5 Health Habits That Changed My Life
Have you ever noticed that you don't make many changes to your lifestyle until something BIG happens to your health? Or maybe you find that friend or loved one who helps you motivate to exercise more? As humans, it's not easy to create new habits, especially healthy ones. I've always lived an active lifestyle but it wasn't until I got Lyme disease that I really started making my health a priority. Here are some of the things I did to better my health and start on the road to a more intentional wellness based lifestyle.
1. Wake Up and Drink Water
This was a tip that my friend Prince Awhaitey told me about. He runs a health based business here in Burlington called Healthy Kingdom and is currently getting his masters in nutrition. He said that if there was one thing I should change in my daily routine, it's drinking lemon water first thing when I wake up in the morning. Our body has been flushing toxins, processing memories and taking care of a LOT of cellular functions while we sleep and we are dehydrated when we wake. Lemon (or limes) squeezed in to water will help replace electrolytes and get our bodies started on the right track as the day begins. I love this because it was such an easy way to make a change and it's quite an enjoyable way to start my day. Sometimes I add liquid stevia to the water and make myself a morning lemonade! Making routines enjoyable is key to keeping them up!
2. Yearly Detoxes
Every year, usually in the spring, I do some kind of detox. Sometimes it's based on Ayurvedic principles and sometimes it looks like a 4 day juice fast. Sometimes I do them for 10 days or I decide to spend a week practicing intermittent fasting. I always talk to my doctor and make sure that what I am doing is safe for my body. Sometimes something like fasting is a bad idea if your body is under duress and needs calories to help you get well so it's important to talk with a health practitioner who knows your body and needs so you can have some guidance in the process, especially if you've never done a detox before. I try different things depending on how I'm feeling and what I think would be most helpful. I've been learning about detoxes for about 10 years now and while it's not easy to do, I am always happy after doing them because there is a noticeable change to the way I feel in my body.
3. Just Take 5 Minutes
This is a tip I got from a yoga teacher once. I was struggling to be consistent with my yoga practice and he said, "Just tell yourself I'll take 5 minutes on the mat. That's it." This was incredibly helpful for me because the hardest part was starting and if I told myself, "Ok self, I'm going to spend just 5 minutes on the yoga mat doing cat/cow." I would inevitably do 10 or more minutes and doing a little bit everyday is a much better way to incorporate movement into your life than doing 90 minutes once a week. I've applied this to many other areas of my life, not just yoga. I've used it for all forms of exercise, meditation, physical therapy homework, regular homework and so much more. Tricking our brains into doing what is best for us is vital to creating a healthier lifestyle. This trick has been invaluable to me and I hope it can work for you too!
4. Hide My Cell Phone
Technology can be addictive am I right? I find I go in waves of hating it and loving it. I tend to find that this type of addiction is incredibly sneaky. Slowly I'll start to break my promises to myself that I will not look at my phone first thing in the morning, or that I will put it away one hour before bed. All the experts say it's important not to have blue light late at night and right when you awaken, but I end up doing exactly that. So I have a hide my cell phone game with my partner. When I start to notice that my cell phone habit is becoming unhealthy, I'll give him my phone at night and he’ll hide it from me. I don’t get it back until after breakfast the next day. We all need a little help sometimes and once we do this for a few nights, I no longer miss it. I get back in to my healthy routine in a matter of days. If you create a healthy habit, but find yourself starting to break it, you can change it back quickly if you catch yourself and ask for a friend or loved one to help you get back on track. My tactic is to make it a game but use your creativity and find what works for you. We all fall off the wagon. That's inevitable. What's important is focusing on the ways we get back on the wagon and making sure we have to support we need to do so.
5. Learn a new skill.
When I was 29 I decided to pick up a guitar and start writing songs. Suffice it to say I had no idea what I was doing and I was terrible at it. As I practiced and took lessons and workshop on songwriting, I began to gain a lot more than a new skill. I gained new friends, learned how to express my inner landscape in a socially acceptable way and I felt an incredible sense of confidence grow from the experience. The journey of learning a musical instrument was incredibly challenging and rewarding. It was something I had wanted to be good at since I was 9 years old but I had never made the time for it. It was a huge benefit to my mental health and I recommend anyone go out and learn a new skill you’ve dreamed of doing but have put off. A renewed sense of joy and excitement is experienced when you do so and it is something I hope everyone can attempt at some point in their life. I’ve heard of people in the 80’s picking up ice skating or baking and they report that it makes life a lot more fun!
I want to hear from you!
What are your healthy habits and how do you maintain healthy routines?