Good daily habits can make such a big
difference to your overall health and your life. In this blog I’m going to share 10 daily habits that have changed my life .to talk about 10 daily habits that have made a really big difference to my life in different areas such as physical health, emotional health and brain health. Before we dive in I wanted to say a few things so you know the context. The first thing is these daily habits have been the result of gradual habit forming over the last five years- it’s not something that happened overnight. It is difficult to form habits and it does take time.
The second thing – although these habits
Gradual habit forming
daily habits I don’t put pressure on myself to do them every day especially when things get too busy or things are too overwhelming. Sometimes things slide a little and that’s okay. When you’re making lifestyle changes it’s not about perfection it’s about doing what you canand generally I do try to do these habits at least three to five times a week IN the times that I’m really
stressed out because I feel that they do help me stay on track and they do help Strive for progress, not perfection reduce stress. Anyway enough with the introduction let’s get into the habits.
The first daily habit is that I drink a
glass of water as soon as I get up. Well
not as soon as I get up -I brush my teeth,
I go to the bathroom and then I have a
glass of water. I find that this has made
a big difference to energy levels in the
I drink water first thing in the morning
morning. When we’re sleeping we’re not
taking it any water and when we wake up
we can be mildly dehydrated and when
we’re dehydrated our fatigue levels go
up. There is some science behind this –
I’ll put it in the description box. So a
good thing to do is start your morning
by getting enough hydration. I drink a
glass of filtered water. If I feel like
it, I’ll add some lemon to it I don’t always
do that and it’s usually at room
temperature but if you like warm water
that can work too. It really is about
personal preference but drinking some
water in the morning is a great thing to
do for your energy levels. Number two I
meditate for 10 minutes every day.
I used to be very skeptical about
meditation when I first started. I didn’t
really believe in it I didn’t think that
there was science behind it but there is
actually quite a bit of science. It can
I meditate for 10 minutes.
do things like reduce anxiety, it can
help you improve your immune function, it
can help reduce pain. There’s a lot that
it can do I have a few links in the
description box but for me the biggest
change is mental clarity and I feel much
more calm. I am not naturally a calm
person I may appear calm on YouTube but
I am not naturally a calm person.
Meditation – years of meditation has
gotten me to this point and I really do
think that there are a lot of benefits
to trying it out. Now if you’re a
beginner, meditation can seem very
daunting and I have two tips to provide.
So the first one is try to just be very
open about meditation in the beginning.
The first 10 to 15 sessions for me were
very difficult. I didn’t know what I was
doing and I felt overwhelmed and I felt
like I was doing it the wrong way. It
wasn’t until the 15th or 16th session
that I really got into it and I started
to see the benefit. So give it time. The
second thing is if you are starting out
try guided meditation versus meditation
where you’re just doing it on your own.
Guided meditation can really help you
stay on track and can really guide you
through the process. I use an app called
Calm – I highly recommend it. I love it.
There is also another app called
Start with guided meditation
Headspace which you could try out. Number
three I go for a brisk walk outdoors
every day. Now I have to say that I live
in Canada so a brisk walk outdoors every
day does not happen year-round! It
doesn’t happen in the winter but for the
I go for a brisk walk outdoors.
rest of the year I do try to get outside
because I find it’s such a mood booster
to get some fresh air.. to get some
sunlight and to be out in the greenery
and there are studies that show that
exposure to greenery is good for your
health. As usual, everything’s in the
description box. Now for me the brisk
walk is not just a mood booster – it’s
also the way I get exercise. I am NOT a
gym person I have never been in gym
person I just don’t enjoy it who knows
who the people who enjoy the gym I would
love to do that but I just can’t I don’t
like it so for me getting exercise has
to be something that’s part
of my lifestyle and I love going up the
walk so I started to make my walks my
exercise now the World Health
Organization recommends that we get
about 150 minutes of moderate
cardiovascular activity week or 75
minutes of cardiovascular activity a
walk can count if your heart rate is
high enough so when I’m walking I test
my heart rate I have an app on my phone
samsung health is the app that I use and
my heart rates usually between the
moderate and thicker zone so my walk
actually counts as a workout it counts
CHECK YOUR HEART RATE
as water and activity so that’s how I
get my 150 minutes of exercise per week
through my walk number four in addition
to the walk ayuh exercise so the walk is
great for cardiovascular activity if
you’re doing a brisk walk or if they’re
jogging or running but a well-rounded
exercise regimen should include more
than just cardio I like to include some
weight training and yoga but I
specifically wanted to talk about weeds
there’s a lot of women shy away from it
especially because they think they’re
going to look a certain way if they
train with weights the World Health
Organization recommends at the average .
WEIGHTS AND/OR RESISTANCE EXERCISE
adult do at least two sessions a week
why is it so important as we age we tend
to lose muscle mass it’s a normal part
of Aging another normal part of aging is
losing bone density it happens but we
can slow that process down with one
Why is it so important?
thing and that one thing is weight
training so it doesn’t matter what age
you are it could be in your 20s or 30s
it’s never too early to start preserving
your muscle mass and preserving your
bone density if you’re a beginner you
should always speak to a professional
learn the proper moves you could do body
weights or free weights but always speak
to someone who knows what they’re doing
so you don’t get injured and then
eventually when you know what you’re
doing you could always work at a home
that’s what I do I am NOT a gym person
as I mentioned earlier so I don’t go to
the gym but I will use free weights and
bodyweight exercises at home if you’re
interested in the exercise channels that
I follow I have them in the description
box below number five I try to eat
something green every day it’s rather
embarrassing but I will admit that even
as a nutritionist I find it hard to eat
greens I did not grow up eating greens
I eat something green daily.
so it’s a very foreign concept for me
but I do understand that they are very
nutrient dense and it’s a good idea to
get some greens on a daily basis
especially a variety of greens you are
getting a variety of vitamins and
minerals if we’re interested in nutrient
density score that I have one link in
the description box below now if you’re
beginner the easiest way to add greens
to your diet really is smoothies I find
that that was the best gateway for me to
get into the habit of eating greens if
you’re interested in how to make green
smoothies taste better I do have a video
on it which I will link in the
description box below number six I eat
at least two to three servings of
brightly colored fruits and veggies
every day this is my bare minimum two to
three I usually try to eat more why is
it important to eat brightly colored
I eat at least 2-3 brightly coloured fruits/veggies. fruits and veggies well you
May heard of the term eat the rainbow eat
the rainbow basically suggests eating
fruits and veggies from different colors
but different colors mean they have
different phytochemicals which mean they
have different health properties some
phytochemicals can help with cancer
prevention some can help with liver some
can help with metabolism there’s
different reasons to have those
phytochemicals and it’s a good idea to
get a variety so I do try to cut at
least two to three servings of fruits
and veggies from those different groups
if you’re interested in learning more
about eating the rainbow I have a link
in the description box below number
seven I listen to relaxing music every
evening as a way to wind down so music
has many different health benefits the
science is still emerging but what I
I listen to nature sounds or relaxing music every evening.
found very interesting is that nature
sounds and relaxing music can help
reduce stress it can help reduce the
stress hormone called cortisol if you’re
interested for the science is in the
description box so I do try to listen to
something that’s very relaxing flutes
maybe some nature sounds rustling with
leaves things like that a waterfall
those are all really nice to listen to
at the end of the day as a way to wind
down and just relax number eight I try
to read or learn something new every day
and I love to do this because it’s
something that I truly enjoy but there
are other benefits to it especially when
I read a book or learn something new daily
it comes to brain health so as we age
there is that natural decline in our
memories it happens but mental
stimulation can slow down that decline
so for me it’s reading I will
like to learn new things for you it
could be whatever works for you if
you’re a reading person read a book
fiction and nonfiction both have their
benefits if you’re not into reading
learning a new language on an app such
as duolingo could work or you could
watch something every day like short
snippets on Ted Ed to learn something
new it’s all about keeping your brain
engaged and stimulated number-9 I try to
Learn a new language: Duolingo app
spend quality time with loved ones every
day and I want to underline the word
quality time because a lot of us end up
spending time with our loved ones but
I spend quality time with a loved one + cuddling!
we’re on our phones and we’re not
properly engaged with them they’re not
really talking to them it’s not good
communication and this happens to
everybody it’s just the digital age that
we live in I used to scroll on my phone
next my husband and I felt like I was
spending time with him but that wasn’t
really spending time so now no phones
properly talked to him I spent time with
my cats – I find that cuddling a pet or
a human – can help you release oxytocin
which is known as the cuddle hormone or
the love hormone and it can help reduce
stress number 10 I avoid phones in the
one hour before bed so I used to be on
my phone right before bed and I found it
very difficult to fall asleep because my
I turn the phone off an hour before bed.
brain was all over the place it was very
mentally stimulated and phones also emit
something known as blue light and that
blue light is something that your brain
thinks is they like so when you’re on
your phone and that blue light is going
to your brain your brain thinks it’s not
time to sleep so it won’t produce
melatonin very well and it becomes
harder to sleep I actually have talked
about this but what I tried to do is I
switched my phone off an hour or an hour
and a half before bed like flight mode
so I don’t look at any notifications I
don’t look at anything and that way I’m
actually able to sleep better I hope you
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before you go let me know in the
box email below what is the one habit that has changed your life I will see you in the
next blog bye .