Health and Habits: Build a Lifestyle for Wellness and Long-Term Vitality
Health and Habits Are you thinking about being more active? Have you been trying to cut back on less healthy foods? Are you starting to eat better and move more but having a hard time sticking with these changes?
Old habits die hard. Changing your habits is a process that involves several stages. Sometimes it takes a while before changes become new habits. And, you may face roadblocks along the way.
Adopting new, healthier habits may protect you from serious health problems like obesity and diabetes. New habits, like healthy eating and regular physical activity, may also help you manage your weight and have more energy. After a while, if you stick with these changes, they may become part of your daily routine.
10 habits for good health
These strategies can support your wellness journey
The foundation of a healthy lifestyle consists of lasting habits like eating right, watching your weight, exercising regularly, managing your mental health, and getting routine medical exams. But even daily, small steps toward these goals also can have a significant impact.
1. Do a morning stretch
Health and Habits: Build a Lifestyle for Wellness and Long-Term Vitality Stretching before getting out of bed wakes up the body, improves circulation, and promotes relaxation, helping to set the day’s tone. While you’re still lying in bed, move the covers aside, then flex and release your lower limbs several times. Bend your knees and lift your legs into the air. With your legs still elevated, flex your feet up and down and rotate them side to side. Next, sit up and slowly look left and then right. Roll your shoulders several times. Flex your wrists up and down, and open and close your hands repeatedly.
2. Stay hydrated
Proper hydration supports digestion, improves brain performance, and increases energy, among other health benefits. Drink a big glass of water after you wake up and a glass with every meal.
3. Floss
Maintaining good oral health includes daily flossing, but make sure you do it right. First, wrap the floss around your middle fingers, which helps you reach the back teeth. Then loop the floss around one side of a tooth, so it makes a C shape. Beginning at the gum line, slide it up and down the tooth several times. (Don’t move the floss back and forth in a sawing motion. You miss cleaning the entire tooth, and the friction can irritate the gum.) Repeat on the other side of the tooth, and then the other teeth.
4. Apply sunscreen
Sunscreen is the best defense against skin-damaging rays. After washing your face in the morning, apply a facial moisturizer that contains sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 30. Or blend equal parts sunscreen and a regular moisturizer. Use one or two nickel-sized dollops to cover your entire face, neck, ears, and any bald or thinning spots on your head.
5. Go nuts
When you crave a snack, reach for unsalted nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and cashews. They contain many beneficial nutrients and help prevent cravings for highly processed foods. Nuts are high in calories, so keep to a palm-sized portion.
6. Nap
Afternoon naps can recharge a weary body and may boost cognitive function. A study published online on Jan. 25, 2021, by General Psychiatry found that nappers scored higher on cognitive tests than non-nappers. The researchers found that shorter and less frequent naps — lasting less than 30 minutes, no more than four times a week — were associated with the most benefit. Schedule naps for the early afternoon, and use a timer so you don’t oversleep.
7. Bust some moves
Break up bouts of sitting with small bursts of movement. For example, dance across a room instead of walking. When you brush your teeth, suck in your lower gut for 30 seconds, which activates your abdominal muscles. Do 10 air squats or push-ups (on the ground or against the kitchen counter). Make it a habit to stand up “twice” each time you stand up — that is, get up, sit back down, and then get back up.
8. Take a breather
Alternate-nostril breathing, in which you breathe through one nostril at a time, is believed to help reduce stress by slowing your breathing rhythm and forcing you to take deep, full breaths. Using a finger or thumb, close one nostril and slowly breathe in and out through the open nostril. After about five to 10 breaths, switch and close the other nostril and repeat the breathing pattern. For a variation, try inhaling through one nostril with the other closed, changing finger/thumb positions, and exhaling through the previously closed nostril. Then, inhale through that one, close it, and exhale through the other nostril. Go back and forth like this for a few minutes.
9. Train Your Muscles
Strength training helps your body trade fat for muscle mass. That means you’ll burn more calories even when you’re being a couch potato. But these workouts can also help you slim down, strengthen your heart, and build up your bones. Do strength-training exercises — like push-ups, lunges, and weight lifting — at least twice a week.
10. Be Mindful
It can mean meditating or simply stopping to smell the roses. However you do it, studies show mindfulness slashes stress, relieves pain, and improves your mood. And scientists are beginning to understand how. One study found that 8 weeks of regular meditation can change parts of your brain related to emotions, learning, and memory. Even washing dishes can be good for your brain, as long as you do it mindfully.
Healthy Eating
Pros
- have more energy
- improve my health
- lower my risk for health problems
- maintain a healthy weight
- feel proud of myself
- set an example for friends and family
Cons
- may spend more money and time on food
- may need to cook more often at home
- may need to eat less of foods I love
- may need to buy different foods
- may need to convince my family that we all have to eat healthier foods
Physical Activity
Pros
- improve my health
- reduce my risk for serious health problems
- feel better about myself
- become stronger
- have fun
- take time to care for myself
- meet new people and spend time with them
- have more energy
- maintain a healthy weight
- become a role model for others
Cons
- takes too much time and energy
- it is too hot or cold outside
- feel self-conscious
- am nervous about my health
- could hurt myself
- am not good at being active
- do not know what to do
- have no one to be active with
- am not young or fit enough
- keeps me from family and friends
