Those who think they have no time for exercise, will sooner or later have to find time for illness
-Edward Stanley
Most of us know about the importance of developing healthy habits, but fail to do that because we don’t have the time or we feel lazy to get up from the couch.
But then think about how would it feel when you have to make time for an illness like Edward Stanley says. Forming healthy habits is important because those habits provide us with the energy to take care of our daily responsibilities in life while utilizing our full human potential.
10 daily health habits to have in life
Our habits determine how well we live our life. If you choose to listen to your mind consistently when it discourages you from taking action on your dreams, you are writing the story of your life.
You are making decisions every day. The decision to do a workout, the decision to read a book that has the capacity to change your life, the decision to smoke and ruin your health- all are decisions.
Many of those decisions have become habits because you decided to start doing them at a point in your life. And when you consistently did them, they became habits.
If you smoke regularly, you don’t think twice before lighting up a cigarette. You do it once you get the cue.
You can form any habit, good or bad, upon intention. If you are here reading this, I know you want to take your life in a positive direction. And starting with health and wellness is a good decision because it gives you the energy to change everything else in life.
Now let’s see what some healthy habits are that can impact your overall well being.
1. Drink a tall glass of water upon waking
Everyone knows the benefits of drinking water. But drinking water on an empty stomach as soon as you wake up has remarkable effects on your body.
When we wake up, our body is dry and water helps to rehydrate it. It fires up your metabolism and also helps to flush out toxins from your body. Drinking water helps in digestion and regulates your bowel movement. If you suffer from constipation, try drinking a tall glass of water on an empty stomach consistently for a few days.
I have been doing this for the past couple of months and I definitely see the benefits. I feel instantly energized. It wakes me up from the sleepiness and gets me ready for the day.
I used to feel tired a lot. But later on, I realized it’s a signal to drink more water. Drinking water first thing in the morning and drinking enough water throughout the day has definitely helped my energy levels.
2. Wake up early
Before you roll your eyes, let me tell you. Waking up early has many benefits. One of them is getting extra time to prepare for your day. You get alone time that you can spend meditating, journaling or exercising.
And these seemingly small activities can impact your life in a big way. The way you start your day affects your mood and productivity. And performing your morning routine that aligns with your life’s goals gives a head start to your day that night owls don’t get.
I used to be a night owl so I know how groggy I would feel when I woke up at 10 or 11; even if I slept enough!
Studies show that morning people are more proactive. Proactivity is the quality of making things happen instead of waiting for them to happen. Proactive people take charge of situations instead of blaming them. They are driven by values and are action takers. They look for change and more opportunities which help them grow in life.
Another benefit is stated by Ayurveda-the science of life. It teaches us that one must wake up early before the sun and go to bed early. It helps in regulating your biological rhythm in alignment with nature and therefore leads to a healthy body and mind. Think about our ancestors who did the same and how healthier they lived!
To learn more, you can read my articles on how to become a morning person even if you are a night owl and how to start a morning routine to begin your day productively.
3. Meditate daily
Meditation is one daily health habit that can change your life if practiced daily. You don’t need to do it for hours like the yogis. Just start by meditating for 5-10 minutes daily.
It helps to reduce stress and increases your patience. When you do meditation, you are observing your thoughts without judging it. So you develop the ability to observe your feelings and not react on every stressful thought or, every fear that comes to your mind.
Other benefits of meditation include:
- You become more mindful and tend to live in present than in future or past
- It helps to control anxiety
- Helps to increase focus and concentration
- Better sleep and memory
- Build more resilience
Related: Benefits of meditation and how to start a meditation habit
4. Be more active
Incorporate more physical activity in your daily schedule. Find fun ways to move your body more often.
- Walk when you are talking on your phone
- Take the stairs instead of the lift
- Walk your dog
- Clean your house
- Do jumping jacks and squats while watching TV
- Do some stretching exercises for every hour of sitting
Related: How to start an exercise habit and stick with it
5. Cut down on white flour and sugar
White flour and sugar can wreak havoc in our bodies. White flour is obtained from whole wheat grain after a lot of processing. Needless to say, after processing it gets stripped off its nutrient value.
Hence you get no nourishment in terms of the essential nutrients by eating foods made with white flour.
Some examples of foods that contain white flour are white bread, pasta, donut, pizza, chips, cereals, cookies etc.
White flour or refined wheat flour has a high glycemic index which causes a spike in your sugar levels. This can lead to an increased risk for type-2 diabetes. Consuming large amounts of refined flour also increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, cancer, gut issues, fatty liver etc.
Similarly, a diet high in sugar can stand in your goal of getting healthy. Bacteria and yeast feed on sugar, therefore the more sugar you consume, the more these organisms grow causing diseases to your body.
6. Drink celery juice on an empty stomach
Wait, didn’t I just tell you to drink water first on an empty stomach? Then what’s the deal with celery juice?
Drinking celery juice is one of the healthy eating habits I formed recently. Anthony William, #1 New York Times best-selling author of the book Medical Medium, started the global celery juice movement which is getting popular day by day.
Look at what Anthony William says about celery juice,
Celery is truly the savior when it comes to chronic illness. I’ve seen thousands of people who suffer from chronic and mystery illness restore their health by drinking 16 ounces of celery juice daily on an empty stomach. That’s why long ago I started the movement of drinking pure, straight celery juice, and it’s why I want to be sure people know how to use this potent drink correctly and successfully.”
Why celery juice?
Celery juice has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. That’s the reason it is said to be a miracle cure for people suffering from inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
According to Anthony, celery is perfect for reversing inflammation because it starves the pathogens including unproductive bacteria and viruses such as Epstein-Barr (EBV), that create it.
If you drink water first thing in the morning, you can drink celery juice 15-30 minutes after water or vice versa.
You can follow the Instagram page @celeryjuicebenefits to keep getting updates about the benefits of celery juice and experiences of people from around the world who are getting cured by this miracle juice.
Disclaimer: I started drinking this only recently to cure my own inflammatory diseases, therefore I can’t comment on the benefits yet. But I started drinking it because of the hundreds of testimonials I saw from people who drink it. I am sure, it’s worth the try. And please note that Anthony Williams is a medium and not a licensed doctor.
7. Plan your meals in advance to form healthy eating habits
The best way to develop good eating habits like avoiding processed foods and include more whole foods in your diet is meal planning.
I am an avid planner in many areas of my life and I can vouch for the benefits of planning.
You can plan meals on a weekly basis. When you plan, plan every meal including snacks. That way, you can prepare healthy make-ahead snacks to avoid grabbing the unhealthy ones loaded with sugar or God-knows-what!
how does meal planning help?
Planning your meals help you to buy only the necessary items when you go to the grocery store and avoid the impulse purchase of junk foods. So you save money and is able to stick to your diet.
Meal planning is one habit you must have if you want to lose weight and get healthy.
When you have a plan, you are in control of what you put inside of your body. You make conscious decisions and avoid giving into temptations. It helps you stay on track with your fitness goals.
It saves you time too. Cooking is easy, but deciding what to cook daily for each meal can consume a lot of time. Planning your meals beforehand enables you to save the time taken for decision and also enables you to stock your pantry with the necessary ingredients.
Would you like to check out the weekly planner printable on my shop?
8. Include more herbs and spices in your food
In addition to adding a rich flavor to your food, herbs and spices provide innumerable health benefits.
Herbs come from the leafy green part of the plant. Eg: basil, rosemary, peppermint, oregano etc. Spices come from parts of the plant other than the leaf, like – root (ginger), seeds (black pepper, coriander), bark (cinnamon), flower buds (clove) etc. Herbs and spices are powerhouses of antioxidants and they have anti-inflammatory properties.
They help in boosting immunity, regulates metabolism, detoxifies your body, controls diabetes and blood pressure, inhibits tumor growth, boosts heart health etc.
Hence, try to include more herbs and spices in your food. Toss them in your soups, stews, salads, curries, curries, and pasta. You can use fresh herbs for garnishing too.
9. Establish a basic skin care routine
Taking care of your health means taking care of your skin too, which is the largest organ in your body. Good skin care can help prevent skin problems and help you maintain the natural skin vitality longer.
Tips to establish a healthy skin care habit:
- Use sunscreen daily.
Sunscreen protects your skin from the harmful effects of the sun. They help to prevent premature aging and sunburns, lowers the risks of skin cancer and maintains the health of the skin. Dermatologists recommend using a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, which blocks 97 percent of the sun’s UVB rays (Source: aad.org)
- Do CTM daily.
CTM or cleansing-toning-moisturizing is the basic skin routine one must follow to maintain youthful and healthy skin. It doesn’t matter what your skin type is, incorporate CTM routine (twice in a day) in your daily habits list to enjoy benefits in the long term.
Cleansing helps to remove dirt, pollutants and makeup residue that get accumulated on your skin on a daily basis. Cleansing helps to clean your skin from all the impurities unclogging the skin pores.
Toning cleanses your skin further. It hydrates your skin and restores the delicate pH balance.
Moisturizing helps to keep your skin smooth and reduce wrinkles in the long run. You should use a moisturizer no matter what your skin type is. Moisturizing helps to avoid common skin problems like acne and blemishes. It also helps to balance the moisture levels on your skin.
- Use eye cream.
The eye cream is not just for people above 30 or 40. The area around your eyes is very sensitive. Therefore, it is often the first place where aging starts to show in the form of wrinkles and fine lines.
They are also more prone to dryness (since they are thin) especially if you are in front of the screens a lot. Eye creams are different from the normal moisturizers. They tend to be thicker and are made to target skin problems specific to your eye area, like dark circles, dryness, puffiness and fine lines.
It is recommended that you start using eye cream from your twenties in order to prevent the signs of aging.
- Always remove your make up before sleep
It is understandable how you want to crash into your bed after a long day or a night party. But removing your make up before sleep is one habit you can’t afford to miss.
Your skin renews itself during your sleep and when you sleep with your make up on it hinders this process.
And makeup contains oily ingredients which can clog your pores if left uncleaned overnight. It will lead to breakouts and acne which is a no-no. So, make sure you use a makeup remover to clean your face before sleep.
10. have a good oral health routine
Your oral health is more important than you think. It has an impact on the health of your whole body.
Your mouth is home to different types of bacteria. Some are beneficial and some are not. therefore, if you don’t maintain proper oral hygiene, harmful bacteria can cause dental diseases like cavities, gum diseases, and other oral infections.
If your immune system is weak, oral bacteria can cause infections in other parts of your body by traveling through your bloodstream. In fact, oral diseases like periodontitis have been linked to heart diseases and cancer.
Your oral health and gut health are interrelated. Most of the allergies and autoimmune diseases are thought to come from the imbalance of good and bad bacteria residing in your gut. The digestive process starts with the microbes in your mouth and they interact with the gut microbes.
Since gut microbes play a crucial role in your immunity and overall health, oral health becomes important in establishing a healthy lifestyle.
One healthy habit that has helped me improve my oral hygiene is oil pulling. The practice of oil pulling has been around for thousands of years. According to Ayurveda, it’s a cure for many diseases. Though it hasn’t been proved by research, there is no doubt about the fact that it definitely improves oral health.
Oil pulling helps to restore the pH balance in your mouth, kills the bacteria that cause cavities, beats bad breath and helps with gum diseases.
I like how oil pulling brightens my teeth (it doesn’t whiten but the surface stains are removed) and gives a clean mouth.
I also don’t like to use the chemical-laden commercial toothpaste. I make a remineralizing toothpaste from scratch to combat my cavity problems. If you want the recipe, here it is.
Tips to develop a healthy oral care habit:
- Brush twice a day for at least two minutes. Never go to bed without brushing your teeth because you want to remove the bacteria that are ready to feed on the food residues that get stuck on your teeth.
- Clean your tongue whenever you brush your teeth
- Floss daily
- Do oil pulling
- Replace your toothbrush every 2-3 months
conclusion
Everyone takes care of their health in different ways. What works for one, may not work for another. What would you like to add to the list? Please comment below.
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