Have you ever just sat down and said to yourself, “I need to become happier and healthier.” Seems like a pretty vague statement, doesn’t it?
When you take on such a huge, and extremely vague, goal – you will most likely fail. This is not because you don’t have what it takes to achieve this lifestyle; but having such big and broad goals can be very intimidating.
The journey to becoming a healthier and happier individual is just that, a journey. No single task will be able to accomplish this goal. You need to accomplish small, achievable milestones every day.
Here are 20 simple, and realistic, things you can do to improve your health and wellness.
1. Drink More Water
Aim to drink 60oz of water every day. Try infusing your water with fruits and veggies to make it less bland.
2. Get More Sleep
You should be getting 7-9 hours of GOOD sleep every night. Having trouble sleeping? Before bedtime try drinking chamomile tea, turning off all electronic devices, doing light stretching or yoga, or taking a relaxing bubble bath.
3. Walk It Out
The average person should aim for 10,000 steps throughout the entire day. If you have a desk job, get up every 30 minutes to walk around the office or use your lunch hour for exercise.
Also try these awesome office workouts!
4. Stretch
Studies are finding that stretching can improve your health, well being, and quality of life. A lack of flexibility can lead to high blood sugar, sore muscles, and stiff arteries.
5. Eat Breakfast
A lot of people make dinner their biggest meal of the day, when it should be breakfast! Eating a healthy breakfast filled with fiber and protein will boost metabolism, provide energy throughout the day, and can improve focus. (Watch out for those sugary cereals though!)
6. Meditate
You don’t need to sit in a room for an hour to reap the benefits of meditation. Simply take 5-10 minutes every day to clear your mind and be one with yourself.
Meditation can decrease anxiety, increase creativity, improve immune system, lower blood pressure, decrease muscle tension, improve headaches, aid in problem solving, provide self-discovery, and increase serotonin which improves overall mood and behavior.
7. Cook Meals
A simple way to become healthier is making your own meals and eating at home. Restaurant food might be yummy, but it is filled with unwanted sodium, sugar, and bad fats.
8. Friends and Family Time
Spend more time with friends and family and your health and happiness will start to improve. Studies has shown that human interaction, especially with good friends and loved ones, will increase mood and decrease anxiety and depression.
9. Wash Your Sheets
The unappealing truth is that dust mites, dead skin cells, and other germies love to sleep with you at night. So make sure you are cleaning your sheets and pillowcases every 1-2 weeks to avoid sickness and other health issues.
10. Clean your Dish Sponge
According Charles Gerba, PhD, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, “About 15 percent of sponges contain bacteria that can make you ill.” Make sure you are cleaning your sponge at least once a week. Simply throw it in the dishwasher!
11. Use Technology
Use fitness trackers or health apps to monitor your activity level and overall health. These apps can track physical activity (like your amount of steps), sleep patterns, water intake, heart-rate, and much more!
12. Smile More
As they say, it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. Studies have shown that the act of simply smiling can instantly increase mood. Want a super boost? Laugh more too!
13. Go Outdoors
Being outdoors can increase mood, lower stress levels, boost creativity, and improve immune system.
Fresh air is full of satisfying negative ions, which can boost oxygen flow to the brain. Sunlight causes the body to make vitamin D, which is essential for bone health. About 20-25 minutes in sunlight should do the trick! Make sure you are wearing SPF to shield yourself from harmful UV rays.
14. Omega-3s
Consuming more omega-3s can reduce inflammation, combat depression and anxiety, improve memory, and increase mood.
Some great sources of omega-3s are salmon, tuna, nuts, flax seeds, hemp seeds, and leafy greens.
15. Get Organized
Stress is one of the biggest obstacles to living a happy and healthy lifestyle. Having a disorganized desk, messy bedroom, and constantly missing important dates and appointments can cause a tremendous increase in stress levels.
Take 10-15 minutes every day to organize things at work, at home, and go over to-do lists. You will be shocked by how much your stress level decreases when you can actually find things, remember things, and not have clutter taking over your life.
16. Pay it Forward
Volunteering or performing simple selfless gestures is amazing for your health and wellness. Helping others is much more rewarding than any other material good – it’s truly priceless!
Want to start feeling healthier and happier? Give back!
17. Drink Tea
We recommend drinking green tea because there are so many health benefits!
Green tea can fight cancer, lower cholesterol, increase metabolism, detoxify your body, improve dental health, strengthen nervous system, reduce depression, control blood glucose levels, and so much more!
Aim for at least one cup of green tea a day.
18. Set Goals
Setting goals (and writing them down) is great way to stay on task and keep moving forward and give you a sense of purpose. Set realistic goals that will help enhance all aspects of your life.
19. Wake Up Earlier
There are many benefits to waking up earlier!
Your day starts on a positive note, you won’t feel rushed, you’ll have time to eat a hearty breakfast, you can workout before work, and you can even watch the sunrise (bonus!).
20. Practice Yoga
Yoga is one of our favorite ways to improve health and wellness!
Participating in yoga can improve stiff muscles, improve breathing, mend posture, decrease blood pressure, improve sleep, help body aches, lower stress levels, and increase flexibility.
Do not burden yourself with general and astronomical goals.
Living a healthy and happy lifestyle is a puzzle with hundreds of pieces. Simply tackle one piece at a time, and you will start to see the bigger picture come together as you go! Start today and you’ll improve your overall health and wellness in no time!
2 Comments
Wow! Love this. Very simple and precise.
I love how simple it is to incorporate these 20 ways to improve your health. Some of these things I'm already doing but I don't mind trying out the others. I think that on top of this it would also be a good idea to get your health checked by a professional. That way you can better meet your needs. //www.bridgesidemedicalcentre.com.au/services/preventative-health.aspx