Don’t take your good health for granted! Looking after ourselves is very important, we all know that but we might not do it properly or enough. Being healthy means to be physically and mentally well; they have to be balance and require time. You don’t have to change your life drastically to be healthy, you just have to make small changes to habits in your life. Healthier habits lead to a better life. Here are some examples, some are more known than others but we still forget to do them sometimes.
Physical activity
We all know regular sport is necessary so I won’t go in much detail; just make sure to find something that you love and enjoy doing. Remember to exercise every part of your body and take rest days. Choose to stand rather than sit. Walk around your house when you are bored instead of sitting on the sofa. Take the stairs instead of the lift whenever you can. Aim for 10,000 steps every day. It is recommended to stretch every day as it is very good for the body same as yoga.
Balance diet
We have all been told a million times that we need to drink about 2L of water and I’m here to tell you one more time drink water consistently during the day, not too much at once. You can also take your water bottle with you everywhere which will remind you to drink.
Instead of eating when you are bored or stressed try distract yourself with something else like reading, sports, TV... If you still have the need to snack make sure it is a healthy snack (the app Yuka scans the food product and tells you how good it is for you).
Try to eat as much variety as you can and make sure you are getting all the nutrients such as proteins, vitamins, minerals… Eat one fruit every day, this can be for breakfast, dessert or snack. Eat at least a little bit of vegetables at lunch and dinner. If you are picky eater (like me), I suggest you try a new food every month but eat it every week, this way you will get used to it and after you eat it 10 times you will like it.
Avoid processed / junk food as much as possible. For example, if you are the type of person that goes to McDonald’s every week, you should reduce it to every other week, then once a month and so on. It is preferable to buy organic or bio when buying food. You can start switching gradually and each time you go to the supermarket replace one thing by a healthier version and keep doing it and adding one more food each time. You are allowed to eat junk food from time to time but make sure the other meals are healthy meals. Also avoid food that once you start eating is very difficult to stop.
Mental health
Love yourself! This is something a lot of people struggle with, it includes loving your body, your mind, your personality… Every time you find yourself comparing to someone else, think “we are all beautiful in our unique way” It will make you look at yourself and other people in a more caring way. Remember that the photos in social media don’t resemble reality most of the time, they are usually edited and sometimes photoshopped. So definitely avoid comparing yourself to them, especially supermodels because they follow a strict diet and workout routine to look a certain way. We all have insecurities, you are not alone in this! It’s okay to hide them until we have accepted them and we are ready to embrace them. The best way to accept them is by knowing there are more people in the same situation as you. Don’t make anyone feel bad about themselves nor their insecurities, instead show them your love, help them build their confidence. I suggest you tell someone something you like about them each day, it could be to family member, friend or even a stranger; and it can be something physically, from their personality, something they’ve done… If it’s something in your personality or in your actions that you don’t like, you can change it too. First you need to identify what you want to change, then decide how you are going to change it. For example, if you want to be more generous in general, whenever you find yourself in a position where you would say ‘no’ to what they asked, take a deep breath and think again, your answer will probably change. There are also many ways you can change it, take some time to think about it and what are the best ways for you to change it. Remember creating small habits become significant.
Try your best to have a positive attitude. Every time you find yourself judging/thinking negative things about someone else, stop, take a deep breath and try to find something positive about them. It will make you feel better about yourself and it is a more positive way of looking at life. Stay optimistic in life but realist at the same time. In every situation that seems negative there is at least something good about it, try finding it! Surround yourself with people who are positive and bring it out on you. Avoid negativity and pessimist from you and people near you. For every negative thought, try thinking two positive ones, or more! Remember all the good things that happen during the day, right before going to sleep.
Forgiveness is extremely important to have a mind at ease, it also helps to grow and live in the present. Avoid holding grudges because it will only make the situation worse. Talk it out, express how you feel and listen to how the other feels, give them a chance to explain. Most of the arguments between people are caused by misunderstandings. Don’t assume things, ask if they are true. Even if the other person hurt you a lot, you will feel better if you forgive them, even if at first you think that they don’t deserve it. If the person takes too long to apologise or doesn’t do it, forgive them anyways even before they say sorry. Don’t ever go to sleep angry it will only make things worse. For future conflicts, try to understand the other person’s perspective without jumping into conclusions.
Spend time with family and friends. Dedicate a day of the week to do something with them. Get into the habit of calling grandparents or family members that live far away at least once a week, you could do it the same time every week so it gets into a routine. Check in on friends who you haven’t talked in ages, you could make a list beforehand and set reminders to check on different people everyday / every other day / once a week… it doesn’t matter how often as long as you get in the habit of doing it. It might make their day, knowing that they were on your mind. You can try new activities with your friends/family, set some traditions that have to be done every week / month / year. Don’t forget to spent time with yourself as well. Dedicate time to what you love doing.
Laugh at least a little bit each day. If one day you are feeling down or if for whatever reason you haven’t laugh watch a comedy film, stand ups or anything that makes you laugh. Talk to friends/family, ask them to make you laugh. Think of all the moments in your life were you almost peed yourself or actually did because you were laughing so much. Look through photos on your phone or albums, it will remind you of some funny moments. Read some jokes and tell them to other people, then you get to laugh twice. You can also do a prank which isn't harmful on someone that you have a good relationship and won’t get annoyed.
AND MANY MORE!!! Which you can find some in the list of sources but I couldn't include them because otherwise the blog would be too long. Please leave a comment if you would like a part 2.
If you are already doing some of these, I encourage you to continue and slowly start new habits. If you haven’t started, it’s not too late. I know it is easier said than done so I hope all of you get the motivation to start living a healthier life. You can also track your habits with an app and set reminders to help you stay consistent.
The 21/90 rule is that it takes 21 days to form a habit and 90 days for it to become a lifestyle.
Good luck! Don't forget to let me know your thoughts and thank you for reading! :)
Excellent article Jazmin! Some really great stuff in there and I never knew about The 21/90 rule. I'm going to start applying that to some bad habits that I've picked up over the holidays (too many BBQ's). Hope you are well and enjoying the holidays. MP