3, 2, 1…Healthy Habits
When working toward major life and behavioral changes we would be wise to look at life like a long term investment. The best investors are the ones who don’t let the daily ebb and flow of the stock market of life send them into a panic. A smart investor has diversified their skills and sticks it out for the long haul, knowing the market of life always bounces back eventually so they’ll get huge returns on themselves for staying the course.
There’s something to be said for focused intensity, but don’t make the mistake of equating it with rapid change. Rapid change does not account for behavior change — the most crucial element that must be present for long term life changes.
One step at a time still gets you to your goal of setting a habit. You set your own pace but as long as you’re moving forward you’re making good progress and should be genuinely proud of yourself.
Countdown to better habits
If you keep these 10 things in mind each day, you’ll notice small changes in a big way. The key is to pace yourself, for the long haul of habit building.
10 minutes of meditation
As we shared in a previous article, the benefits of meditation (even as little as 5 minutes!) has a lasting impression on your inner well-being. Take yourself out of a state of stress, calm your frustration, or even just organize chaotic thoughts. These minutes will make a difference. Even if your mind seems to wander, understand that by just focusing on your own thoughts, you’re relaxing your mind and body.
9 thousand steps
Many of us work in office settings. We wake up, we get ready for work, we walk to the car or public transportation, then we sit at our desk for 6–8 hours or more. It’s important we remember that any amount of movement can be good for us, but the average American only gets 5,000–7,000 steps per day. That’s well under the recommended 10,000 steps. Walking may affect other health parameters such as quality of life and memory and cognitive function. It’s possible that walking a greater number of steps each day could influence these outcomes.
If you ride the bus, get off a stop early. If you usually park close to your shopping, try parking further away. You can avoid elevators and even skip around the park at lunch (if you don’t mind others seeing). Get yourself a pedometer or check if your phone has one built in and get to stepping!
8 hours of sleep
We all skimp on this one don’t we? Our culture treats sleeping like an optional add-on at the end of the day rather than a requirement. Sleep deprivation is an epidemic sweeping our species for many reasons. I’ll be the first to admit after a long day of work, I just want to tune out but not off. It’s nice to stay up and talk to your friends or watch a funny YouTube video (or 10). With the presence of technology in every household, purse, and pocket there are plenty of online distractions for us to get sucked into. The National Sleep Foundation has stated that proper sleep “is a vital part of physical, cognitive, and emotional health,” so rest up nightly.
7 cups of water
Reports vary over the years suggesting we consume 7 to 15 cups of water per day. (We suggest listening to your unique body’s signals.) As most know, staying hydrated shouldn’t just happen when you’re in a warm climate or working but each and every day. Water is very important not only for clear skin and bouts of thirst. H2O makes up around two-thirds of our body weight, carries nutrients and waste products around our bodies, regulates our temperature, acts as a lubricant/or shock absorber in our joints, and plays a role in most chemical reactions happening inside us. Not to mention the clarity it provides mentally…that’s something I can drink to.
6 servings of fruits + veggies
The USDA wants us to stay green, with at least five servings fruits and veggies. It’s no secret that vegetables are considered a vital part of a healthy diet. But it can still be hard to get enough, even as a mostly vegetarian, I struggle. However, knowing that every type of veggie, from artichokes to zucchini, offers up a variety of nutrients in unique combos of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. This pushes me to reach for apples over candy. Vegetables are low in fat and calories and packed with fiber as well. Stave off diseases like diabetes and heart disease with some greens at every meal.
5 mental or physical breaks
I have the luxury of working from home. Some people are not as fortunate but no matter where or how you work or relax (hello Netflix binges), it’s important to take breaks. No, I don’t mean your lunch break, or even that tiny 15 minute one some places of work offer. I mean consciously taking five, two-minute mental and/or physical breaks throughout your work day. Stretch out your back, get rid of the feet tingles, and blow away brain fog. I try to do this after each of my classes and I’ve noticed how refreshed I feel. Listen to the signs your body needs a break and offer it up kindly.
4 random acts of kindness
Do you notice when you’ve been gifted with a random act of kindness? Maybe not, but that shouldn’t stop you from paying it forward. We live in a world of senseless, random acts of violence and rage. You can help offset that negative energy by putting out your own positive vibes. Buy an extra coffee for someone, compliment a stranger, feed someone’s parking meter, it only needs to be small, but it could mean a lot to someone else. Let’s be kind to our fellow beings. There’s even an organization devoted to the peaceful cause where you can get more ideas on how to plant nice seeds into our world.
3 healthy meals (…and maybe dessert!)
Call me old school but I feel a lot less hangry and a lot more in control of my day when I’ve had three balanced meals a day. Everyone is a bit different on this, I have a friend who eats six tiny meals, and one who only eats one meal and snacks the rest of the day.
“If we feed the body at regular intervals we send a signal to the body that it doesn’t have to store calories and when we skip meals, we affect the metabolism negatively. But this can be accomplished with three regular meals a day for many of us,” — ADA spokeswoman Noralyn Mills, RD
She notes, that it’s a good idea to find out what your hunger levels are and adjust to them as needed, and three meals is a good place to start.
2 hours of screen-free time
Ouch. This one personally is a tough one for me but I’ve got to admit, when I do practice this, I notice the difference in my ability to get restful sleep. Our screens (televisions, laptops, and phones) can really sabotage our sleep. The blue light that these devices emit can disrupt our natural sleep patterns, reduce our time in REM sleep, suppress the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, and be the culprit of groggy mornings. The more we use em’ the harder it is for us to wind down mentally and tuck in. Now that I’ve downloaded a blue light filter app, that’s my signal at night that it’s time to grab a book and hit the covers.
1 exercise session
This one can be included in your daily 9,000 steps. If you try nothing on this list except for one item, make it this one. Daily exercise can boost your mood, energy levels, mental agility, and more. Everyone benefits from exercise regardless of age, sex, or physical ability. It’s not just for maintaining weight, it can seriously prevent health ailments like high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, arthritis, and more. Exercising just 75–150 minutes per week, spread out throughout the week, will kick start you into feeling good about yourself and it can be fun. Don’t just stick to the boring gym circuits, mix it up with swimming, light sports, yoga, outdoor bike riding, dancing, and more.
How you get the time in is totally up to you, in the words of Nike, just do it.
Natali is a Conscious Life Coach with an eclectic lifestyle and a matching view on the world. Check out her Instaquote game, read more of her musings on her website MySoulrenity, or tune into her weekly podcast MySoulrenity + Beyond.
