It’s rare to meet someone who is ‘too healthy’. I find that when it comes to improving health and fitness, there is hard work and easy work. Here I talk about the easy things that can readily be turned into a habit without changing your routine.
1. Drink at least 2 litres of water per day
Being dehydrated can use more energy and make you tired. The Mayo Clinic recommends women drink 2 litres (8 cups) and men drink 2.5 litres (10 cups) per day.
2. Don’t skip breakfast
Having a decent breakfast helps give you energy to get through the morning and will make you less likely to go in search of a mid morning sugar hit.
3. Replace one cup of tea or coffee with a glass of water
We often drink caffeine at a time of day out of habit, not physical need. Try a glass of water before your morning coffee or instead of your afternoon tea and see if you notice the difference.
4. At social outings, make your first drink non-alcoholic
By quenching your initial thirst with a non-alcoholic drink, we can be more present with our surrounds and enjoy and savour the drink that’s set to follow (whether it contains alcohol or not).
5. Take the stairs
This is one we all know we should be doing (author’s note – given our office lift has been broken since March we have this habit well and truly locked in).
6. Have a walk (even if brief) after lunch
Walking after lunch improves digestion, increases mental focus and helps regulate blood sugar levels. Stepping away from your workplace also helps with exercising your eyes by looking at different distances.
7. Breathe and move
Most of us breathe too fast and too shallow. By slowing down our breath and breathing deeply we can get more oxygen into our blood stream. Combine breathing with stretching and/or gentle exercise to give your body the movement it needs.
Challenge – between now and Christmas (apparently it takes 90-100 days to form a habit), see how many of these simple steps you can incorporate into your daily life.
If you’re looking to for advice on improving the health of your finances as well, get in touch with the team at Align Financial on 02 9913 9995.
