Many of us struggle to achieve and maintain our fitness goals when our schedules get busy. Whether from work, school, or other necessities, it can become difficult to regularly bring a high level of energy and attention to our workout routines and nutrition requirements. After all, going to the gym and eating healthy are often the last things we want to do after a long, tiring day. While nothing can replace sticking to a consistent gym schedule and a healthy, well-balanced diet, we provide here ten simple health habits that can go a long way towards improving both your physical and mental health.
- Start your day with 2 glasses of water: Most people recognize the importance of water to our body. Water is crucial for essential functions such as nutrient transportation, joint lubrication, waste flushing, and many others. Some studies indicate that drinking water first thing in the morning has further benefits to your physical and mental health. Water is known to induce thermogenesis (heat production) which raises your metabolism by over 24% without increasing heart rate or blood pressure. Starting your day with two glasses of water is a fantastic way to ensure your metabolism is firing on all cylinders. Additionally, we often wake up dehydrated, and water can aid in flushing out toxins and lubricating your body for the coming day.
- Beyond the notable physical benefits of beginning your day with water, there are significant mental health benefits as well. Water first thing in the morning prepares your brain for the day ahead. A simple glass of water can help wake your brain up and immediately boost your performance. Starting every day with 2 glasses of water is a quick, easy way to fortify your physical and mental health.
- A Gallon of Water Every Day: All of the benefits that come with beginning every day with water can be continuously applied throughout the day. We often forget to drink water during busy days, leading to dehydration and decreased mental and physical performance. It’s a common cause of headaches and lightheadedness throughout the day, especially while working out. Increasing your water intake is a very simple health habit that can make a big difference. You’ll feel better mentally, perform better physically, and even be less susceptible to disease and chronic illness.
- Eat a Healthy Breakfast: Breakfast is often referred to as the most important meal of the day. This is because the regular consumption of breakfast has been linked to numerous health benefits including better appetite control and healthier life quality. However, studies have indicated that eating a poor breakfast may be worse than skipping breakfast entirely. In order to maximize the benefits of breakfast, make sure to eat a healthy breakfast to spark your metabolism. Whether it’s fruit, yogurt, egg whites, or even just a handful of granola, give your body the fuel to attack the upcoming day.
- Find Substitutions for Unhealthy Foods: Nutrition is the undeniable foundation for fitness and health. It’s very easy to ignore your nutritional needs when you’re stressed after a long day and have a mountain of work waiting for you at home. Building a habit of substituting unhealthy foods, however, is an easy way to stay on top of your nutritional goals consistently. Switch out your cooking salt for herbs and spices, use plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, or choose multigrain pasta over white. Most, if not all, unhealthy foods have easy substitutes that don’t take away from taste and texture. These small changes certainly add up over time and can make a big difference in your overall health.
- Avoid Caffeine in the Afternoon: While avoiding caffeine later in the day may seem like a daunting task for many, the benefits are certainly worth your efforts. Caffeine may take up to 10 hours for some people to process, meaning its effects will be in place well after bedtime. This can disrupt your sleep cycle, affecting daytime performance and alertness. This creates a cycle in which you need more caffeine during the day to make up for the disrupted sleep. Choosing decaf later in the day will improve your sleep and performance; it’s a simple health habit that can make a significant difference.
- Cut Out Soda: Soda and other sugary drinks are unfortunately extremely popular among Americans today. They offer quick boosts in energy and may be a refreshing treat in the midst of a hard day, but the consequences far outweigh the benefits. Soda has long been directly linked to weight gain and other serious health disorders. In addition, drinking soda replaces the consumption of other liquids such as water and milk, increasing nutritional deficiencies, and susceptibility to disease. Choosing sparkling water over soda can lead to major long-term health benefits.
- Try Meditating: While it is difficult to conclusively show the benefits of meditation through thorough scientific research, ample evidence exists to suggest the mental and physical health benefits of meditation. A practice that is thousands of years old, meditation has shown to reduce stress and increase the quality of life for those that meditate regularly. Finding time to reflect whenever you can, whether it’s in the middle of the day or right before bed can diminish your negative emotions and leave you feeling healthy and refreshed.
- Sleep Earlier: The importance of sleep cannot be overstated. Insufficient sleep has been directly linked to mental health issues, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and numerous other disorders. While it may seem tough to sleep earlier given your busy schedule, saving an extra 20-30 minutes of sleep can certainly go a long way. Try to shorten the screen time whether it’s 30 minutes before bed or 10 minutes after you wake up – do this consistently, and you’ll feel a significant difference.
- Play Mind Games in your Free Time: Many of us spend our short breaks during the day on our phones scrolling through social media or the news. While these are all worthy pursuits, getting in the habit of playing mind and puzzle games has been shown to boost cognitive functioning and delay cognitive decline. Next time you find yourself with some spare time on your lunch break or in between classes, try a round of sudoku or flow free on your phone! It’s an easy, fun health habit to boost your brain performance.
- Have Something Positive to Look Forward To: Interestingly enough, the simple feeling of anticipation has been shown to have significant benefits to your well-being and mental health. Looking forward to hanging out with family, reading a good book, or watching the next episode of your favorite tv show can increase your happiness and prevent you from dwelling on the negatives. Setting a specific event in the future that you may look forward to is an easy, healthy way to stay positive and reward yourself for hard work
