10 Good Habits for Healthy Life

Today’s fast-paced lifestyle can be quite hectic and it can sometimes make looking after your health a secondary notion. That being said, it does seem like the health trend is nonetheless picking up, with new-age diets, exercises, etc.; but is that enough? What you really should consider is developing healthy habits and sometimes, to do that, you need to get rid of some ‘unhealthy’ habits first.

So whether you’re already hitting the gym occasionally or gobbling up those veggies to stay healthy, here are 10 habits you need to quit to be a better you:-

1. Negative thinking

Our thoughts are very powerful. If you’re constantly focusing on the negative, it will lead to a lot of stress and anxiety. This will affect your mental and physical health in a major way. Stress has proven to ruin your system, leading to various diseases and making your body prone to multiple illnesses. Remember, a healthy mind leads to a healthy body.

2. Smoking/Drinking

We’re sure you’ve heard of that old adage – everything in moderation. While we understand that drinking and smoking are detrimental to health, it’s a question of the amount consumed that will judge how healthy you are. If you do tend to drink on those many social occasions, ensure you drink three times the water for each drink consumed. An occasional glass of wine is attributed to be good for the heart, in fact. However, habitual smoking or drinking will most certainly affect your lungs and liver. So if it is a habit with you, then it’s time you found a better one.

3. Cutting meals

With today’s speedy lifestyle, work pressures and other factors, having regular meals can be somewhat difficult. Working through your lunches or skipping breakfast because of early meetings or deadlines et al are no excuses! These can slowly develop into bad habits and neglect a proper healthy meal, can then lead to the consumption of “snacks” just to fuel your body. Which brings us to our next point:-

4. Junk food

There’s no denying that junk food is tasty and we can all tend to indulge in a little every now and then when the cravings hits. However, for some, it’s a regular source of food intake and that’s a habit that desperately needs to be broken. Junk food is processed food that is famous for all the wrong things. Maybe it’s not always easy for you to find a regular supply of ‘home cooked meals’ but do watch you intake of outside food nonetheless. Invest in a tiffin or online food service that can deliver healthier food options to your home or office. While it could be a little heavy on your pocket, that’s a habit you don’t want to break!

5. Late dinners

Eating anything after 8 is not a healthy habit. But let’s be practical, if you are working then there is a very little chance you will be able to finish your dinner before 8. So to resolve the problem, stay in a habit to keep a minimum of 2.5-hour gap between your last meal and bedtime. Your digestion system is slow after 8 pm so keep that in mind and eat light meals; maintaining the time gap.

6. Inactivity

Regular workouts reduce your risk of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, diabetes and many other health issues. It improves your muscular movements and bone health. It’s also a great stress buster and lifts up your mood almost instantly. If you find it hard making it to the gym, there are plenty of other activities you can do at home, during your commute to work or even while you’re in the office. The point is to make it a habit of staying active as often as you can each day; take the stairs instead of the lift! You could also invest in a fitness band or app that would able to tell you how active you are and help keep you on track.

7. Not sleeping enough

When your body rests during sleep, the process of repairing and healing itself begins. Sleep can make you feel better, give you a fresh outlook, gives your brain and eyes a rest, banish dark circles, make your skin look healthier and generally is a key part of a healthy lifestyle. On the other hand, lack of sleep or not enough of it, can increase the risk of heart and other lifestyle diseases. So kick that habit of being an owl and hit the sack early; as the saying goes, early to bed, early to rise makes one healthy and wise!

8. No regular health checks

This is a very important point as you’d only tend to do a health checkup when you’re actually ill. This may not be mandatory for the younger generation, but it’s vital as you grow older. Getting a regular health check-up is a very healthy habit. A medical test will show you what shape you’re in and how you’re progressing, health-wise. A good idea would be investing in a health insurance policy that gives you includes checkups regularly.

9. No hobbies

Having a hobby can give you some focus. It helps divert your attention away from the daily grind and lets you unwind. Making a habit of investing time in a hobby on a regular basis; it could be something you’re passionate about or just something you like engaging in like reading or cooking. Once you start this, you will see a positive change in your mind, body and soul.

10. Not listening to your body

Yes, your body talks to you! It’s capable of giving you all the signs you need to stay healthy. You may not be in the habit of listening to your body, but the day you choose to listen and follow what your body is telling you, you will see how easy it is to stay healthy.

Getting rid of certain habits and bringing some much-needed lifestyle changes are not easy. But when you know it’s for your healthy and betterment, can you really afford to continue without them? It’s simply a matter or replacing bad habits with good ones. Start small and work your way up to the harder ones, eventually, you’ll get there.