7 healthy habits to start doing today
Being able to live your best life comes down to making good choices and setting up good habits. I think that right now we need to be more aware of how to live a little healthier and take care of our bodies to help us to prevent getting sick. These are a few healthy habits to start doing today.
These seven ideas are great healthy habits to start doing right now because now we are becoming more aware that sickness can come at any time. I have to admit I’m a little more worried about the coronavirus than I would like to be.
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One of the best ways for me to control and manage my anxiety is to be more prepared and ready for what may come. So these healthy habits are what I’ve been doing the last few weeks and will continue to be doing as this goes on and in the future.
None of these habits will take a lot of time and once you start doing them it becomes easier to keep doing them. I understand that you may feel too busy to make these changes but it is so important that you realize that you are a priority in your life and start taking the best care of yourself. Making small changes in your life can build up and make a big improvement to your happiness and health.
We all only get one chance at life so it’s important to find ways to better and improve yourself. So that you are living your life to its greatest potential. I’m hoping this will help you realize that you can make little changes to improve your health and make it through this crisis.
1 Drink more Water
I can’t believe how little water I use to drink. I was seriously dehydrated for years and never realized it. Now that I drink lots of water though I notice that I don’t have nearly as many headaches and that my body is healthier. It was such a simple habit to add to my life too and it makes such a difference. I track my water intake on my phone with the app ihydrate.
Now I like things with flavor more than plain water which is why I use to drink so much soda. Which was a horrible habit especially since regular soda has a lot of calories. So I started drinking flavored water packets that I can add to my water bottle. This gives me the flavor I crave, way fewer calories and allows me to hit my water goals. So if you don’t like drinking plain water give flavored water a try. I like Crystal Light but there are tons of brands and flavors out there.
2 Get more sleep
Another of my favorite healthy habits to start that will dramatically improve your life is to make sure you get enough sleep. How much sleep you need will vary depending on what your body needs. I need a lot of sleep and have no problem taking a nap if I don’t get that sleep.
When you don’t let your body get the sleep that it needs you are depriving your mind and body and although you may be up for more hours of the day you won’t be running at 100% so you aren’t accomplishing as much as you could be. Getting an extra hour of sleep or allowing yourself to grab a nap can make the hours you are awake so much more productive because you won’t be fighting exhaustion.
If getting enough sleep is a struggle for you try to cut down or limit caffeine especially in the hours before bed. Try going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time daily. This will help your body develop a routine for sleeping. I struggle with falling asleep and find that if I watch anything stimulating or exciting before bed it’s harder to fall asleep so if I watch tv at night I try to make it lighthearted or funny only.
3 Make time to read
If you have been a reader of my blog for a while then you are probably aware that I’m a huge fan of reading. I think that reading can be such a great way to take time for yourself. There are millions of books out there and although I love watching TV I know it’s a better use of my time to read.
Reading allows you to escape your reality and get lost in a story which when life gets stressful can be just the break that you need. If you don’t know what you can read I share some of my favorite books here and here. This will give you lots of great ideas for books to check out. Then get in the habit of reading a little before bed or when you wake up. Your mind will grow and your stress will go down.
Reading is a great way to take your mind off what is stressful and worrisome in life. So if you find your mind busy and overwhelmed grab a new book and get lost in it.
4 Wash Your Hands
Honestly, this is something that we should do anyways but it definitely is more important during cold and flu season. Right now with the Coronavirus happening you need to make this a big priority and make sure to do it correctly and frequently.
You’ve heard it before but we’ll say it again: Get your hands soapy and scrub, scrub, scrub. This is one of the most important things you can do. “It’s the most effective way to prevent illness and infection,” says Nipunie Rajapakse, M.D., M.P.H., a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases specialist. “We know viral particles that end up on your fingers and hands can be transmitted to other people.”
Whenever possible, get to a sink and wash your hands the right way after being out in public or touching a common surface others may have touched.
5 Stay Home when you need to
We all need to take a break sometimes. Both adults and children need to make sure they stay home when they are sick.
Right now everything is canceled and we are all forced to stay home but it is good advice to slow down and stay home more when we are sick to both help us get better sooner and to help prevent the spread of germs.
6 Take care of your mental health.
This is one habit that I hope you will start working on right away. Most people, especially women, seem to have trouble asking for help. Taking care of our mental health isn’t always a priority.
I struggled with this for years and am still working on improving in my own life. I know that it is so important to try and not do it all on your own because doing this lead me to have major health problems years ago.
It also has lead to anxiety and depression and I know many of you also suffer from these issues. As the world feels more out of control and there is a lot of uncertainty around things. Taking care of your mental health is so important.
Here is some great advice for staying calm. I’ve also found that meditating is very helpful to reduce my stress levels.
7 Spend less time on social media
The level at which you need to do this will depend on how social media affects you. I find it helpful to not be on certain platforms very often. I feel like on Twitter people seem to be a little more argumentive so I don’t go on it as often.
I want social media to be a fun place to visit so I just don’t do drama. I unfollow people on Facebook and Instagram if they post a lot of drama posts. Also if anyone you are following makes you feel bad about your own life just don’t follow them. Make your feeds be full of posts that bring you joy and are fun to look at. If social media is still stressful for you after doing this then take regular social media breaks. Where you don’t go on certain platforms on any social media for a weekend or a week. Whatever you need to clear out the negativity.
Right now with so much on social media about the Coronavirus and the fact that being constantly reminded about it is too stressful for me I have put major restrictions on myself for how much time I’m spending online and who I’m continuing to follow.
Whether you are reading this during the health crisis or not I want to wish you good health and take care of yourselves and your families.
