10 Easy Healthy Habits You Can Add to your Daily Routine
| 3 min read
Everyone wants to be healthier, but when life gets super busy, making time for a full workout or cooking three healthy dishes a day can seem impossible. While you should aim to fit in 150 minutes of exercise a week and eat lots of fresh produce and lean protein, smaller healthy habits that are built in to your regular routine can also help you boost your overall health and mood.
Here are 10 quick tips for improving every day, no matter how hectic things get:
- Pack your lunch and breakfast. You may already be packing lunches to take to work, but start packing a breakfast as well. Fiber-rich oatmeal and potassium-filled bananas can give your mornings the healthy jumpstart they need. Prep your meals at night and you can save yourself valuable time and calories in the morning.
- Bring gym bag to work. You might be able to squeeze in a quick 20-minute workout on your way home, but only if you already have your gym bag with you. Pack it with a change of clothes, sneakers, water bottle and headphones and you’ll be much more motivated to exercise.
- Develop a taste for green tea. You’ll get your caffeine kick as well as a bunch of healthy extras, including antioxidants that can reduce your risk of certain cancers. Plus tea can keep you hydrated.
- Have at least two colors represented on your plate. It can be tough to get all of the antioxidants and vitamins you need without eating your fruits and vegetables. One way to up your total: Try to showcase two different colored pieces of produce during every meal. For example, a spinach salad with sliced strawberries would take care of lunch.
- Ask a coworker to take an afternoon walk. The benefits of walking during the day are almost endless, including reduced stress and an improved mood at work afterward. Feel like you can’t take the time away from your to-do list? Do your brainstorming on the move with a colleague and kill two birds with one stone.
- Breathe. Deeply. This may seem like a simple tip, but there are lots of benefits of taking a moment to breathe. Inhale for a count of four, exhale for a count of four, and repeat until you feel your pulse slow and your mind relax.
- Wash your hands more often. You already suds up after a stop to the bathroom, but make sure you also wash them before cooking and eating. This simple step can help prevent bugs from being passed around.
- Floss every day. Have you lied when the dentist asks “have you been flossing?” No longer! Flossing reaches places toothbrushes can’t, so set a reminder on your phone to go off before bedtime and don’t turn it off until you’ve picked up the floss.
- Make your bed a zen space. In order to separate work and relaxation, your bedroom should be a serene place. Avoid bringing your laptop into your bedroom, have a lower wattage lamp on your nightstand so you don’t need to have overhead lights on all the time and consider not even having a TV in there—it can keep you wired when you should be winding down.
- Put your phone on silent at night. If you’re compulsively checking your phone close to bedtime, it can affect your entire sleep schedule. Make a rule to not check email from bed or after 9:00pm—this will help you get the shut-eye you need so you wake up refreshed.
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Photo Credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
