There are things that you can do in your daily life to improve it. It is possible to live a healthy and happy life by make changes in your life. These small changes come as form of habits that you can do everyday to make your life better. In this post I will discuss 5 daily habits to make you healthier and happier.
Cambridge dictionary defines habit as a particular act or way of acting that you tend to do regularly. Of course we know that when it comes to habits, people can form good and bad habits. However, the focus today is on the good habits that one can do in order to live a healthier and happier life.
1. Sleep
You have heard it before, and you will here it again today. Sleep is essential to health. The issue is that without good sleep, we cannot function properly. Think about how grumpy and moody you have felt whenever you wake up without adequate sleep. Not getting a good quality sleep can raise the risk of many diseases and disorders. These can range from obesity and heart diseases.
So yes, sleep is very important as it helps to improve brain performance, mood, and overall health. The NHS recommends that average adult should be getting 7-9 hours of sleep. Children need 9-13 hours and toddlers and babies 12-hours as recommended by the NHS.
3 Top Tips to Help get Better Sleep
- Create a Sleeping Routine.
Create a sleeping routine of sleeping whereby you sleep at the same time every evening and waking up at the same time. Avoid napping so that you can rest in the evening.
- Prepare a Restful Environment
Investing in the space that you are sleeping in is very important. Which means that you need to de-clutter your bedroom by making sure that it is clean and has fresh air. In the evening when you sleep, it is recommended according to NHS Every Mind Matters, to have a dark, quiet, and cool environment.
- Put down the things that keep you awake.
There are several things in this category that hinder your sleep. First, let us talk about our mobile phones. Spending hours on social media before bed is hindering your sleep. Instead of sleeping most of us end up spending countless hours on those addictive apps. Manage your time before bed wisely. Make time for scrolling on your phone before you go to bed. Secondly drinking caffeine and alcohol can stop you from falling asleep and prevent deep sleep. So try to cut down these things before bed.
2. Eliminate Alcohol
Well seeing as if we are on the subject of cutting down on alcohol. One of the things that you can do for your health and happiness is eliminate alcohol intake. There are many health benefits that are linked to cutting down and eliminating alcohol intake. These benefits include weight loss, better concentration, more energy, brighter mood, and many more.
Important Disclaimer
If you feel as though you have an issue with alcohol and want to stop drinking but are struggling. Make sure that you seek for professional medical help from your GP who will give you further instruction, support, and help.
More information and support can be found here on the NHS website.
3. Exercise
I am a big advocate for exercise and fitness as a tool to general wellbeing. Exercise helps your physical and mental well-being. There are different forms of exercise you can engage with such as taking a walk and listening to music, cycling, or swimming. A lot of people engage with 10k steps a day. This is a very effective way of exercise whereby you track your steps throughout the day. You can achieve this by being active more during the day.
Exercises is vital as it can reduce the risk of major illness. According to the NHS it is medically proven that people who exercises regularly are at lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, early death, dementia, depression and more. The NHS guidelines recommend adults to try and be active everyday aiming for 150 minutes of physical activity a week.
4. Drink More Water
Let us face it, a lot of us really do not prioritize drinking water. There are many reasons for this such as, busy schedules or not liking the taste of water as some would say. But, water is a cheap and great choice for quenching your thirst. It has no calories and helps you to keep hydrated. The recommendation is to drink 6-8 glasses of water throughout the day.
5. Eat Healthier
Another important way that you can live a healthy life is by trying to eat healthier everyday. There are many ways to achieve this which I will cover in-depth in another blog post. But cooking healthy meals instead of ordering takeaway everyday can make a real difference.
