Good health isn’t just about eating right and exercising. It’s also about developing healthy habits that can help you remain healthy. Your daily decisions play a huge factor in your overall health, and putting an emphasis on daily routines will get you closer to your health goals.

Here are five habits that will help you make the most of your health, both now and in the future.

1. Get Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep is essential for physical and mental health; it helps regulate hormones that control appetite, reduce inflammation, boost immunity, and improve cognitive functions such as concentration & memory retention power.

Aim for 7 or 8 hours of sleep per night — set up an ideal sleeping environment by turning off screens at least an hour before bedtime, avoiding caffeine drinks late in the day & wearing comfortable clothing while sleeping.

2. Eat a Balanced Diet

Eating a balanced diet is key to maintaining good health. Avoid processed foods as much as possible, and focus on eating whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Eating various foods from all food groups will ensure that your body gets all the nutrients it needs to stay healthy.

3. Exercise Regularly

Regular exercise helps keep your body strong and fit, so try to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine as much as possible. Whether taking a brisk walk around the block or lifting weights at the gym, consistency is key when working out – aim for 3-4 days per week.

4. Drink Plenty of Water

Staying hydrated is essential for optimal health; water helps flush toxins from your system and keeps your organs functioning properly. Ensure you’re drinking plenty of water throughout the day – aim for half your body weight in ounces daily.

5. Manage Stress Effectively

Understanding how to manage stress effectively is integral to keeping your body and mind healthy. Regularly engaging in activities that help you relax can positively affect your overall well-being and enable you to cope better with life’s challenges.

Taking a few minutes each day to regulate your physical and mental state can increase resilience when it comes to the stressful situations we all experience, whether at home or work. Consider dedicating time to activities such as yoga, reading, talking to family and friends, or listening to music – whatever helps you unwind. With practice, managing stress in a healthy way will soon become second nature.

Incorporating these five habits into your daily routine can have huge benefits on your overall health & well-being.

Start small — begin by drinking more water throughout the day or eating more fruits & vegetables at meals — then gradually progress towards incorporating more healthy habits one at a time until they become part of your daily routine.

Practicing gratitude has been shown to have many benefits for physical and mental health. From reducing stress to improving sleep, gratitude can be a powerful tool for transforming your health. One way to practice gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal. A gratitude journal is simply a place to record things you are grateful for in your life.

Gratitude journals can be used in many different ways.

Some basic guidelines to get you started are to write down three things you are grateful for each day and to try and come up with new things as often as possible. You can also add other elements to your journal, such as reflecting on positive experiences from the past or brainstorming stuff you are looking forward to in the future.

The Benefits of Gratitude Journals

There are many benefits associated with gratitude journals, but some of the most important are reductions in stress and improvements in sleep quality.

Stress reduction:

Stress is a universal emotion that everyone experiences at one point or another. It can be caused by various factors, including work, family, and personal relationships. One way to help manage stress levels is to keep a gratitude journal. By writing down things we are thankful for, we can shift our focus from negative thoughts to positive ones. Gratitude journals can also help us to appreciate the good things in our lives, even when everything else feels challenging.

Sleep quality:

When we take the time to reflect on our blessings before bed, we’re more likely to fall asleep quickly and sleep more soundly through the night. Gratitude journaling can help to reduce stress and anxiety, two common contributors to sleeplessness.

How to Use a Gratitude Journal

Now that we know a little bit more about gratitude’s benefits let’s talk about how to start incorporating it into your life. Every day, take some time to write down 3-5 things you’re grateful for. It can be as simple as “I’m grateful for my bed” or “I’m grateful for my cat.” The important thing is to be specific and deliberate about what you’re grateful for.

Over time, you’ll notice patterns in your thinking and feel more positive overall. Keep a notebook by your bed to jot down your 3-5 things before you drift off to sleep each night. It only takes a minute, and it makes a huge difference.

A gratitude journal is a simple way to practice gratitude daily. By taking a few minutes each day to write down things you are grateful for, you can experience reductions in stress and improvements in sleep quality, among other benefits.

Do you find it difficult to consume your daily water intake?

The age-old goal was eight glasses per day, but we now know our bodies require more personalized numbers based on our makeup. A more accurate goal is to aim for approximately half of your body weight in ounces per day. Therefore, if you weigh 150lbs, you’ll aim for 75oz of water a day.

If you have a 24oz water bottle, you’ll need to fill it up a little over 3x per day to reach your goal. It doesn’t seem like a lot until you actually try to tackle it.

If you’re trying to keep intake up and it still seems impossible, I have some tips for you.

When we realize that we need to be drinking more water, we first search for a cup or bottle. Half the fun is grabbing a new container or bringing an old favorite back to life. Anything will work, but I always choose something fairly large and doesn’t need to be refilled constantly.

I also like the ones that boast the ability to stay cold for an extended period of time. For example, water bottles with a straw seem easier to drink quickly than the large-mouth options you have to tip and sip. Carry it with you, so it’s always top of mind.

If it’s hard to get down this much water in a day—either because it’s unappealing or just doesn’t taste good—it’s pretty easy to add some flavor. I tend to choose citrus fruit (don’t add the peel, or you’ll taste a bitter flavor), sweet fruit like strawberries, pineapple, and melon, and crisp veggies like cucumber.

To combat many trips to the restroom all day and night, try adding electrolytes and minerals to your water.

There are many types of electrolyte mixes, both flavored and unflavored. Look for healthier options without added sugar or excess ingredients. And to add minerals, it’s just a simple pinch of mineral-rich sea salt. This keeps the body balanced, which means better water retention and overall better hydration. It can be challenging to hit the goal we set for ourselves even doing those things.

The last tip is to add water-rich foods into your diet.

This one is not only easy but also delicious. Some of the best foods are cucumber, broccoli, celery, lettuce, spinach, brussels sprouts, carrots, tomatoes, cauliflower, radishes, peppers, peaches, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, apples, blueberries, oranges, strawberries, and pears. These fruits and vegetables have many benefits when eaten raw, cooked, or even juiced.

It can be challenging to stay on top of this habit, especially when you start to pay attention to it. But with a bit of planning and creativity, you’ll soon notice that your body is genuinely thanking you for the extra care.

If you’ve struggled with putting a good night’s rest on the back burner, let this be the year you take a step toward better sleep. Think of your sleep hygiene as a series of sleep habits. These habits can drastically improve your ability not only to fall asleep but to stay asleep.

So whether you have chronic insomnia or just poor self-control when it comes to prioritizing rest over that last Netflix episode, these tips can help set you on the right path. If implementing the entire list feels overwhelming, begin with a few new habits and build from there.

The first thing you’ll want to do is make some tweaks to the environment that is your bedroom. Ideally, the room should be cool, dark, and peaceful. Turn down the temp, get some black-out blinds, play spa sounds, and spray the sheets with essential oils. Really, whatever you need to do to create an inviting atmosphere.

Here are your next steps to better sleep.

So, now you have a bedroom that is enticing to sleep in? Great! Next, you’ll want to adopt some other fairly easy guidelines and habits.

Establish your schedule.

Choose the hours you’ll be dedicating to sleep each night and be intentional about keeping them. This helps your body’s internal clock to create a routine.

Exercise early in the day.

It’s great to get those endorphins pumping, but if you do it too close to bedtime, it’ll do more harm than good for your ability to drift off.

Be cautious of naps.

While a nap may be enticing at the moment, it usually ends up lasting longer than intended and throws off your body’s natural timeline for sleep.

Use the bedroom only for bedroom activities.

Keep this room strictly business so that when you lay down to sleep, your body knows precisely what is happening.

Limit blue light.

If you don’t have a lightbulb that you can manually change the hue from cool to warm, grab some glasses that are specifically made to filter out these rays that tend to keep our brains working overtime.

Engage in a ritual.

Whether it’s a bath or a night-time skincare routine, or even just a candle, this act signals to our brain that bedtime is coming.

It’s important to note that sometimes you’ll do your best to follow these habits, and your mind still won’t shut off. You can try leaving a notebook near your bedside so you can do a brain dump when your mind is spinning. The act of getting those thoughts out onto paper will keep them from constantly swirling in your head, keeping you awake. This is a great practice to do every night, so you crawl into bed with a clear mind.

Try a new sleep routine to experience a Healthy Whole Life!

Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed with things to do or want to pamper yourself a bit extra, here is a daily self-care list that will instantly make you feel better.

Here is your daily self-care list.

Have a Hygiene Routine

You don’t need a ten-step skincare routine, but make sure you follow a hygiene routine morning and night that works for you. Some days, you can treat yourself to a few extra steps, but make sure you at least do your basic routine every day. If you create an overly elaborate and complicated routine, you might not be as inclined to stick with it every day. Having a hygiene routine is essential for skin, hair, and dental health. It will make you feel better mentally and physically.

Drink Water

Water is vital for every organ in the body, from the skin to the immune system. Make sure you stay hydrated throughout the day by carrying a water bottle with you. You should drink around 2 liters each day, more if you exercise or are sweating a lot. Our bodies wake up feeling dehydrated from a long night of sleeping, which may leave you feeling fatigued and low on energy. When you wake up in the morning, fill your glass and drink some water before coffee or breakfast.

Journal

Try to incorporate mindfulness and journaling into your daily self-care routine. Take a few minutes of your morning or evening before bed to write down five things you are grateful for that day. First, write down something good that happened or something that made you smile. Putting your thoughts down on paper helps you become more aware of these little happy moments that you might otherwise overlook.

Take a Break from Your Phone

We know the screens can be addicting, but putting your phone away for at least an hour each day will do wonders for your wellbeing. Even if you’re not working, emails, notifications, and reminders constantly pop up on your phone, which may increase stress levels. Put the phones down and spend time with your loved ones or with yourself. Do things you love and focus on being present.

Slow Down

Life seems to be flying by lately, and before we know it, the end of the month has arrived — again. Try to slow down and enjoy your daily routine more. Instead of rushing and eating your breakfast on the go, wake up a little earlier and sit down to eat. Invite your family to eat together. Sometimes all we need is a shift in perspective to feel better and less stressed.

Get Enough Sleep

No self-care routine is complete without a good night’s sleep. As busy as life gets, try not to compromise your sleep. It would help if you were sleeping at least 7-8 hours each night. Getting enough sleep is essential for your mental and physical wellbeing— it lowers stress levels, gives your body time to recover and rest, and allows you to start each day feeling energized.

Try these self-care tips to experience a Healthy Whole Life!

We all value our sleep, which is why it can be incredibly frustrating when it takes hours to fall asleep or when we wake up multiple times throughout the night.

Here are some sleep mistakes you may be making that could be sabotaging your sleep.

Having an Inconsistent Sleep Schedule

The Circadian rhythm is the body’s natural alarm clock. It alerts the body when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to wake up. Having an inconsistent sleep schedule and going to bed at different times every night throws off your Circadian rhythm. As a result, your body no longer knows when to go to sleep. I know it can be challenging, but try to fall asleep at the same time every night, regardless of whether it’s a weekend or weeknight.

Using Your Screens Before Bed

When you have trouble falling asleep, you might feel tempted to scroll through social media or binge-watch TV until you feel more tired. Unfortunately, using screens such as your phone or laptop before bed further negatively impacts your ability to fall asleep. The blue light emitted from your screens stops melatonin production, which is your sleep hormone. The never-ending consumption of information and media also stimulates your brain, making it difficult to relax and slow down your thoughts. Instead, put the screens away at least an hour before bed and read a book instead.

Intense Exercise Before Bed

While light exercise, such as a relaxing walk, can help you fall asleep faster, the opposite is true for intense, strenuous exercise. Intense exercise before bed raises your heart rate and gives you a boost of energy, which makes it difficult to relax and fall asleep. It also increases your body temperature and leaves you feeling hot, which is not the optimal temperature for sleep. Try to move your intense workouts to the morning or afternoon instead and leave the evenings to relax.

Too Much Caffeine Late in the Day

Caffeine stays in your body for much longer than you might think. Caffeine is a stimulant— its job is to keep you awake and alert. Not exactly what we’re looking for when we want to sleep! Even an afternoon cup of coffee could be negatively affecting your quality of sleep. Cut the caffeine by noon and see if your sleep quality improves. If you need a pick-me-up, opt for a lower caffeine drink, such as green tea. Make sure you stay hydrated throughout the day, as this helps keep you energized without the need for caffeine.

Not Having a Nurturing Evening Routine

Do you feel like you collapse into bed once you’ve finally checked everything off of your to-do list for the day? Make it your mission to ease into sleep. Find your balance of the perfect evening routine that nurtures you and guides you into slumber in a relaxing, enjoyable way. This may take some trial-and-error, so try different things until you find what works best for you.

Try these tips to get your sleep back in balance.

We know how important it is to drink water, but it’s not always easy to get our daily intake. I use a few tips and tricks to make sure I’m drinking half of my body weight in ounces each day, and you can try them, too.

Here are some tips to help you drink more water so you can stay hydrated and healthy.

1. Flavor Your Water

Try flavoring your water with tea bags or fresh herbs and fruits. Fresh mint makes your water taste refreshing without adding any sugars or unhealthy additives. You can also add berries, watermelon, cucumber, lemon, and whatever other fruits you prefer. Many tea companies sell cold tea infusers that are made specifically for cold water. These flavors will make drinking water much more exciting and delicious.

2. Buy a New Water Bottle

As silly as it may sound, having a nice water bottle can motivate you to use it more. Just as new workout clothes motivate us to go to the gym, a shiny new water bottle can motivate us to drink more water. There are many beautiful bottles out there and even some high-tech ones that connect to your phone and remind you to drink water. Many water bottles also contain marked measurements on the side, which is very helpful if you want to keep track of your water drinking progress throughout the day. Find something you love and use it.

3. Download a Water-Tracking App

These days, there really is an app for everything, including drinking water. These apps will help you track how much water you drink and show you how much is left to meet your daily intake goal. Most of these apps also send reminders throughout the day to drink more water. We check our phones constantly, so having notifications is a sure way to remind us to drink more.

4. Bring Your Water Bottle with You Everywhere

It’s difficult to remember to drink water, especially if it’s not nearby. Visual reminders, such as your water bottle, help tremendously. Take your water bottle everywhere with you, and make sure to refill it as soon as it’s empty. Even if you’re just walking around the house, bring a water bottle, or have more than one throughout your house. If you can make this a habit, then the practice of drinking water will come a lot more easily.

5. Drink Sparkling Water

When you’re feeling bored of regular water, try drinking some sparkling water instead. There are many flavors of sparkling water, which taste similar to soda (without the sweetness).

You can try endless flavor combinations, and the carbonation is refreshing and exciting. When something tastes good, you don’t need to have a habit of drinking it; you will want to!

When we set our goals for the New Year, we need to put a special focus on building new habits rather than overhauling everything in a flash. It can come as a shock to change too much at once, which often leads to tossing in the towel before you reach those goals you genuinely want to achieve.

Since old habits die hard, here’s how to make new healthy habits that last.

Commit to your healthy goals

Even when you know you need to make some changes, it can be challenging to do so. Change is hard and often uncomfortable. Committing to these goals by focusing on the “why” portion of the unpleasantness can help you stay committed to the goals you’ve set for yourself. For example, if you are hoping to lower your cholesterol this year and you’ve chosen to make some dietary changes to do so, focus on the results you’ll get rather than the process of achieving them.

Create a fun calendar

Grab a calendar or planner in a style that makes it enticing for you to use. Add your health goals there so you’ll follow them and start a routine you look forward to checking off each day. It helps to read them the night before, so you set the tone for what’s to come and get it done.

Take it slow

Getting into good health is essential, but you can’t just jump from one extreme to the next. Take a look at the healthy habits you need to incorporate. Perhaps it’s eliminating sodas, eating more healthy, whole foods, and exercising. Then, start slowly removing the harmful elements while working in more healthy choices with each week. Increase the amount of time you spend exercising with every passing week, and you’ll be locked into these new healthy habits.

Get an accountability buddy

If you have a friend or family member with the same goals, you can pair up to tackle them together. But don’t let it stop you if no one else is on your same mission. Share those habits and goals anyway so that your friends and family can help cheer you on.

Celebrate your victories

Every big goal you set should have a path lined with smaller goals that get you there. This way, you feel motivated to keep persisting through the pressure. When you reach those smaller goals, celebrate!

Keep track of your progress

Documenting your healthy habits is a great way to stay motivated when you’re having a bad day. When you flip back, and you see the changes you’ve made, you’ll be inspired. If your goal is weight loss, look at the weight you started at. Losing just 5-10 pounds will make you see you CAN do it and keep you moving toward that final goal.

One Final Word of Advice: Be Kind to Yourself When You Slip Up

Sometimes we veer off track, and that’s perfectly fine. Dust yourself off and get back to it rather than punishing yourself. The sooner you get back on course, the less impact it will have on your overall goals.

Unless you were a germophobe before the pandemic, you probably didn’t think of your way of life as unhygienic. Soap flew off the shelves, and we started asking ourselves, hmmm… why wasn’t soap as popular before?

While much has changed since the beginning of the outbreak, experts have still continuously touted many healthy habits that we should have been doing all along. But the more we know, the better we become. Let’s hope that this cold and flu season is the healthiest we’ve seen in a while, with everyone’s newfound propensity for handwashing and immune boosting!

Here are five long-lasting healthy habits we should carry on even after the pandemic has cleared up.

1. Wash your hands often

And don’t just rinse them with water or quickly wash with soap — wash them thoroughly. The experts say at least 20 seconds of vigorous scrubbing with soap is required to remove any lingering germs. Even if you always wash up before eating or after a trip to the bathroom, you should be cognizant of washing throughout the day, especially when you come back into your home.

2. Stay put if you’re sick

We’re all probably quite guilty of still living life as usual when we’re mildly ill, which leads to community spread quite easily. Perhaps we’ll take this quarantined mindset into the future when we become sick. Stay put, rest, and get well before you go back into the world. Of course, this isn’t always possible, but decreasing the spread of illness as much as we can will help one trip out in public at a time.

3. Use that face mask if you’re sick

I’ve often seen masked people in the pharmacy section of the department store during the cold and flu season. When diagnosed with the flu, we’ve been given masks to use when shopping for immune boosters and any necessary medications. And this was many, many years before the COVID-19 pandemic. This can be seen becoming more popular throughout the flu season each year, which would help reduce spread if you have to leave the house for some essential items.

4. Don’t spray coughs and sneezes everywhere

Even if you’re home alone, get in the habit of coughing and sneezing into the crook of your elbow. As kids, many of us were taught to cover our coughs and sneezes, but we often used our hands. The elbow is a better place to catch your sneeze or cover your cough, especially when you’re in a situation where you can’t get to a sink to wash your hands right away.

5. Keep your hands off your face

Because we’re always touching something, try to eliminate touching your face unless your hands have been freshly cleaned the right way. If you have germs on your hands, you’ll risk spreading them in your eyes, nose, or mouth if you don’t form the habit of not touching your face. This can be challenging, but with awareness, you can at least reduce how often this occurs.

What new healthy habits have you adopted during this time?

For most of us, this summer is a strange time. We likely dreamed up our summer vacation while we were cooped up in the cold winter months.

Instead, there’s a pandemic causing many far-and-away vacations and cruises to be canceled. That doesn’t mean you can’t go exploring somewhere a little closer to home though — like somewhere in your own town.

If you have worried about staying healthy when you leave your house, here are 7 hacks to keep up good health while you have a socially-distanced outing.

1. Plan ahead

Maybe your old road trips involved winging it. With COVID-19 all around, that’s not such a good idea anymore. Look up some beautiful and secluded nature spots around your town you’ve meant to explore and make a list of places you’d like to visit over the coming months. As the leaves start changing soon, being outside in nature will be the perfect place to be!

2. Focus on being outdoors for your activities

Look for national parks and outdoor landmarks to explore. Avoid being indoors for long periods with others that aren’t in your household. The great outdoors, away from crowds or anyone you do not live with is the perfect equation during these times.

3. Stay hydrated

A dehydrated body is more prone to any illness. Make sure you and your family are consuming enough fresh water. You can also pack oranges and tangerines, which are easy to eat in the car, hydrating, and naturally give you vitamin C.

4. Consider different accommodations

Minimizing contact with others is essential during this time. Instead of staying at your favorite beach resort, try something new this year and go camping! You won’t have to worry about wiping down things in the wild, and you likely won’t even come across another human. Again, with the weather starting to cool off soon, this could be a great overnight trip to enjoy.

5. Make every meal nutritious

Reducing contact with others and avoiding confined spaces will help, but bolstering your own health is also essential. When your immunity is strong, it’s much harder for you to get sick even when faced with germs. Bring healthy foods to cook while camping or look for restaurants that serve fresh meals made with lots of vegetables that you can order to-go and take with you.

6. Take probiotics and supplements

Supplements like a good multi-vitamin can give you the vitamins and minerals you might miss out on, even if you eat mostly healthy meals. By keeping these in balance, you reduce your chances of illness. Probiotics help by keeping your gut populated with healthy bacteria. Make sure you eat enough fiber to nourish them, though. Packing fruits like apples will help with that.

7. Always keep on top of hygiene

Now more than ever, we must be mindful of the things we touch. Keep disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer with you to use as needed. Please wash your hands often and watch where you put them, specifically your face. This will prevent spreading germs into your body, giving you the best defense to keep the germs at bay.

Isolation from the pandemic isn’t healthy either. By getting out of your home and going somewhere safe, you can still enjoy your summer while still staying safe. Hit reply and let me know about any adventures you have had in your town! I’d love to see pictures, too!