Healthy Lifestyle Habits You Need to Introduce into Your Life Right Now

We know how difficult it is to break bad habits, because if it was that easy, no one would have any! (But what would be the fun in that?) When it comes to creating new healthy habits, you need to start small. You’re essentially rewiring your brain to stop repeating negative behavior, which isn’t an overnight process – if only.

It’s about sticking to small, daily habits, which we can give you but ultimately, you need to show up for yourself every day. If you think you have what it takes to commit to a healthy lifestyle, you’re exactly where you need to be.

 Many people believe that in order to live a healthy lifestyle, they must take part in strenuous exercise or adhere to a strict diet, and while these do help, there are many other lifestyle habits to consider. In fact, we have 11 of them.

1. Get Up Early

You don’t have to rise and shine with the sun every morning, but getting up at a reasonably early hour is critical for good health. The human body and brain have evolved to follow a circadian rhythm, which aids in regulating sleep and waking patterns dictated by our natural environment. This natural circadian cycle also correlates to the body’s natural cortisol levels: a hormone recognized for its function in our metabolism, immunological system, stress response, and energy levels.

Cortisol levels begin to increase two to three hours after the initiation of sleep and continue to climb until the early morning, helping us to wake up. Cortisol levels in the body will peak around 8:30 or 9:00 am and gradually fall during the day. As a result, adhering to the body’s natural circadian rhythm and cortisol levels is a simple method to boost energy, productivity, and general health.

2. Begin Your Day With a Nutritious Breakfast

Now, we know that most of you probably skip breakfast altogether, but if you follow our first tip, you’ll now have more time in the morning to begin with a nutritious breakfast. So, no excuses now.

Choose a breakfast heavy in fiber and protein to keep you full and energetic. When you start your day off well, you tend to eat healthier throughout the day, lowering your risk of diabetes and improving your heart health. Not only that, but eating breakfast helps prevent brain fog, so you’ll be fresh for those early morning meetings.

Tired of eating the same bowl of oatmeal every day? To make things more interesting, experiment with various toppings. Or even chocolate or caramel overnight oats that look and taste like dessert for my fellow sweet tooths out there (but not every single day, of course.) You could even spice up your omelets.

Fill a whole grain wrap with your favorite salsa, cheese, and eggs for a quick trip to Mexico and a simple morning burrito. The possibilities are endless.

3. Drink Water, and Then Drink Some More Water

Staying hydrated is essential for our health, and despite how many times we’ve heard it and even know it, it’s frequently forgotten – oops! Our bodies are made up of 60% water, so not drinking enough water may result in more than just dehydration. Our bodies can’t fully function without it.

Dehydration has been related to weariness, headaches, and increased cravings. Although it’s important to drink water throughout the day, one of the best times is first thing in the morning as you’ve gone seven to nine hours without drinking. Try to drink a glass of water before you start drinking your morning coffee. It’s not only refreshing, but it may also assist in hydrating the body while also improving digestion and metabolism.

4. Regularly Work Out

You probably didn’t want to hear this one, but regular exercise is the closest thing we have to a fountain of youth – so drink up! (As well as water.) According to the National Cancer Institute, regular exercise helps us regulate our weight, maintain strong bones, muscles, and joints, and lower our risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. In other words, it helps us to stay young and full of beans.

Many fitness experts recommend 30 minutes of activity five to six days a week, with one day off for relaxation and healing. The workout does not have to be a grueling, iron-man-like event. A simple 30-minute brisk stroll will do wonders for your health and actually add years to your life. The most important thing is to find an exercise that you love, rather than something that is a chore.

Even just by walking up the stairs at work, going for a 10-15-minute stroll at lunch, or keeping a small cycling gadget at your desk will dramatically improve your lifestyle. But we know you can do better than this.

5. Replace Saturated With Unsaturated Fat

Fats are necessary for ideal health and optimal body function. However, eating too much of it might hurt your weight and cardiovascular health. Different types of fats have different health consequences, and some of these recommendations may help you strike the right balance:

• Restrict your intake of total and saturated fats (which are often found in animal-derived foods) and avoid trans fats entirely; reading labels may help us identify the sources.
• Eating fish two to three times a week, including at least one serving of oily fish, will help you get enough unsaturated fats.
• Instead of frying – boil, steam, or bake, remove the fatty section of meat and use vegetable oils while cooking.

6. Fulfill Your Meal With Fruit and Vegetables

Is anyone actually a fan of dieting? Adding fruit and vegetables to every meal, rather than embarking on a juice cleanse or reducing your calories, is a healthy habit that’ll quickly become second nature.

Are you making mac and cheese? Serve with broccoli or cauliflower. Are you a fan of peanut butter on toast? Add fruit. Are you preparing some fries and a burger? Serve with grilled greens or a side salad. This helps you to get your five-a-day in without restriction, so you can enjoy your favorite foods with additional nourishment to keep you feeling your best.

7. Get At Least Seven Hours of Good Sleep Each Night

Many of us don’t achieve the recommended amount of sleep, but experts say this is a marker of good heart health. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every three Americans does not get enough sleep, which is defined as seven or more hours each night. However, sleep is equally as important to the body as good habits such as eating healthily and exercising.

Deep REM sleep is used by the body to repair cells and restore normal functionality. As a result, obtaining adequate sleep has improved mood, focus, memory, and more. Don’t deprive yourself of sleep, as your healthy lifestyle is pretty dependent on it.

8. Learn To Manage Stress

Stress is an unavoidable – and even healthy – part of life. Short-term stress has been demonstrated to enhance our cognitive abilities and boost our immune system. Long-term, chronic stress, on the other hand, may seriously harm our health, jeopardizing our sleep, immune system, physical health, and emotional wellbeing.

We’ll never live in a fully stress-free environment, but this doesn’t sound so bad when you know how to manage stress. Take a break. Do activities you enjoy. Try relaxing hobbies like meditation, prayer, yoga, or deep breathing. Because we’re not often feeling the same type of stress as someone else, it’ll take some trial and error to figure out what works for you.

9. Practice Meditation

Meditation clears the mind by improving overall health and wellbeing. It keeps you calm, eases every difficulty, reduces stress, and gives you a break from the world.

Taking just 10 to 15 minutes out of your day to sit still has more power than you would think. Plus, it’s a good excuse to do nothing for a while. Using applications like Calm or Headspace or simply following guided meditations on Spotify or YouTube will help newbies to experts.

We’re conditioned from a young age to constantly be doing something, always to be accomplishing a task, so stopping and doing nothing goes against our instincts. However, meditation states resonate throughout our day, and their power builds with time to bring silence, serenity, and acceptance into our daily lives. It’s always good to have private time to regain lost inner strength.

10. Work On Positive Relationships

Healthy lifestyle habits concern more than just your physical body. Connecting with people is another vital aspect of leading a healthy lifestyle. A 75-year-long Harvard study on the relationship between happiness and health discovered one distinct feature that distinguishes healthy men from unhealthy men: satisfying, long-term relationships.

Men with stable and supportive life partners tend to live longer and perform better psychologically. Now, this doesn’t mean rush out the front door and get yourself a girlfriend as if you’ve run out of milk. Close, quality friendships are equally important to a healthy lifestyle.

Humans are among the most sociable species in the world, and we need connections to live a happy life. But not just any connections: deep, caring, and supporting relationships may enhance health, lengthen life, and lessen your risk of depression. Work on improving your interpersonal interactions, and not just virtually. Put down your phone and interact with people in real life.

11. Spend Some Time Outside

One of the simplest methods to boost your general health is to get some fresh air on a daily basis. Sunlight allows the body to manufacture vitamin D, which has been proven to have several important roles in the body.

Vitamin D deficiency has been related to weariness, a reduced immune system, bone and back pain, as well as poor mood. If you’re feeling a little moody recently, step outside. However, we know sunlight isn’t easy to come across in winter, which is when you should take a vitamin D supplement.