The
beginning of a new year is the time when people are especially fired up about
changing their lives for the better. If one of your ambitions is to become a
healthier person, you should start by developing some good habits.
A habit is something that you do without thinking on a daily basis, and the only way to actually succeed with changing the quality of your life is to make the actions that help you achieve this result into habits. This way, you will not forget or ignore them.
In a study released in the European Journal of Social Psychology, Phillippa Lally and her team of researchers surveyed 96 people over a 12-week period to find exactly how long it takes to start a new habit.
Over the 12 weeks, the participants chose a new habit and reported each day how automatic the behavior felt. At the end of the period, Lally analyzed the results and found the average time it took for the participants to pick up a new habit was 66 days.
So, in only 66 days you can become a healthier person by turning the recommendations below into habits!
The habits that will bring you the best benefits are:
- Carry
a water bottle with you at all times.
Drinking a sufficient amount of water (eight glasses) on a daily basis is imperative to stay healthy. However, people often forget about such a simple thing. When you have a water bottle with you at all times, you will be able to take a sip every now and then. Very soon, your overall wellbeing will improve significantly. - Move
during your break.
Office workers severely lack physical activity. Therefore, if your work involves a lot of sitting, you need to stay as active as possible during your break. Skip the lift and go down and up the stairs for lunch, take a walk to the store or nearby park, or simply visit your friends from different departments. Set your phone alarm to go off every half hour or hour to remind you to get up, stretch, take a walk – move. You need to keep your blood flowing for optimum circulation, so multiple breaks throughout the day are a must. - Switch
to healthy snacks.
A pack of crisps and candy can be delicious, but so are yogurts and fruits. The latter will do you a lot of good, while the former will literally poison your body. Change your snacks today, and in a few weeks, the cravings for unhealthy food will diminish significantly. In a few months’ time, you will not remember why you used to like those snacks packed with toxins and chemicals. - Consume
enough fiber.
Fiber helps your digestive system function without a hitch. This means that it makes you healthier and slimmer. You need to consume 30 grams of fiber daily to reap all the benefits it offers. Legumes, oats, vegetables, and fruits are the richest in fiber, and you need to make it a personal rule to eat a sufficient amount of them every day. Feel free to sprinkle fiber to various foods you eat to ensure you are getting enough. - Chew
carefully and slowly.
Eating on the run is extremely unhealthy. You need to chew your food slowly and carefully in order to extract maximum nutrition out of it and get the most it has to offer.
If excess weight is one of the problems you want to get rid of, this habit is most important. We don’t actually need to consume a lot of food, and people often keep eating simply because it takes some time for the brain to make your body understand that it’s full. - Cut
down on sugar.
Sweet tea, candy, and cakes are delicious and very appealing. However, we are realizing more an more how harmful sugar is to the body. You need to limit your sugar intake consciously. It helps to keep a food journal and write down everything you ate and the amount of sugar it contained. You will be surprised at how much sugar there is in all the foods you consume. Keep in mind there is no good sugar, or bad sugar – sugar is sugar. The only good carbohydrate is fiber. Keep track of your sugar intake and set goal to cut out sugar a little at a time. It will be difficult at first, but with time, your body will forget the sweet addiction. - Sleep
on schedule.
Regardless of whether you suffer from any kind of sleep disorder or not, it will be extremely beneficial for your health to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. This way, every system in your body will abide by this schedule and therefore work more efficiently. - Make
a “to do” list for every day.
This will allow you to reduce the level of stress, as being organized will help you solve any problems more quickly and efficiently. Crossing out the things you’ve completed at the end of the day will fill you with the pleasant feeling of fulfillment.
