Habits that will improve your life
Habits that will improve your life
So, New Year has come around and you feel like you want to start being more productive, healthy and take your habits to the next level. You are in the right place! I put together a list of habits that you can implement into your everyday routine and become a better version of yourself in the following year. Let’s get straight to it, my friends!
Movement
Try to regularly get in any kind of exercise. Working out does not necessarily have to be done in order to change the way you look. There are so many benefits of moving your body. Gaining strength, clearing your head, spending time outside... Yoga, pilates, weight lifting, walking, running, dancing, you name it. Find an activity you enjoy and just move your body!
Walking more
A great way of getting more exercise in is to walk more instead of driving. Walking is one of the best cardio exercises and it is proven for walking to improve mental state. You can also listen to podcasts or music while on your daily walk. So, next time instead of driving for 10 minutes, dedicate 40 minutes of your day to taking a walk to your destination.
Stretch
Becoming more flexible has many benefits for overall body form and improving performance in other sport disciplines. According to Healthline ‘’It's better to stretch for a short time every day or almost every day instead of stretching for a longer time a few times per week. Do a 20- to 30-minute session at least three times per week.’’ Read the whole article here.
Journaling and shadow work
Write down your feelings, plan out your days, make to-do lists, keep a gratitude journal, write about your experiences, answer shadow work prompts. Writing helps to calm your mind and record memories.
Meditate
Meditation can help increase patience, improve mindfulness, increase self-awareness and many more. Even a 10 minute meditation session can help you get all of these. There are countless meditation videos on YouTube for basically anything. Morning, night time, stress, connection to higher self…
For a lot of people it might seem intimidating to sit still for a certain amount of time and not think about anything, but trust me, it is easier than it seems. Just try and see for yourself!
Drink enough water
The most basic, ever so told health practice: drinking enough water. Let’s get real, drinking 8 cups of coffee or some soda a day? Easy-peasy. 8 cups of water? Ehh, not so easy...
But it really is not so complicated, try to drink a cup of water first thing in the morning, even before making that coffee. Keep a bottle of water on you at school or work and, if necessary, download an app that is going to remind you to drink water and help you track your intake.
Eating healthy
I honestly, do not really want to go into details on this one, mainly because the definition of “eating healthy” looks different for everyone and I am not a nutritionist or any kind of health specialist. But essentially, what I do to eat healthier is getting in all the veggies and fruit, trying to eat less highly processed foods, but remembering that balance is key and enjoying what I eat.
Practice mindful eating
The definition of mindful eating is: Mindful eating (i.e., paying attention to our food, on purpose, moment by moment, without judgment) is an approach to food that focuses on individuals' sensual awareness of the food and their experience of the food.
Basically it is a practice where you don’t restrict, don’t eat when not hungry and stop eating when full. Some of the benefits are for example weight loss, stress reduction and better digestion. You can read more here.
Stable sleeping schedule
Sleep is far more important than (most),especially young, people realise. Other than getting the rest you need to function, during sleep your brain clears out harmful toxins, which helps you process information better and learn more effectively. Other benefits include: helping to prevent weight gain, improving memory, boosting immune system, strengthening your heart…
Recommended and optimal amount of sleep is around 8 hours per night.
Reading
Reading is an amazing way to obtain information, but also to entertain oneself, depending on the genre you read. Any subject you might be interested in, there is a 99% probability that there is at least one book written about it. Besides gaining knowledge and having fun, reading has many benefits for the brain. Read about them here
Duolingo
If you have ever tried learning a new language, you have probably heard about Duolingo. It is essentially a language learning app, that tries to teach you through practical, real-life example exercises. You most likely won't learn to speak a language fluently by using Duo, however it is still a great tool to improve your vocab in the target language.And even if you are not trying to learn a language, Duo is not bad for learning something new and interesting.
Listen to podcasts
Podcasts are amazing in every way possible. They are free, you can download them to your device and nowadays, same as with books, there are podcasts about nearly everything. You can listen to them at home, in the bus, on your walk, run, during working out, during cooking, basically at any given free time. They are a great learning or entertainment source with endless hours of free listening.
Save money and invest
This year, instead of spending your spare money on short-term enjoyment and material things you don't need, try to save your money and invest it. I am not an expert in this field, and therefore I don't really want to try to explain what investing is and how it should be done. But here is a link to an article about investing for beginners.
Keep a gratitude journal
Expressing gratitude regularly has been associated with many long term mental benefits such as reduced stress, burnout and symptoms of PTSD and improved overall well-being. After waking up or before going to bed simply write down three things that you are grateful for. Read more about gratitude journaling and how to start here.
State of mind habits
Here are a few more state of mind habits, that should be helpful in improving your mental being and help you be a stronger queen/king :)
Don’t compare yourself to others
- Read more here
Don’t be judgemental of others
- Read more here
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