Healthy habits that can help improve your quality of life

 Habits form over time from repeating the same routines and behaviors. Eventually, they become things you do by default or subconsciously without having to think them through. All you have to do is to follow set routines, be disciplined, and be patient until they become a natural part of your everyday life.

Here are a few simple healthy habits you can add to your list of personal goals for improving your quality of life while making the most of summer. 

Healthy eating habits

• Eat breakfast, the most important meal of the day, to replenish the supply of glucose your body lost overnight and provide the nutrients needed for your brain and body to function well.
• Eat whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, lean meats (fish and chicken), legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains. This can help correct nutritional deficiencies that arise from eating too many unhealthy, ultra-processed foods.
• Have a “no meat” day, especially processed meats, which can increase your risk of high cholesterol and heart disease, such as Fridays.
• Increase your water intake to help remove toxins from your body and replenish fluids lost through sweat and urine. Water also optimizes the movement of nutrients and oxygen to your cells. Drinking a lot of water also helps curb overeating.
• Read food labels to know what’s in the foods you consume.
• Reduce your sugar intake and consider replacing sugar with some of the healthiest natural sweeteners.

Healthy exercise habits

• Keep yourself active. Physical movement burns calories, increases blood circulation, and helps maintain heart health. You don’t have to be gym-bound to exercise. Take the stairs or get up and move around your work area every 30 minutes.
• Get outdoors for short walks. Get enough vitamin D – your natural sunshine vitamin. Following your lunch break or after work is fine if a morning walk routine isn’t practical.
• Exercise at least three times a week or dance for minutes a day. Bad weather is not an excuse to be sedentary.

Healthy sleep habits

• Set a sleep and wake schedule. Try to get at least 6-9 hours of quality, unbroken sleep. Use your phone or another device to set a sleep-wake schedule so you’ll consistently go to bed and wake up at a specific time.
• Don’t drink coffee and other stimulating beverages before bed. Health experts recommend you drink your final cup of coffee by 3:00 PM or at least 6 hours before bed. Caffeine is a stimulant and can keep you awake and restless at bedtime.
• Eat hours before bedtime to reduce your risk of gaining weight or developing chronic digestive conditions such as acid reflux and heartburn. Practice eating your last meal of the day about three hours before bed to give your body time to digest it and burn off calories.
• Unwind before bed by getting yourself mentally prepared.
• Put away electronics ahead of bedtime. You have to set boundaries with your electronic devices if you want to have the best night’s sleep. Blue light from these devices interferes with the body’s release of melatonin, a hormone that makes you feel drowsy.

Healthy habits for mental health

• Practice deep breathing. Deep breathing slows down your heart rate, relaxes your muscles, and regulates blood pressure. If you keep using breathing techniques each time you feel scared or worried, it will eventually become an automatic response to emotional distress.
• Check in with yourself throughout the day to determine what emotion you’re sensing and work through them. Practice taking short mental breaks, deep breathing, and focusing on the positives to release anger and worry.
• Practice gratitude. Repeat daily gratitude affirmations that make you feel calm and centered. For example, say, “I am grateful to be alive” and “I am grateful for the blessings in my life, both big and small.”
• Shut down negative self-talk or harsh self-judgment language, like “I can’t do anything right. I shouldn’t even try.” Practice curbing self-sabotaging statements through the use of positive affirmations, like “I can handle this. I can figure it out” or “Things can turn out OK. I’ve been through tough situations before and they ended up OK.”

Healthy relationship habits

• Spend quality time with family and friends. Making time for family and friends is important in creating a work-life balance. A survey conducted by OnePoll found that for nearly two in three Americans (63 percent), summer means seeing family and friends; casual gatherings, barbecues, birthdays, weddings, movie nights and so on. Have a meal, watch a show, play board games, or go for a walk together.
• Communicate with family and friends without electronics by ditching your smartphones. Get together and talk about your day or discuss plans face-to-face. Hug and cuddle. These are forms of non-verbal communication and are absolutely better than heart and hug emojis. Most importantly, tell them face-to-face that they are important to you.  

Healthy electronic and social media habits

• Take a social media break twice a week. Let Go of the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) on who’s doing and saying what. Opt out of push notifications while you’re offline. Use the time for self-care and reconnecting with real people offline. Read 7 steps to complete a social media detox.

Healthy workplace habits (whether it’s in a traditional or virtual office)

• Organize your tasks. Declutter your physical and digital workspace regularly.
  Take short breaks. Taking five-minute mental breaks every 25-30 minutes can increase focus and productivity. Also, practice taking your eyes off the computer screen every 20 minutes to avoid eye fatigue and vision problems.
• Take lunch breaks. Eat your lunch on time to refuel and reenergize your body to handle the rest of the work day. Save about 10-15 minutes to step outdoors to refresh and rejuvenate yourself.
• Socialize with your co-workers. Staying socially connected at work can give you a positive view of the workplace environment and help you get through the day with greater ease.