Today, most people turn a blind eye to what their body asks for. With the busy schedules and work deadlines, some skip meals while others choose fast-food joints to fuel their body. Even though most of us know that these are bad habits and will eventually affect our health, we only focus on the present.
In this busy world, 24 hours doesn’t seem like a lot of time. A lot wish they’d have more time on their hands to do everything they could peacefully instead of rushing it and being stressed out.
However, what most of us do not realize is that we actually have the power to be happy and stay healthy once you follow a few habits every day. So, here are a few things experts believe you can do to keep yourself healthy and happy despite a busy day.
1. Start With A Healthy Breakfast
Your morning will define the rest of the day for you. If you want to stay healthy and happy start it right from the beginning – make yourself a healthy breakfast.
Oatmeal, pancakes with fresh fruits, fruit smoothies, eggs etc. are only a few of the most common healthy breakfasts you can have before you start your busy day. However, following a healthy, heavy morning breakfast gives you enough energy and spirit to spend the rest of the day.
If you want to make it a tad healthier, you can start your morning with a run or a walk so you ensure some form of physical activity during the day.
2. Stick To A Healthy Diet
If you start following a healthy diet, you realize that you feel more positive and your energy levels are heightened if you have a plate that has balanced food.1
Eating often, about every two to three hours, can help maintain a healthy metabolism. In order to maintain steady energy levels throughout the day, it is important to include healthy grains like wheat, brown rice, or whole oats; lean proteins like chicken breasts and turkey, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables like blueberries, bananas, spinach; healthy fats from avocados and nuts like almonds, walnuts, pistachios; and dairy products like milk, plain yogurt, and cheese.
If you have a habit of snacking, have a handful of nuts or dry fruits is a healthy way of snacking in between meals.
3. Stay Physically Active
Time and again you may have heard it and read it; however, it is that important to stay physically active even with a busy schedule. Whether you take a walk around the park for 20 to 30 minutes or you head the gym, it is essential that you do some form of physical activity to keep your body active.
Some may find it demotivating to do it alone; so, get your friends to take a walk with you. This way you are encouraging others to be active at the same time having fun doing it, too.
4. Find Some Quiet Time For Yourself
In this world today, staying busy is sort of a measure of how successful you are. Staying busy at work and meeting deadlines or staying busy at home taking care of the children and cooking for the family are certain things people do for most part of their day.
However, researchers have reported that the busier you are the more quiet time you need to help yourself be focused and in control.2
So, take some time off from work and keep your cell phones aside and sit in silence with just yourself for at least 10 minutes. You can do this in between work or even just before bedtime. Now we know why they say silence is golden!
5. Have A Regular Bedtime Routine
As much as your deadlines and tasks are important for you to get better at work, it is equally important for your body to get its rest. Therefore, it is important to have regular sleep cycles.
Sleeping for at least eight hours is important for every adult individual while for children the duration may vary. Having a regular sleeping routine will help you fight sleep disturbances and other conditions that may arise due to the lack of sleep.
6. Express Your Feelings
A lot of people believe that it is a good practice to put your feelings into words – this simply means that it is important for you to express what you feel whether it be in a relationship or otherwise.
Sometimes, expressing sorrow, grief, anxiety, and other negative emotions may lessen the impact they may have on yourself. Sometimes, being vocal about your negative emotions may help you manage your behavior as well.
7. Be Grateful For What You Have
When every day may seem like a struggle for you, you may never feel what you have is worth living for. However, you need to stop feeding that feeling and be able to practice gratitude.
Being grateful, in some sense, is appreciating what you have in your life. It is a good practice to consciously know that what you have in life is worth all the good and bad times equally.
For beginners, it may help to keep a gratitude journal. Every day you can start listing good things that happened to you. This way, even if you have had one of the worst days, it is still a reminder that you had one good thing to live by and your life is worth it all!
So, if you are finding it a struggle to maintain a healthy body and mind, start following these easy things you can do every day all by yourself. Take baby steps because you cannot change an entire routine over a day or two. But, once you start, make sure you follow it religiously.
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