Everyone wants a fast fix, instant gratification. Well, here are 6 behavior habits that can change your life starting today!
1 💪🏼 Exercise. Implement a daily fitness routine into your calendar. Actually schedule your workout, your power walk, your Pilates class etc. in your calendar. It’s non-negotiable. Whether it is a heavy lifting day, a HIIT day, a run, yoga, swimming, biking, whatever you need to do to exercise daily, do it. Get outdoors if you can and in addition to your scheduled workout try to go for a stroll after dinner and stretch 10-15 minutes before your night-time routine.
2 💤 Sleep. We all know that 7-8 hours are recommended. Work backwards, figure out when you need to wake up and make sure you start your wind-down nightly routine 30 minutes before you actually need to be asleep. Your body needs sleep just as much as it needs to move throughout the day. While you sleep your cells regenerate, your immune system resets and you get sick less often. You are able to maintain a healthy weight. Having less than 7 hours of sleep a night increases your risk of serious health problems like diabetes, heart disease just to name a few. Getting adequate sleep reduces stress and improves your mood. Your brain activity slows down, so you are more productive at work, at home or at school. Aim for 8 hours daily and if you get 7 or 7.5 you are on the right path to improving your longevity and quality of life!
3 📖 Read. The more you read, the more you learn. Yes, audio books count but not as much as the act of reading off a kindle or a paper book. Dive into something you are interested in. If you don’t like the book, it is easy to put it down and start a new one. Reading exercises the brain, is a form of free entertainment (head to the library), it improves literacy, concentration, and the ability to focus. Reading is motivational, it reduces stress and improves sleep. The best time to read is 20-30 minutes before bed. It can’t hurt to try. Turn off Netflix and pull out a book.
4 ⛔💩 Cut out the crap. By this I mean cut out the toxic people and the needless scrolling on social media. These go hand in hand. Your energy field could be full of crap. If someone doesn’t cheer you on, champion you and is constantly negative or complaining all the time, it is time for you to not hold space for that person and make room for positive, like-minded people in your relationships. Same goes with social media. Stop scrolling, stop comparing and start cleaning out your “own four walls”. Clean or organize one drawer, one closet, one room at a time. Reducing your time on social media dramatically reduces anxiety, depression, loneliness, and fear of missing out. Limiting time (set a 30-minute timer) may improve psychological well-being on multiple dimensions.
5 💰 If you don’t already save $$$ it Is time to start today. The first thing you need is to open up a savings account, have auto withdrawals every paycheck to your saving account even if it’s only $50-$100 to start. After your first year of savings, open a Roth IRA and if you are under fifty years old, max it out at $6000.00 a year or if you are over fifty you can contribute up to $7500.00 a year. Roth IRAs allow you to pay taxes on the money going into your account and the withdrawals are tax-free. It is a starting point for those new to saving money. Being prepared, having 4-6 months of savings in case of a job loss, illness, emergency or otherwise will give you peace of mind and that is priceless. Seek out a financial advisor for retirement and long term financial goals but start today. Drop into your bank and start somewhere. Getting your finances in order must be a priority. Stop going out for your daily Starbucks, cut down to twice a week, whatever it takes. Make one of your daily self-celebration practices putting that $5-7 dollars a day in shoe box and by the end of the year you could have saved around $2000.00.
6 🍷 Limit your consumption of alcohol. This can often be a touchy subject. Some people drink a glass of wine every single night of the week. All their social outings revolve around drinking. Unless I am on vacation, I am extremely conscious of only drinking one to two glasses of sparkling wine a week. That could look like one on a Thursday night and one on a Saturday night or two glasses on one night. Social drinking 5 plus nights a week is detrimental to our overall health and well-being. Daily social drinkers have more anxiety, depression, feelings of being overwhelmed all the time, problems sleeping, problems losing weight and the list goes on. I allow myself more freedom on vacation with alcohol. I like to celebrate with a glass of sparkling of course! This guide is to just be aware of how many drinks you may consume in a week. You may surprise yourself and think you are only having three or four but actually consuming 10 or more a week. Reducing daily consumption of alcohol will improve your sleep, your mood, your levels of concentration, you will be better hydrated, your memory will improve, you’ll find it easier to lose weight, your skin will be brighter and your will most likely have a lot more energy!
These 6 behavior habits are implemented daily by the most successful people and are critical for personal and professional growth. These are immediate behaviors that can improve your quality and longevity of life. Whether you implement all 6 or just a few you are heading in the right direction. Be proud of yourself for reading this. Start one today! xo
