Maintaining one’s health requires making right choices every day and being consistent. We all know that having a balanced diet and exercising on a regular basis helps us stay healthy and feel good. In addition to the obvious methods, there are also numerous life hacks that you can implement in your life to get even better results and make sure that you are full of energy and vitality.
Start your day right with lemon water
Even drinking plain water first thing in the morning is great for your body as you get dehydrated after sleep. But, you can bring your water to the next level by squeezing lemon into it. The purpose of this drink is to help you get rid of toxins, improve your digestion, and also alkalize your body. It’s an easy recipe, which is highly effective at the same time, so you should definitely consider giving it a try.
Meditate anywhere
A lot of people ignore meditation because they imagine it as something boring or too complicated. The main idea of meditation is not shutting down your thought process completely but rather developing the awareness of your thoughts. Over time, instead of getting completely consumed by negative and stressful thoughts you learn to notice them as they come up and be able to guide them in a more positive and productive direction. As a result, you experience less stress in your life. Meditation is something that can be done anywhere and you don’t need to sit in a lotus pose to achieve great results. The health benefits associated with meditation include improvement of the mental health, reduction of hypertension, and more.
Get a friend to exercise with you
Motivating yourself to exercise regularly can be difficult but if you turn this process into an activity filled with fun and laughter, it will become much easier to make yourself go to the gym or for a run outside. Invite your friend to exercise with you and make sure that you both motivate each other. A healthy dose of competition will also boost your desire to tone up your body.
Park farther from the stores or your office
While you may consider yourself lucky when getting a parking spot right in front of the entrance to the supermarket, it’s actually a much better idea to park farther away so that you are forced to walk. You can do the same when getting to work and it’s an incredibly easy way to become more active.
Learn to get up in the morning easier
Going to bed and waking up at the same time is beneficial for your health as it trains your body to stay in a regime, thus making it easier to fall asleep and wake up. But, what if you still can’t get yourself out of bed in the morning? Hitting the snooze button on repeat is something that the majority of people are guilty of, especially those that consider themselves night owls.
There are some tricks that you can try to make sure that you actually get out of bed at the intended time:
- Put your alarm somewhere you have to get up and reach for.
- Install an alarm on your phone that makes you solve math equations or answer questions before you can turn it off.
- Count 5 to 1 as soon as you wake up and get out of bed on 1 without overthinking.
- Don’t just stand there after you got out of bed and start making your bed immediately so that there is less temptation to go back to sleep.
Give dry brushing a go
The majority of people spend a lot of time in a sitting position in front of the computer, while driving, etc. As a result, among other problems, those who don’t get enough physical exercises also start to experience problems with the circulation. The benefits of dry brushing are not limited only to the skin exfoliation as this method also helps stimulate the healthy lymph flow in the body, thus making it easier for the body to remove the toxins. It is recommended to perform dry brushing in the morning, as it is quite energizing.
When it comes to the actual process, there are several rules to remember:
- Get a brush with natural bristles specifically made for dry brushing.
- Start from your feet and brush upwards in long strokes. The same principle applies to your hands. 5 to 10 strokes on each spot would be more than enough.
- On the stomach area, you should move the brush clockwise.
- Be gentle. If your skin gets irritated or you get scratches, it may be that your brush is too rough or you are pressing too hard.
Don’t forget to scrape your tongue
According to the research, scraping your tongue is essential to your health. While most people brush their teeth twice a day, a lot of them forget to take care of the tongue. Scraping the tongue removes bacteria, eliminates the toxins, and even helps strengthen the immune system. It is an ancient Ayurveda practice and it has definitely proven itself effective over the years. You can always use a spoon for this, but a great idea is to buy a special metal tongue scraper, which will also help you stick to the routine on a daily basis.
Clean your house with natural products
Not a lot of people realize that the cleaning products that we come in contact with all the time from detergents to dish soaps can be filled with chemicals, which may lead to allergies and other health issues. A great way to prevent any problems is to use natural methods that are not only effective but also safe. For instance, you can opt for a dish soap containing natural ingredients or simply wash your dishes with baking soda. The areas, such as the sink, tiles, countertops, and others, can be cleaned using a homemade recipe that includes water, some baking soda, vinegar, and essential oils of your choice. If you end up using products that are not natural, make sure to follow the instructions, ventilate the space properly, and wear gloves to protect your hands.
Prep your meals on the weekends
Weekdays can get extremely hectic, making it difficult to continue with the healthy diet. When you come home from a long and busy day, the last thing you want is to start making your meals from scratch. This is the moment when most people resort to ordering take-out or going to a restaurant and indulging in the foods that are far from healthy. Meal prepping on the weekends is an excellent way to solve this issue. All you need is to buy enough food for several days (eggs, chicken, brown rice, vegetables, etc.), cook it, and put into containers for different days.
Drinking more water can be easy
Drinking about two liters of water (depending on one’s weight) is something that is recommended all the time. But, a lot of people find it quite a challenge to drink this much water, mostly because they don’t plan out their water intake throughout the day. Obviously, if you drink only a glass of water during the day and then you need to drink a liter and a half in the evening, this approach won’t work. A great life hack that can help you in this situation is to buy a large water bottle specifically for this purpose and use a marker to put marks on the bottle at the intervals of about 200 ml. Every mark will refer to one hour. As a result, you will be able to see where you are with your water intake throughout the day and keep up with it without any problems.
Give your eyes a break
We strain our eyes from everyday reading, staring at the glowing screens of our devices, and even driving. It is important to take some time away from the devices to make sure that your eyes stay healthy. Nowadays, there are apps and computer software available to make sure that you take breaks while working in front of the screen. You can install this software on your device, state the intervals, and when the time comes to take a break, your computer will be blocked by the program so that you can walk around for several minutes and let your eyes rest. Also, you can get apps with exercises for your eyes to do during these breaks.
Do exercises wherever you are
Exercising is a must-have for anyone who wants to be active and healthy for many years. Something that a lot of people don’t realize is that light exercises can also be done throughout the day when you don’t have a proper workout or as an additional bonus. Whether you sit in the transport or at your desk, you can squeeze your ab muscles or glutes without anyone noticing.
Make use of the essential oils
Essential oils can become a useful part of your lifestyle as they are not only pleasant to smell but also have a number of benefits. Depending on the oils that you choose, they have different properties that they are known for. For example, lavender oil is often used to help relax and sleep while tea tree oil has great antibacterial properties. The oils can be used in many different ways – applied on the skin after being diluted in the base oil (olive oil, grapeseed oil, and others), used in diffusers, baths, skin products, etc.
Try eating slowly
While people are busy these days and barely have any time left to enjoy a meal slowly, eating on the go is never a good idea. To make sure that the food gets properly digested, you should eat without rush and chew everything properly. A lot of people don’t realize that they can become satisfied with the smaller quantity of food if they start eating slowly. Those who barely chew the food are not only prone to the problems with digestion but also increase their chances of gaining weight.
Make sure that you get regular check-ups
Keeping yourself healthy is a process and not a single action. There are things that you should do at least annually to make sure that you know about the state of your health and can take measures if there are some problems. You should undergo the physical examination at least annually and take some laboratory tests (blood count, blood sugar levels, urinalysis, and maybe others depending on your history of diseases). When it comes to females, pelvic and breast exams are essential. For men, the steps include examinations of the penis, testicles, hernia, and prostate. To make sure that you remember about these dates, set reminders or download a special app that will help you stay on track with zero effort.
As you can see, there is nothing complicated about the actual steps, but they require you to be mindful and aware of your daily actions. The best way to incorporate these recommendations into your life is to create a plan and stick to it. At first, getting into a routine may seem difficult but as you get used to it, the benefits will definitely be worth the effort.
