If you're leading a busy life, you probably don't think about your overall health and well-being as often as you should. Most people want to live a happy, successful and long life and work hard for it. But they often take shortcuts when it comes to health. While this may not impact you instantly, it can have severe consequences in the coming years.
Though many of you are living stressful and demanding lives, with just some good changes in your daily lives and following some habits, you can live a much healthier and fulfilling life. In this blog, we'll share some effective habits or tips for improving your overall health and well-being by being proactive. You can start following these tips right away and ensure everlasting good health.
Effective Habits to Improve your Overall Health and Wellbeing
1. Food
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Do Not Skip Your Breakfast
Breakfast is an important meal that nourishes and fuels our body with essential nutrients. Research shows that people who have breakfast tend to take in more vitamins and minerals and less fat and cholesterol. Those who skipped breakfast also experienced larger spikes in blood glucose levels after eating. Not only that, but eating breakfast also help reduce brain fog, so you’re all set for those morning meetings. Eating fiber and protein rich foods keeps you feeling full and energized. It can be as simple as an egg sandwich, fruit parfait, muesli with yoghurt or a smoothie.
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Eat Smartly
Eat when you are hungry and not because you have to. Add food from all groups (cereals, grains, poultry, fish, dairy, nuts etc.) to get share of vitamins, minerals etc. Fruits and veggies are nutrient dense, low in calories, high in fiber and has negligible fat. Add lots of salads, stews, soups, raw vegetables, purees, sautés, fresh fruit, smoothies etc. to focus and stay energized during the daytime, you should eat a filling breakfast, a medium-sized lunch, and a light dinner. You can also use apple cider vinegar to help improve gut health and digestion.
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Hydration
Around 75% of your weight is water, drinking some plain water is imperative in keeping your body working the best it can and staying hydrated. It helps keep your temperature normal, lubricates and cushions joints, protects your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues and gets rid of wastes through urination, sweat and bowel movements. You can add fresh fruit or herbs to plain water to add natural flavoring to water.
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Smart Swap for Carbonated Beverages
If you are fond of fizzy drinks but struggle to consume plain water, effervescent tablets are a safe, convenient and exciting option for you. It is free from sugar, loaded with vitamins and minerals and are easy to carry around while travelling. You need to add one tab in a glass of 250-300ml water, wait for it fizz completely and enjoy. You can also reap the benefits of daily greens, immunity boosters, weight loss, antioxidants and enhanced gut health as well with the help of effervescent tabs.
Apple cider vinegar is an excellent natural remedy for losing weight .You can reap the health benefits of apple cider vinegar in effervescent form as well, with a better flavor and portability. It helps boost your metabolism by increasing the energy you have, making it easier for you to exercise. It has antibacterial qualities, which could help prevent skin infections caused by eczema and other skin conditions.
2. Body
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Keep Moving
Exercise is quite essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The AHA recommends 150 minutes a week as the minimum amount needed for good health benefits. According to the National Cancer Institute, regular exercise helps control weight, maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints, and reduces our risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. It can help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age and also reduce your risk of depression and anxiety and help you sleep better.
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Take Baby Steps
You can benefit equally from doing simple activities around your home, such as walking, take a walk during your lunch hour, or while running errands, try to find the farthest parking spot and walk from there. Even the smallest amount of steps still add up.
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Straighten Your Posture
You should set regular reminders (alarms or notes) to straighten your posture! Bring your neck and hips into a neutral position, then pull your shoulder blades back and stick your chest out. A good posture helps every muscle work in an optimal way and reduces pressure on your joints. In the long run, you’ll reduce your risk of getting back aches and in the short run, you’ll feel more confident, energized, and you’ll be able to breathe better.
3. Wellbeing
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Take Mini Breaks
Take some time to take deep breaths. With everything that’s going on around you, might overwhelm you and you might only be taking short, shallow breaths. Disconnect at least one hour every day and give your brain a well-deserved break. Spending a few moments taking deep breaths in and out can calm your mind and provide physical benefits, such as lowering your blood pressure and heart rate. It can also help you manage your stress.
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Get Adequate Sleep.
One easy thing you can do for your health is to make sure that you get a sound sleep. The AASM recommends 7-9 hours of sleep per night, but this doesn't mean you should sacrifice your quality of life to get more shut-eye. In fact, getting less than six hours a night can actually cause more problems than it solves—like increased stress levels, obesity, and even depression!
To get a good night's rest every night, build a routine that fits your needs and relaxes your mind and body. Melatonin benefits are numerous. If you are still struggling with sleep issues, melatonin is a safe and drug free option which is non-habit forming.
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Take Time to Relax
The best way to reduce stress and anxiety is to learn to calm down, breathe and relax. You can also add Supplements that induce a sense of calm & relaxation, are non-habit forming unlike anxiety medications. Lifestyle modifications along with diet and supplements are crucial for optimum results.
Meditate: If this is something new, start with a few minutes every day until it becomes second nature. Try different techniques until you discover something that works well. It's essential that meditation doesn't become a burden; if you struggle too much while meditating, try another type of exercise instead (such as yoga).
Listen to relaxing music: Choose songs that help calm your soul and make time fly by quickly in no time at all! You can find some great options on Spotify or iTunes - just search "relaxing music" or "sleepy playlist" if unsure what would work best for your needs!
Conclusion
Now that you know what to do, it's time to get started. Find ways to improve your overall health and well-being and change habits that aren't working for you. Remember, that building and adopting habits take time but once you start seeing results, there is no going back. You don't have to start from scratch—you can choose from the habits listed above or make your own!
References
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Kondo T, Kishi M, Fushimi T, Ugajin S, Kaga T. Vinegar intake reduces body weight, body fat mass, and serum triglyceride levels in obese Japanese subjects. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2009 Aug;73(8):1837-43. doi: 10.1271/bbb.90231. Epub 2009 Aug 7. PMID: 19661687. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19661687/
Araghi MH, Jagielski A, Neira I, Brown A, Higgs S, Thomas GN, Taheri S. The complex associations among sleep quality, anxiety-depression, and quality of life in patients with extreme obesity. Sleep. 2013 Dec 1;36(12):1859-65. doi: 10.5665/sleep.3216. PMID: 24293760; PMCID: PMC3825435. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3825435/
Sharma H. Meditation: Process and effects. Ayu. 2015 Jul-Sep;36(3):233-7. doi: 10.4103/0974-8520.182756. PMID: 27313408; PMCID: PMC4895748. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4895748/
Yagnik D, Ward M, Shah AJ. Antibacterial apple cider vinegar eradicates methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and resistant Escherichia coli. Sci Rep. 2021 Jan 20;11(1):1854. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-78407-x. PMID: 33473148; PMCID: PMC7817673. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7817673/
Zhang FF, Barr SI, McNulty H, Li D, Blumberg JB. Health effects of vitamin and mineral supplements. BMJ. 2020 Jun 29;369:m2511. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m2511. PMID: 32601065; PMCID: PMC7322674. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7322674/
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