5 Healthy Habits To Develop This Year

Developing healthy habits is essential to living a healthier life. There are some habits, which are easier to develop than others. Good habits can improve your physical, mental and emotional well-being. Incorporating some of these habits into your daily routine can make a big difference in the long run. You can take the first steps to improve your lifestyle with these 5 healthy habits.

1. Reading Before Bed

Reading before bed is a healthy habit which you can easily develop if you choose the right book. There are proven health benefits to reading before bed. It can help reduce stress, it can boost your brainpower, improve your creativity and it can help you have a good night sleep.

This healthy habit can replace your phone at night. Browsing social media, watching films or playing games before bed can become an issue to your sleep, because it keeps your brain activated, making it harder to fall asleep. It is suggested to switch off your electronics one hour before bed.

You don’t actually have to do one hour right away. You can start with a few minutes today and slowly increase. Reading is the best thing to replace your phone because it keeps your attention on something else. And it can be really easy to develop this healthy habit if you get particularly interested in a book.

2. A Glass Of Water In The Morning

This is a simple healthy habit that can have a really positive impact on your life. Your body gets dehydrated while you sleep and the best thing you can do first thing in the morning is to drink a glass of water to kick start your day.

The easiest way to develop this habit is to prepare the glass from the night before. You can try leaving it on your nightstand. If you are trying to get up early, you can also put it on a desk somewhere further away from your bed (along with your alarm for example), so you have motivation to get up.

Once you get up and have a glass of water, you will definitely feel refreshed and prepared to have a more productive morning. It’s also great for your immune system.

3. Stretching

Stretching is an especially great habit to develop if you spend a lot of time at a desk. Spending a prolonged period of time on a desk makes your brain tired and your body tense.

Stretching is a great way to engage your brain in a relaxing activity, loosen your muscles and improve circulation. You can see some stretches to do in your break here. And some easy stretches to do at your desk here. Some more engaging stretches to do at your desk can also be found here.

Make sure that aside from stretching every once in a while at your desk (especially in your breaks) you set up your desk correctly. In this video an ergonomic expert explains how you can set up your desk correctly and gives some great advise on simple exercises you can do at your desk to prevent slouching.

4. Walking/Cycling More

This is not only great for your body but benefits the environment too. Creating a habit of walking or cycling as often as possible is a great way to stay active even if you are not exercising on a daily basis. It’s a great way to boost your mood, clear your mind and get all that important vitamin D, that is if you walk during the day.

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Walking and cycling are also great for your cardiovascular system. That’s why they classify as cardio. It’s a great way to make sure that your bones stay strong and your heart stays healthy.

5. Food Prep

Leading a healthy lifestyle has a lot to do with healthy food. Preparing food at home is a healthy habit that will have a big impact on your life in the long run.

If you are new to cooking start by minimising your orders of takeaway, microwavable meals, frozen foods and any processed food. Cooking for yourself can be a really rewarding experience that opens up your creativity in the kitchen and helps you appreciate food more.

The next step would be to start preparing your own meals at home that you can take with you when you are going to uni or work. Packing your own breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack will not only help you develop a healthy habit, but will be good to your wallet.