Five Habits To Get Into Now For A Healthier Tomorrow

When it comes to health, there are typically no quick-fixes. Your health status is very much going to be the sum of all the things you are doing over time. Meaning your little day to day actions that slowly add up and contribute to putting you in the position you are in now.

So when you can build some small action items into your daily agenda, you’ll soon be reaping the rewards.

This applies to all areas of life, not just health. But health does tend to show these quite prominently because health changes do tend to occur slower by nature.

Someone who starts up on a diet, for instance, follows it for a week and then gives up because it didn’t work for them, simply didn’t give it enough time. Health is a slow race. The more patient you can be, the better.

So what are the five habits that you should be looking at for a healthier tomorrow?

Let’s get started with these.

1. Read For 30 Minutes Every Day

The first thing you’ll want to do is ensure that you spend at least 30 minutes per day reading. It doesn’t really matter what you read (although self-development books do tend to be best), but get reading.

Reading is like exercise for your brain and the more you read, the healthier your mind will be.

Reading more also tends to make you a better writer and speaker, so that’s another benefit that you can look forward to.

We’re in the age where more and more content is being switched over to audio books and videos and while this is good news for productivity as it means you can now listen while you drive, listen while you get ready in the morning, and listen while you exercise, this doesn’t mean you should forgo good old fashioned reading.

So visit the library or bookstore and get yourself a true book. Sit down with a cup of tea or coffee and spend some time each day reading. It will pay off.

2. Prioritize Sleep

One thing that almost all of us aren’t getting enough of on a regular basis is sleep. I get it. It can be hard to sleep a full eight hours every night, especially when life gets busy.

And some of you may not need 8 hours. Some may function just fine on seven hours. But six hours? Five hours? Four hours? Definitely not. The human body simply needs more time to rest in order to perform optimally and the sooner you can start sleeping the amount of time your body needs, the healthier you will be.

Sure, you may be able to get through a few nights sleeping just four hours when you have a big work presentation coming up or are on holidays, for instance, and have lots to see and do. Caffeine can sustain you and you might feel otherwise fine. But over the long run, this is not a good idea.

Your body is suffering, more than you could ever know. We tend to just think lack of sleep means tiredness and some of us can push through that, but remember that there are many changes taking place internally as well when you aren’t sleeping. Your body is becoming more insulin resistant, for instance, so your risk of diabetes will go up or if you’re already suffering, your condition will become that much harder to manage.

Likewise, your memory will start to falter. You’ll struggle with information recall. This won’t bode well for work, life, or your overall health long-term. Your heart may also suffer as cholesterol levels begin to rise and weight gain is all the more likely.

Sleep is a critical ingredient in just about every element of your health, so get into the habit of going to bed earlier starting tonight.

3. Move For Another 30

It’s no secret that regular exercise is important for your overall well-being. But yet, many of us just aren’t fitting it in. Stop thinking that you must go to the gym for an hour each day to make it ‘count’. Start looking at is as movement and spread out throughout the day.

For instance, if you can do 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes at lunch, and go for a 10-minute walk after dinner, this will all count towards your end goal.

Obviously, if you can get to the gym and do an hour straight that’s great and will definitely serve you well, but don’t make that be your standard, otherwise, you don’t do anything. There are lots of ways to just move and all of those will be very beneficial.

4. Make A List Of 4 Actionable To-Do Items Every Day

Days pass by so quickly and when you’re busy, it’s so easy to have it all just become a blur. To prevent that from happening, set four actionable items that you will accomplish each and every day. This gives your day a purpose and helps you feel accomplished at the end of each day.

These items could be health-related, business-related, family-related, or otherwise. The goal is simply to make a plan and get it done. This keeps you progressing toward a better tomorrow.

5. Make Sure You’re Drinking Enough Water

Finally, get into the habit of drinking enough water. Water is what cleanses your body day in and day out. You don’t need to always do a full on detox in order to keep your body running optimally. Simply making wise food choices and making sure you’re drinking enough will do the trick nicely.

One of the big mistakes that many people are making today is swapping out water for other beverages.

Coffee, colas, energy drinks, fruity drinks...the list goes on. And while these are still liquids so, in theory, will count towards hydration, the problem is they’re often loaded with sugar, additives, and other ingredients that aren’t so healthy for your body.

Nothing is as pure and clean as water. It is an essential element that must be in place in your day. By drinking enough, you’ll not only reap the cleansing benefits that it provides, but in addition to that, you’ll notice more energy, better blood glucose control, and you may find you experience fewer food cravings as well because you’re less hungry. And if you’re someone who’s a diabetic, consider drinking at least 8 glasses of water each day.

Keep a water bottle with you at all times to make drinking enough easy on you.

There you have five great habits that you can start today that will make a big difference in your tomorrow. If you haven’t started these habits, now is the time to do so. Because it takes a while for each habit to fully show you all the rewards it gives, the quicker you begin, the better.