7 Healthy Things to do Every Day

As a main goal of this blog is to make the most of every day, I thought I might start with a very simple outline of how I've been trying to achieve that, lately. Here's a list of some things that I have found helpful, implementing them into my daily life as much as possible!

1. Make Yourself a Checklist for the Day

I had heard this tip many times before, but I always thought it sounded a bit silly. I can remember the things I need to get done, right? After I tried it, though, I realized that it is actually extremely helpful in making my day productive.

Simply write down a list (either the night before or morning of) of a few things that you are hoping to accomplish today, outside of work; even if it is just a few very small things! Some examples would be washing your car, running an errand, finally attempting that Pinterest recipe, or literally whatever it is that you want to do; even just fun things, like going to the beach or grabbing coffee with a friend. Make sure your list isn't too long, as you want to be able to check everything off of it.

Not only has this helped me stay focused and driven, but the simple action of checking off those boxes gives me a sense of accomplishment and the motivation to take on the next day.

2. Eat a Real Breakfast

No, a granola bar and coffee is not what I'm talking about. Starting your day with a nutritious meal is extremely important, not only for your body, but for your mental and emotional state as well. It gets your metabolism going, gives you energy to actually speak to people and function in the morning (coffee is great, but you're not really supposed to drink it on an empty stomach) and it gives you a reason to get out of bed. Honestly it has made me like mornings better (have spent my entire life hating mornings) because I know that I get to eat food, and food is my favorite. Waking up fifteen minutes earlier is worth it.

It doesn't need to be something huge, especially if you don't have much of a morning appetite, but preferably something that isn't purely carbs. Don't get me wrong, I love carbs very much, but it's good to balance them out with some protein. If you don't feel like fixing yourself something every morning, just make something the night before! I assure you, the internet is full of overnight recipes that are super easy and require very little effort. I kind of hate cooking, so I understand the struggle.

3. Clean/Organize something

You don't need to tackle a huge project, like your entire garage, every day, but simply tidying up your living room, cleaning your floors, or organizing the atrocious drawer of chaos in your kitchen or office is a healthy daily habit. I, personally, enjoy cleaning, but even if you hate it, this is still beneficial. If you take care of smaller jobs, regularly, then they won't all stack up into an extremely intimidating mess that takes days to tackle.

This also keeps you feeling productive and prevents/reduces stress!

4. Exercise

This is extremely important for your health in every way possible. By"exercise" I don't even necessarily mean "working out." Even taking a thirty minute walk is much better than nothing, and is often a good place to start. Low impact exercise, such as swimming, riding a bike (not uphill) or ice skating (there's not a lot of that here on the coast of California) are awesome, fun ways to work your muscles and burn calories a lot quicker than you may expect.

Generally, just keeping the mindset of being physically active in some way each day makes a big difference, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

5. Go Outside

Even if the weather isn't awesome, just dress correctly and go out for a walk or just sit out on your porch or something. God made us this beautiful world to admire and enjoy! Doing that always leaves me feeling refreshed. It is an important daily goal. Humans are not meant to stay inside all day, which can lead to laziness, apathy, stress, and depression. Spending time in nature is an important goal to have each day.

6. Learn/Study Something

If you're a student, spend time each day to study/do homework so that you don't cram the night before, which is terrible for you. Even if you're not currently a student, though, or you're on break, it is important to keep your mind sharp. Try setting time aside, every day, to read something that you find interesting, learn/practice a hobby, or really anything that keeps your mind active.

7. Talk to Someone You Love

As someone who can very easily isolate myself, without even thinking about it, it's important to make this effort. Especially if you are living alone, it can be easy to get so caught up in yourself that you forget to spend time and talk with the people who matter to you. We are designed for relationship. Whether it is sitting down with a family member/friend for an hour or calling an old friend, it's essential that you nurture the valuable relationships in your life, and not just your friendships with coworkers/fellow students (not that those cannot be valuable

as well.)

It's not always possible to do all of these things every single day of your life, but they are good goals to have and have definitely been helpful for me, especially in the "in between" times, when you feel like you are simply waiting around for the next big thing. It is a good feeling to go to bed, knowing that you made the most of your day, feeling happy and healthy. Even if you're going through a hard time and lack the motivation, it's good to strive for these things--in fact, it may be even more important then!

#living #health