While being unhealthy isn’t always associated with being overweight, there is a connection. Additionally, many of our "not-so-good habits" are connected with our overall physical health and body weight. So, putting on a few unplanned pounds can be a good thing — if you use the information to help you identify potential problems and make changes in your life.
Have you gained more weight than you’d like over the past few months? Why do you think that is? Is it the plate of pie you had at grandma’s house over the holidays? Or the can of soda you had for lunch at work?
When you think about it, you'll realize that your physical health is how it is because of the combination of decisions and habits you've picked up over time.
Having one slice of chocolate cake late at night didn't get you where you are, just like eating one apple won't keep the doctor away. A small habit, on its own, is usually insignificant. However, you can witness a significant change with consistency and adding other small habits.
We want to show you the power of small habits and how consistency can make the most remarkable difference in improving your physical health. We didn't stop there. We realize many people need help keeping up with new habits, so we also devised four ways to guarantee consistency.
In addition to implementing these healthy habits, you may be interested in reading our tips on bringing positivity, joy, and happiness into your life — because happier people tend to be healthier!
Let’s dive in.
16 Habits to Improve Your Physical Health
Most people don’t meet their physical health goals because they often set unrealistic targets for themselves and then get discouraged when they are nowhere near achieving them.
There is no shame in starting small.
One of our all-time favorite quotes is by Julia A.F. Carney, and it says, "Little drops of water make a mighty ocean." We admit it's not the most sophisticated quote. However, it perfectly defines the message we want to convey in this article.
Small habits are easy to start and maintain. You might not see significant results instantly, but you will witness great results with patience and consistency.
Here are 16 small habits you can adopt on your journey toward better health and well-being.
1. Take Care of Your Mental Health
The body and mind are closely linked. When one is troubled, the problem may transfer to the other. According to research, people with mental health problems are more likely to suffer from physical health diseases that are easily preventable.
What is the point of having an incredible physique when mental health issues like anxiety and depression hold you down? Luckily, you can read our detailed article on the small habits that can help you improve your mental health.
Are you sad and feeling overwhelmed? Do you know you may suffer from early signs of depression without knowing it? Instead of throwing caution to the wind, why don't you take our depression test and put your mind at ease?
2. Drink Lots of Water
Do you only drink water when you're thirsty? The body needs to stay hydrated to function optimally. If you knew just how badly the body needs water, you would drink water more often. Water stabilizes blood pressure, regulates your body temperature, aids digestion, distributes nutrients around your body, builds up your immune system, and removes germs from your body.
We understand you may think water is tasteless and only drink it to quench your thirst. However, why don’t you start by drinking one cup of water every morning? Adopt habit stacking to remain consistent with this routine. Stack this new habit over an established ritual like brushing your teeth. Immediately after brushing your teeth in the morning, drink a cup of water. Then, when you are used to that, pick another time of the day to add a second glass, and so on.
3. Eat Healthy Foods
As evident as it is that we need to take better care of our diet, it's one of the areas where most people need the most "help." Not all foods are beneficial, while some foods affect people differently. It's not just about filling your stomach and eliminating hunger.
Do you know that eating healthy can also help you combat stress and improve work productivity, besides all the nutritional benefits of food? You may need to learn more about healthy food, but you can start with these simple with the following recommendations.
- Pack your lunch. Otherwise, you're likely to eat junk food.
- Eat an early dinner and avoid heavy meals at night. Ensure you leave about two hours between your dinner and your sleep time.
- Eat three times daily to have the energy to work.
- Include fruits and vegetables in your diet.
- Drink less coffee per day. Avoid soda and refined sugar.
4. Put More Movement into Your Day
We don't need to tell you that exercise is good for your health. We all know it, but we don't all do it. So what are you waiting for? It's time to start moving!
No, we don't mean you must start by going to the gym or lifting heavy weights. Since this article focuses on small habits, we only want you to move around as much as possible. Begin your day with a couple of stretches to wake up your sleeping muscles, take a walk or go for an early morning run, and engage in physical activities like hiking, cycling, rock climbing, etc.
Regular exercise helps you strengthen your muscles, improve cardiovascular health, burn calories, lose weight, and develop an incredible physique. We’ve also found that exercise can help reduce stress and burnout and increase work performancehabit stacking to remain consistent.
The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week for every adult between 18 – 64 years old.
5. Get Enough Sleep
There is no substitute for sleep when it comes to our overall health and well-being. Its presence lowers blood pressure, improves mood, and reduces anxiety and stress. However, its absence increases the risk of heart disease, obesity, and infections.
According to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC), adults between 18 and 60 need at least 7 hours of sleep daily, while teenagers between 13 and 18 need 8-10 hours. Avoid anything that would tamper with your sleep schedule, like coffee after midday, late-night dinner, heavy meals, etc.
6. Maintain Good Posture
Remember feeling frustrated because your parents keep telling you to sit right at the dinner table, walk straight with your shoulders up, or eat at the dining table instead of your bed? You owe them gratitude if they did because good posture has numerous health benefits.
Good posture is underrated. Tilting while you walk just because you want to feel gangster or impress a girl has several demerits that might not appear till you’re old. It’s challenging to monitor your posture by yourself, so it helps to have someone correct you when you’re not walking, sitting, standing, or sleeping correctly.
Good posture improves spine health and muscle and joint function, boosts mood, aids digestion, and prevents back and neck pain.
7. Take an Early Morning Walk
What better activity to get your day started than an early morning walk? This simple activity has many health benefits, including burning calories, improving cardiovascular health, strengthening muscles, and preventing health conditions like stroke and diabetes. It also helps improve your mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and fatigue and improving your mood and self-esteem.
8. Go for a Jog
You may have more significant physical goals like losing weight, burning several calories, or maintaining your physique, and you are up to more than just walking. We recommend jogging because it helps you burn calories faster, reduce body fat, lose weight, strengthen muscles, lower blood pressure, and prevent several diseases. Research shows that runners live approximately three years longer than non-runners.
It is usually better to jog early in the morning because of the cool temperature, peace, quiet, and less busy roads. Plus, a good run in the morning can promote better sleep and keep you in a good mood for the rest of the day.
9. Use the Stairs
Does your office have an elevator that gets you to the sixth floor of your building? Why don't you make it a habit to use the stairs every morning when you get to work? This slight change in your routine will improve your physical health, especially if you don't have time to do early morning exercises or go to the gym regularly. By taking the stairs, you can burn calories, lose excess weight, increase muscular strength, reduce cholesterol levels, and improve cardiovascular health.
Work on the first floor? Try parking further away from the building. Start slow and gradually increase the distance as you get used to this new habit.
10. Get an Ergonomic Office Chair
Research shows that the average person spends over 50% of his day sitting. If you're going to sit for that long, you should be comfortable. Spending half of your day on a chair without the required lumbar, neck, and arm support will take a massive toll on your posture and physical health.
Ergonomic chairs are designed to comfort your body, help you maintain good posture, and lower neck and back stress. Whether you work from home or in the office, getting an ergonomic chair is necessary to maintain good posture and prevent lower back pain.
11. Get Up from Your Chair
You can’t afford to sit in your chair all day, even if you have an ergonomic one. Sitting in your chair for long periods is directly linked to several health conditions, such as obesity, increased blood sugar, high cholesterol levels, excess body fat around the waist, etc.
A study published in the American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism showed that you could reduce all these health risks by getting up from your chair every thirty minutes and moving around for three minutes.
12. Adopt a Physical Hobby
Let's face it. Exercises are boring for many people, and only those who are intentional about their physical health commit to doing it regularly. Yet our body needs it to remain healthy. Luckily, there is a viable alternative that isn't only effective but also quite enjoyable.
Tell someone to exercise for 30 minutes every day, and chances are that they'll never do it. However, that person may find the strength to run around in a game of soccer, football, basketball, or ultimate frisbee for over an hour. They get to engage in physical activity while having fun. We don't mind killing two birds with one stone, especially if one of the birds can help improve your physical health.
13. Ride a Bicycle
There are many physical and mental health benefits to riding a bike, whether you’re doing it for fun or as a means of transportation. Cycling helps you reduce cholesterol, strengthen leg muscles, burn calories, lose weight, lower stress levels, improve concentration, and reduce the risk of diseases.
Even if you're a beginner, you'll find that riding a bike is relatively easy. It's just like... riding a bike. Sorry, we couldn't resist that one.
14. Take a Nap
It's 3 pm, and you're starting to feel the afternoon drowsiness. Your solution is similar to over 90% of other American workers. Have a cup of coffee. Well, here is an alternative. Take a nap. Ensure the rest is at most 30 minutes to avoid falling into a deep sleep. You'll wake up feeling rejuvenated and raring to go again. Even if you can't take an actual nap, taking breaks throughout the day is essential to your well-being.
15. Have One Less Cigarette or Glass of Alcohol
Old habits die hard. If you think starting a new habit is hard, try quitting an old one. Even one as detrimental to your health as smoking and drinking. So why don't you take a small step today by having one less cigarette or glass of alcohol? For many, this first step is better than stopping abruptly because there is less chance of a relapse.
16. Practice Personal Hygiene
Keeping all body parts clean and germ-free is essential to avoid getting sick. Personal hygiene includes bathing, brushing your teeth every morning, washing your hands regularly, grooming your hair, cutting your nails, and wearing clean clothes.
The CDC recommends regular handwashing with soap and water to prevent the spread of germs and reduce illnesses.
4 Tips to Help You Commit to New Healthy Habits
It's one thing to know how to improve one's physical health; it's another to find the will to do those things and be consistent. The small habits we suggested are things you can easily incorporate into your daily schedule without being overwhelmed. However, it takes effort to remember to do them, which is critical to achieving the best results.
Here are four ways to ensure consistency with these habits.
1. Stack Those Habits
Habit stacking is a simple but effective way to add new habits to your routine by stacking them with old habits that you do regularly. People often struggle to take up new habits and remain consistent with them. For example, habit stacking can help you exercise more frequently.
We already gave you two simple examples — taking stairs or parking further when you get to work. Think of other things you do every day where you can add a new, healthy habit. What about dinner? You could do five pushups before you eat and drink water with the meal.
It doesn't even have to be a long routine; start small!
2. Find an Accountability Partner
It might be challenging to remain consistent when you have to go the distance alone. It always helps to have an accountability partner who supports you to stay committed to your goal, motivates you when you’re slacking, and checks in on you regularly to ensure that you maintain regular progress on your goals.
A study by the American Society of Training and Development shows that you have a 65% chance of success when you share your goals publicly and a 95% chance of success when you commit to a specific accountability partner.
3. Plan and Prioritize Your Tasks Using a To-Do List
We've encountered several people who find it hard to remember and complete tasks if they don't write them down. To-do lists help you plan, organize, and prioritize your tasks accordingly. To-do lists are effective when they are brief. Remember that you can only do so much within 24 hours.
A 2008 survey on the use of to-do lists in the United States showed that about 73% of participants confirmed that they used them to plan and prioritize their tasks. They also added that they completed 69% of the weekly tasks on their to-do list.
In a study conducted among 300 undergraduate students by a senior doctoral student at Carleton University, people who used to-do lists procrastinate less than those who don't. A former Professor at the Harvard Medical School, Ralph Ryback, also found that checking items off a to-do list causes a flood of dopamine, the body's feel-good hormone.
4. Use a Reward System
You may be familiar with this method as it is a popular tool for raising kids and removing negative behavior. Parents often promise their kids gifts if they do something encouraging or avoid something negative, but this isn’t limited to children alone. Employers have adopted benefits and incentive programs to reward workers for their productivity. A survey by Think Smart showed that companies who adopted the rewards system recorded a 79% success rate in achieving goals.
As for the mental effect on a person, receiving praise, recognition, and rewards for a job well done greatly affects the hypothalamus in the brain, which regulates appetite, sleep, and dopamine, the body’s feel-good hormone.
Why don't you give yourself a nice reward whenever you complete a daily task? Research has proved that it works and might motivate you to be consistent with new habits.
Recommended: 10 Ways to Keep Your Brain Healthy and Slow Cognitive Decline
