life

Wednesday, June 1, 2016





I've been doing a lot of reading lately on how to live, eat, and think healthier and there are actually a lot of things that all of us can do on a daily basis to improve our lives.  It's not even hard stuff really, it's just a matter of adopting these habits into our lives so they become part of our normal routine.   So without further ado I want to share 10 ways you can actually make your everyday life healthier and happier.


*1*
Walk More
Back in the days where you harvested or hunted for your own food, exercise didn't even exist because you didn't need to make the extra effort to burn calories. That's because everything you did burned calories.  You had to hunt for your food, prepare it yourself, walk everywhere, and hand wash your clothing.  Now we are all sitting in chairs for 8 hours a day at work and we are packing on the pounds and not burning enough calories.  Walking burns more calories than you think.  Once an hour you should get up and walk around because not only does it help your body but it's good for the mind.  I take a long walk (or use the elliptical) 3-4 times a week and on the days in between I take a shorter brisk walk with Grace.  On work breaks I like to do laps around my building with coworkers.  Instead of sitting on your porch when you get home, walk around and look at your yard and your garden.   Keep moving!!!! Being sedentary is SO bad for your health.


*2*
Sweat More
Sweating once a day after any kind of activity is good for your health.  Sweating is almost therapeutic as it assists the toxins to leave your body.   So whether it's walking at a super fast pace, doing laps up and down the stairs, or simply cleaning out your car and giving it a nice wash on the outside, make sure you break a sweat at least once a day.

*3*
 SLEEP!
Sleep seems to be the hardest thing for people to do these days yet it's the most crucial for our health.  You need recharged just like your phone battery.  If you have trouble sleeping then make sure you do a few simple things to fall asleep more easily at night.  Don't eat right before bed, don't use your phone or computer as the light stimulates you to stay awake.  Also, don't use the bedroom for anything besides sleep and "makin love".  This way, your body associates going in the bedroom with getting tired and falling asleep.  Whatever you have to do, make sure you get enough sleep each night so that you feel energized the next day.  Oh also, did you know that you burn calories while you sleep? Fun fact for ya!


*4*
Don't Skip Breakfast
Breakfast helps kickstart your metabolism for the day and it gives you fuel for the morning before lunch time.  Make sure you eat a nutrient rich breakfast with veggies, fruits, and proteins but avoid sugars first thing in the morning.  


*5*
Eat More Veggies
I know this sucks but there are a lot of fun ways to incorporate veggies into your diet.  First of all, I am obsessed with Kale smoothies and they taste delicious. Some mangoes, banana, and almond milk and a few leaves of Kale and I'm good to go. Make sure you always eat a nice helping of veggies with your dinner.  I tend to choose green stuff because it's low in calories so you can eat as much as you want.  That means spinach, Kale, green beans, brussels sprouts, and broccoli. Speaking of broccoli...


*6*
Eat More Broccoli
There are many benefits to eating broccoli including it being full of fiber and the most interesting one of all - broccoli helps sweep your colon when you gotta go.  Look at the shape of the "leaves" at the top. It's literally like a broom.   So if not for any other reason than to cleanse your colon - eat your damn broccoli!


*7*
H2O
I know, it's gross and flavorless (at least I think so) and even with flavor it doesn't make me love it more but water is an absolute necessity in our lives.   If you are one of those people that only pees once during the day at work - guess what?! You aren't getting enough water. And, yes, I'm positive of that.  I go through about 4 large water bottles a day.  2-3 of those are at work.  Water in the morning is also an amazing thing as it literally wakes up your mind and body.  Just look at your complexion after you chug water in the morning.  Next time you have cravings for food, chug water.  It will actually make you full and the funny thing is, most of the time when we think we are hungry, it's just our body telling us we need water but for some reason our brain makes it come out as "EAT!".  So if you have bad snacking habits, just drink water and wait 10 minutes and see if your cravings go away. 


*8*
Poo Poo
Your body needs to get rid of waste.  It's toxic and needs to come out so don't be one of those people that is afraid to go anywhere but home.  If you gotta go, GO! Don't hold it. Why would you hold toxins in your body? Come on now!!  And don't worry if you don't go as little or as often as someone else.  Everyone is different.   You can also learn a lot about your health from your poop. Seriously! Google it! 


*9* 
Be Present
Before you think I'm talking about meditation or anything like that, just stop.  While that is a great way to work on your mental state of mind, being present is super simple.  With all the electronic stimuli these days I feel like most of us don't remember how to do it. Think back to when you were a kid and you would look out the window of the car and observe things.   That was being present.  Being present can be as simple as sitting outside just watching things happen.  Pay attention to the sound the wind makes in the trees, or how many bees you see on your flowers.  Watch the ants in your yard move around and find food.  Put a bird feeder up and watch the interactions.  When you are present you see things that you wouldn't normally see. If you're outside on your cell phone you obviously aren't going to notice the baby bunnies hopping around.  Being present is good for you, trust me.


*10*
Build Muscle
You can be as thin as you want but if you don't have muscle then you aren't at an ideal body composition.  And when I say muscle I don't mean bulging Mr. Elite Fitness muscles.  I mean toned muscles that help you lift boxes or do a 20 second plank.  Get some small dumbbells and lift weights every other day.  Look up strength training moves and embrace what your body has.


So there are just a few ways to incorporate healthier habits into your everyday life.  What other tips can you guys think of? Leave them in a comment below!







2 comments:

  1. So simple and so perfect! I really believe in walking everywhere as well as eating a good breakfast!

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