Eight Healthy Habits to Slip Into Your Day

I am a workhorse, and I freely and readily admit this. I often plunk myself down in front of my computer at 6:30 am and shut it down at 11:00pm with only short breaks thrown in to make dinner or grab groceries. It’s bad for me; I know this. You know who else it’s bad for? You! I know you’re doing it too. Don’t try and pull one over on me, lady. When’s the last time you moved from your computer? Exactly. So let’s talk about how you and I are going to get our sedentary butts in better shape, okay?

First and foremost, it’s not too late for us. Just because we’ve been doing it this way for years doesn’t mean we should wave a white flag and surrender to the idle lifestyle we’ve become accustomed too. On the other hand, it’s probably unreasonable to expect we’re going to turn into gym rats either. There is a middle ground and I believe I’ve found it with these eight healthy habits to slip into our daily routine.

 Stretch

Go ahead do it right now, I’ll wait. Stand up tall and reach for the sky. Bend over and touch your toes. Too enthusiastic? Okay, reach for your toes, you’ll touch them eventually. Aside from making you feel like a million bucks, stretching has numerous health benefits. It’s also a habit that doesn’t require you to be short of breath. I like this habit.

Give your body Vitamins and Antioxidants

What are the odds you’re getting the right amount of daily vitamins? Exactly what I thought, because you and me, we’re cut from the same cloth my friend. While you can get too much of a good thing with vitamins, it never hurts to up your Vitamin D intake if you spend long hours at a desk instead of outdoors.  It’s also smart for those of us in the North that have to contend with shorter days in the winter. Aside from that, really work on getting the rest of your vitamins and antioxidants from the food you eat.

Eat an apple a day

This advice is as old as the hills and yet it remains truer today than it ever did. There is evidence to suggest that eating an apple a day (or fruit in general) actually helps lower your risk of heart disease by a whopping 40%. My husband had a heart attack two years ago and so I’m thinking this is pretty good advice for both of us.

Take the stairs, park the car further away

This is super easy and probably one of the easiest ways to increase our foot mileage each day. Park in the far corner of the parking lot, walk to get your mail, and take the stairs whenever possible. My husband keeps offering to move my washer and dryer to the main level of the house, but I’ve turned him down flat several times, because those stairs are sometimes the only exercise I get in a day. *hangs head in shame*

Drink Your Water

I can usually do one or two glasses a day of water but then my taste buds start to revolt and demand flavour. Getting the recommended eight glasses a day can seem overwhelming. Thankfully, I’ve found a great list of infused waters I can make on my own. This should make increasing water consumption a snap.

Snack Smart

I tend to eat at my desk a lot. That is a problem in and of itself, but the other problem is that I don’t snack smart either. Since I have little self-control,  I’ve had to go hard-core on myself by not even bringing the unhealthy choices in the house. So, aside from my apple a day, I try to keep lots of healthy options on hand. For example, I LOVE pomegranate seeds but I don’t necessarily love cleaning a pomegranate. That’s why I buy the already seeded individual portions of them, that way I have no excuse when it comes to grabbing a healthy snack. Finally, I control what comes in the house and by not bringing in unhealthy options, I reduce the odds I’ll make a bad choice.

Laugh

When I am in the foulest of moods, I seek out someone I know who will make laugh. Sometimes it’s a writer, or a friend or even just a YouTube clip of a favourite comedian, but the expression “laughter is the best medicine”, isn’t just a nice saying, it’s actually true.

Move

Set a timer at your desk and whenever it goes off get up and move it, move it. A quick bout of jumping jacks or some crunches will get the blood flowing and your brain functioning again. It’s too easy to let time get away from you when you’re surfing Face….er, I mean working diligently at your desk, so give yourself frequent reminders to get up.

 

We may never be permanent fixtures at the gym, you and I, but I think we’re going to be just fine, if only we remember to slip these eight healthy habits into our busy days. What do you think?