Simple Health Habits You Should Start Today
Adding simple, healthy habits into your daily routine can have a large impact on your life, but you don’t have to overhaul your entire lifestyle all at once. Seemingly small habits added to your everyday schedule can quickly add up to increased fitness and overall well being. And the best part? You will begin to feel healthier and more energetic with regular use, which may inspire you to include more. Here are 10 simple habits that anyone can start today.
10 Simple Health Habits You Can Start Today
Begin each day with a glass of water and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Lemon juice is an excellent antiseptic and diuretic. Consuming just a small amount each day can help your body flush excess toxins, like uric acid, that may be lingering in your kidneys. At the same time, it helps promote the release of digestive juices to give your metabolism a kick-start. Try adding the juice of a quarter to half of a fresh lemon into a glass of room temperature water, about 10 minutes before your morning coffee, tea or workout. Your body will thank you for the vitamin C and immune boost, too.
Improve fitness by stretching for 10 minutes each morning. Stretching gets your blood flowing, and as your circulation slowly increases so does your energy. Stretching also helps you remain flexible to avoid injury and ease pain in joints. And what many people don’t know is that it can improve posture, which helps improve digestion and allows for deeper breathing. Lastly, stretching is a great stress reliever, so try it first thing in the morning to start your day right or at the end of the day to promote better sleep. When you stretch, choose movements that do not overextend your joints or ligaments, take it slow and pay attention to your muscles. Healthy stretching should feel good, not like a painful or intense exercise.
Stay hydrated. Make a point to drink no less than six glasses of water each day. Keep a journal or use a white board to add tally marks for each glass you drink until it becomes a habit. Many people feel they drink enough water, but realize they fall short when actually keeping track. Consuming coffee or tea can lead to dehydration due to caffeine, and too much juice adds up to too much sugar. But drinking fresh, spring water will keep your entire body hydrated. If you do enjoy coffee or tea, you may require more water to make up for the fluid loss, but keeping track can help you see if you need more hydration or balance in your daily routine.
Walk, jog, dance or jump for 30 minutes every day. Fitness routines don’t always have to be routine, as long as you do something to gently increase your heart rate each day. If you have a daily routine, great, just be sure to stick with it at least five days a week. But if you currently do not have a set fitness schedule, then simply make a healthy habit of 30 minutes of daily activity, doing what you feel like. Put on some music and dance, talk a walk in a park, or jump on a trampoline for a few minutes then ride a bike. Choose activities that are fun, so you stick with it.
Meditate for just five minutes each day. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and they go hand-in-hand when it comes to overall fitness. The old saying of sound body, sound mind holds true today, and you cannot truly have one without the other. Including a daily meditation for only five minutes can be as easy as sitting quietly and doing your best to keep a clear mind, with no thoughts. Alternatively, you can try counting your breath repeatedly from one to four or simply focus on the inhale/exhale of each breath during your meditation. No matter what you focus on, gently push out any thoughts as they intrude. Five minutes is a doable time for most people and don’t beat yourself up when thoughts do enter, because it takes practice to meditate. But after just a few days, you should be able to enjoy the benefits throughout the rest of the day.
Resolve to eat just one or two servings of fresh fruit most days. This can be as simple as consuming a daily orange, apple or banana. A cup of berries is an excellent source of nutrition and low in carbs, and mixing them with other fruits can make a fun and tasty fruit salad. As easy as it sounds, many people simply don’t think of eating fresh fruit or consuming the five to seven recommended servings of fruits and vegetables every day. But adding even one apple to your daily routine each morning can aid digestion, increase metabolism and can even lower the risk of diabetes.
Add a small, green salad to your midday and evening meals. While fruit in the morning is great for metabolism, a salad before any meal can stimulate digestion and help you avoid overeating. Many people simply don’t get enough fresh greens and so miss the benefits that include weight control, increased fiber and roughage to the diet, better metabolism and increased energy. Simply purchase pre-cut and washed greens and store them right away for easy access. Mix up spring greens with Romaine or iceberg lettuce for added texture and crunch. And experiment with dressings to keep it interesting or find one that you can enjoy on a regular basis.
Incorporate a bedtime routine for healthy, restful sleep. Sleep is an important part of any health routine and a time for your body to recover from the stress of the day, repair muscle tissue or heal any ailments. Deep sleep is necessary for good mental health, and having a regular bedtime routine tells your body and mind that it is time for bed, so you can more easily fall into a deep sleep.
And overall, the more, healthy habits that you incorporate into your daily routine, the better your sleep, and health, will be. Incorporating a fitness app like Yes.Fit in to your daily routine will keep you motivated during your fitness journey.
