Today I present to you an article from the blog “Więcej niż zdrowe odżywianie” (More than just healthy eating). Find out how 7 healthy habits can transform your life!
A habit is a strong mechanism, which you can use to work on your health and wellbeing. It does require some work, regularity, and sometimes even cleverness. What do you get in return? Find out in this article.
How many times did you feel like you’ve done something you don’t quite remember doing? Like that time you drove to work and you don’t remember anything from the road, or when you thought you forgot to turn the iron off, but of course you had turned it off right after ironing your shirt. This exactly is the power of habits, the system your brain has developed. Basically, your brain turns the autopilot on for some of your daily routines in order for you to get involved in more interesting activities.
Wouldn’t it be great to turn the autopilot on for a healthy lifestyle? Is it possible to intentionally develop a habit, or maybe a few? Well, here’s the good news: yes, it is possible!
Research shows that if you keep doing an activity regularly for 2-5 weeks, you’ll likely develop a habit. So you only need to do this one thing every day (no excuses!) and after 2-5 weeks you’ll be doing it automatically, not having to remember about it. It’s a bit like driving your car to work, when you know the road by heart and you don’t think or plan the next manoeuvre on the road – you just do it.
1. Drink a lot of water
Can you imagine not being able to drink for 7-8 hours? How would you feel? Well, this is what happens to you when you sleep. Even though you don’t feel thirsty, your organism gets dehydrated after a whole night of sleep. You should drink some water not later than 30 minutes after you’ve woken up. Water with some lemon juice is the best in the morning.
Water rehydrates your body and lemon juice deacidifies your body and also gives you vitamin C. You should also drink water between your meals, throughout the whole day. You actually shouldn’t drink while you eat, so that you don’t dilute the gastric juice. Let your stomach digest the food well.
2. Eat fresh fruit and vegetables everyday
Fruit and veggies are the best source of nutrients – vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytonutrients. What could possibly be more healthy and nutritious? They have the greatest nutrient density, as well as the greatest ratio of nutrients to calories.
There are 2 kinds of vitamins in the food: water- and fat-soluble. The ones that dissolve in water (e.g. vitamin C) quickly disappear from your body – their excess is excreted in the urine. This is why you should replenish those vitamins every day by eating fresh food and vegetables.
3. Eat homemade meals
There are more and more restaurants with healthy food. Still, being on the run, sometimes you don’t have time to stop for a dinner and you end up with a candy bar in your hand. The best way is to plan and prepare meals at home, 2-3 times a week. You can freeze or pasteurize the excess portions and take them to work or eat at home even a few weeks later.
When preparing a homemade meal you should pay attention to the quality of your ingredients – always use fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrain pasta, brown bread etc. Never use ready-made seasoning. Usually some healthy Himalayan salt and fresh or dried herbs do the trick.
Develop a habit of pre-cooking your dinners, then take them with you to work or when you go for a trip. Make sure that you always have something healthy to eat.
4. Eat “consciously”
One of the best habits you can develop is conscious eating – when you are sensitive to feeling hungry, feeling bloated, or some other incentives causing you to eat (e.g. stress, bad humour). To keep the right weight of your body, you need to pay attention to all those signal your brain sends you. You eat when you’re hungry and you stop when you feel full – this way you always eat exactly as much as your body needs.
Try listening to your body’s needs – why am I hungry at this certain moment? Is my stomach empty or am I just bored or nervous? Before you eat, just wait until you’re really hungry. When eating, don’t engage in other activities. Celebrate your food – its colours, its smell, and the taste.
Stop eating when you fill full – not when you’ve cleared the whole plate.
5. Spend time with your loved ones
For most of us, good relations with other people are one of three most important things in life. Do you fell this way too? How about spending some time with your family, friends, or your soulmate? Celebrate the time you spend with people who are important to you. They make you forget the stress, they make you laugh and relax. This has a major impact on your health and wellbeing.
Remember to take care of those relationships. Every week call or meet at least one of those people. At first, try the ones you haven’t spoken to for a while. \
6. Use each opportunity to keep moving
It is way better to do some moderate activity regularly than to run a marathon once a year. Working out at open air gets your body the oxygen it needs and, what is more, helps de-acidify your organism.
You should engage in some movement activities on a day-to-day basis. Try getting off the bus or tram 2 stops earlier then usual. You can also walk the stairs instead of taking the lift. Just keep that in your mind that there’s always an opportunity to move around. Of course some fitness activities, sports or swimming is also great for your body, but you can get active with your daily routines as well!
7. Get 7-8 hours of sleep
Your body needs rest. There are people who function well while getting less than 6 hours of sleep. How long do you think they’ll be okay with it? Isn’t it exploiting their organisms? Sleep is the time for your body to get rid of toxins and other harmful substances, whilst regaining energy for another day.
Try developing a habit of sleeping for 7-8 hours per night. It might be hard at the beginning, sometimes you’ll have difficulties with falling asleep or you’ll wake up too early. With time, however, your body will get used to the resting time. It will increase its immunity to diseases or stress.
How do I effectively develop a habit?
While developing a new habit, you can use some of my tricks:
1. One habit at a time
No matter what habit you choose and how many others you have in your mind – resist the temptation and work only on the first of them. When it becomes something natural to you, something you do unawarely and undoubtedly, then you can start another habit.
2. Choose the habits you enjoy
Switch from bad habits to good ones. Eat a fresh carrot instead a pack of crisps. Remember that a good habit is the one you truly feel you enjoy.
3. Every day take at least one step towards your habit
Even the longest journey starts with one small step. This one is often the hardest! It’s like moving a heavy object – you use your greatest strength to start. Once you’ve pursued the right direction, working on your habit, take a step towards it every day.
Don’t look for any excuses – look for the opportunities to get closer to achieving your goal instead!
4. Find some company
Find somebody to work on their habits with you. Talk or meet regularly and encourage yourselves to do more everyday. It’s a great motivation!
What are your advices on working on habits?
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This article was written by Michał Jaworski, co-author of the “Więcej niż zdrowe odżywianie” blog.
Click to read the original article on the blog
To get similiar articles, visit Michał and Tatiana’s blog and their Facebook page.
