Healthy habits are hard to come by let alone know exactly what habits will help us with long term success. We’ve heard before that good genetics, working out, eat healthy, reduce stress, get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Well maybe you have most those things and your still not where you think your body should be. Below are some of those healthy tips explained in more detail as well as new tips that you might want to try to help you with a new health routine.
Healthy Habits
- Take care of yourself in your 20’s- the habits you form over the course of your 20’s will help formulate your healthy habits for years to come. Out of your 20’s? No worries the sooner you start taking time for you the better. For example, if your in the sun without sunscreen you will develop sun spots on your face, you partied to hard in college than early in your work years and didn’t workout losing weight only gets tougher as you age. For females the muscle you put on in your 20’s has been shown to decrease your risk factors for bone related diseases in your 60’s and beyond. This decade most people don’t have as many responsibilities so take the time to invest in your future health.
- Go to bed– sleep is huge if you want to age gracefully and be present for your life. We have all been there when you feel like a zombie you stayed up way to late and got up extremely early the next day. You are cranky, you eat things you normally wouldn’t, your stressed, and not fully present in your day. If you combine years of limited sleep think of what that does to your overall quality of life.
- Early lighter dinners– this tip comes from Ayurveda, which means science of life. Ideally you want to eat your dinner before 6pm. If you’re thinking of excuses of how that can’t happen. I’ve been there and it took me two years before I finally have incorporated that into my life. Just the introduction to the idea might be what you need to hear right now. The lighter part comes into play with eating primarily soup or salads for your meal. In the winter indulging in a nice light soup, in the warmer months having a salad.
- Workout-By workout I mean moving the body in whatever way makes you excited to do it. Going for walks, yoga, lifting weights, swimming, biking, or a dance class. I work with many clients in their 80’s & 90’s. Working out is their biggest piece of advice. Most of them still make time to lift weights 3 times a week and walk daily. Why they do it? When they don’t workout they get stiff, lose their balance, and overall lose of strength. The younger you start these habits the better your body will be during the aging process. I hate to break it to you but everyone ages. The more you do with your body now the more you will be able to do with your body later in life. Trust me when your in your 90’s and still doing squats, push-ups and being able to walk up and down a 4 flights of stairs, you will thank me.
- Find a stress relieving hobby-So many people are a ball of nerves and their bodies hold onto that stress in various formats. Some get extremely stiff, some get dizzy and others feel like their minds are in constant overdrive. We are in a 24/7 stimulating environment. We have to unplug and find something that we can do daily that will release stress. That may mean meditating for 5 minutes a day, reading before bed, writing 3 things your grateful for at the end of the day, or journaling daily. You may also want to find a hobby that you can do on your day off from work. It can be anything from going on a bike ride, go for a walk, go boating, scrapbook, go to the movies, try a new restaurant, complete a task on your bucket list. Stress is overtaking so many of our lives and we need to make time to relax so we don’t suffer the health consequences later in life.
- Don’t get in the fast food habit- Everyone has been there they are tired from work, no food to cook for dinner, a hungry spouse or family to feed. So they figure they should swing by the local fast food joint. Now every once in awhile this is fine. What happens to people is they start doing it day after day and now it has become a hard habit to break. One solution plan your meals on Sundays or your day off. Cook the meals ahead of time and keep in your fridge or freezer. That way you will have a game plan. If you were swamped that week, hey it happens to the best of us. Have ingredients on hand that you can whip something up in 10-20 minutes tops.
Action
Now think of 1-3 things you can start incorporating into your life this week. They should be little changes as to not overwhelm yourself. Write them down and post them so you can see them daily. I can’t wait to hear about the little changes that start to make that will make a big difference in your long term health.
Author: Andrea Claassen
Email: [email protected]
Author Bio: Andrea Claassen is a certified personal trainer, 200 hour registered yoga instructor and mindset shifter. Her mission is to help women learn to lift heavy, incorporate yoga, and find their favorite form of movement. She does this by teaching her Peaceful Power Practices centered around fitness, yoga & Ayurveda. Andrea believes training is so much more than working out it truly is about helping you reclaim your fitness story.
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