Summertime is the perfect time to be thinking about better habits. Yes, most people tend to make their resolutions at New Year's. But how many of those have you actually managed to keep? This isn't supposed to be a knock on your commitment levels. It's just that it's tough to keep up those better habits when you're waking up when it's still dark outside, and the weather is absolutely foul. Everything seems a lot more achievable when you can open your curtains and face a lovely sunny day.
Of course, if it was that easy, then everyone would be getting through the summer months in perfect health and the satisfaction that they were taking the best care of themselves that they could. Good habits require a lot of hard work and commitment, but that doesn't mean that they're impossible.
Exercise Is Important
If you're someone who knows that they really should be doing more physical exercise but finds it tough to get started, let alone keep it up, then don't despair. You may have found that one of the reasons why you keep falling short of the hurdles that you set for yourself is that you've set them too high. You shouldn't expect to be at marathon fitness levels if you haven't been able to get out of the house for a jog for months. Realistic short-term goals should always come first. And short-term is key because a good fitness routine should be all about building blocks. Find a form of exercise that you enjoy and find a time in the day when you'll be able to do it. It's recommended that you should be getting about two and a half hours of moderate-intensity physical exercise every week. You'll find you'll get more confident once you get into a routine, and it will start to feel less like hard work. If you're not sure where to start, you could think about talking to a personal trainer who'll be able to set you some fitness goals.
Look At Your Diet
The winter is a tough time to try and cut comfort foods from your diet. It's been especially difficult given how brutal the news has been over the last couple of winters, with rising energy bills and political turbulence on top of everything else. A new diet feels more doable in the summer, so it's a great time to think about what you could start to change. It can be tough to cut things like sugar and salt outright. So, why not look for some healthier alternatives that will give you the same pleasures without the bad bits? Fresh and dried fruit are always good and are packed with natural sugars instead of all that refined and highly processed stuff. If you're looking for a crunch, nuts and rice cakes are a great way to go. And when it comes to dinner time, you should be thinking about lean proteins and oily fish. Red meat and processed meat can end up causing you trouble. They can have a serious impact on your heart, cholesterol, and blood pressure. It's a good idea to try and switch them out for a healthier alternative if you can. The good news is that you're not going to struggle to find tasty vegan and vegetarian alternatives at the supermarket. You just need to watch out for how much salt they contain.
Quit Smoking
This is probably the most important point that you can take away from this article if you're a cigarette or cigar smoker. Smoking comes with a laundry list of health warnings. There is a terrifying range of different forms of cancer that it can cause. Smoking can also impact everything from your skin to your fertility. It's also worth noting that the cost of cigarettes keeps going up and up, so it's not exactly healthy for your bank balance either. Quitting smoking is tough, but there are so many reasons why it's worth doing. You may want to look at the alternatives that are out there if you're thinking about crushing your last cigarette butt. Vaping has been one of the most popular options in recent years, and it's easy to see why. The vape pen mimics the action that you would make when smoking, and you can choose a flavour that you enjoy. If you don't know your disposable vapes from your bars, then you might want to do your research before you get started. The best vape starting kit will help you to make the switch from cigarettes to vaping with ease. Visit Grey Haze to learn more about how vaping works and to look at the best options for you.
Start Getting Organised
This one might not seem like it has a huge amount to do with your health, but just hold on for a moment before scanning to the next point. How often have you found yourself getting overwhelmed by the sheer size of your admin to-do list? It's so easy for tasks to start stacking up, whether it's paying your bills or trying to figure out when you're going to catch up with your friends. If you're not careful, all these things will start stressing you out to the point where nothing gets done at all. Finding a way to organise your daily life more effectively may help you to feel less stressed. It might be easiest to start with a weekly planner, or you may prefer to map out each part of your day to ensure that nothing is getting missed.
Cut Back On Your Drinking
It seems as though there is greater and greater awareness about the importance of watching how much alcohol you're drinking. Dry January has really taken off, but it's something that you need to be thinking about throughout the year and not just after the excesses of the Christmas holiday. It's so easy to get into a habit where you're having a drink or two every day, but alcohol comes with a lot of serious health impacts. You could be doing long-term damage to your liver, and you only have one of those. You also run the risk of very serious issues like heart disease, diabetes and more. Oh, and alcohol can impact your mental health too. You might think that it gives you a bit of a boost before a party or helps you unwind after a long day, but it is a depressant. Try to have a night a week with no alcohol and see how you get on. There are a lot of non-alcoholic beers, wines, and spirits that could be great alternatives.
Get Serious About Your Personal Time
There have been a lot of stories written about burnout in recent years. It's all too easy to keep working after you should have signed out when you work from home, and there are more than enough stress factors going on in our personal lives. You need to make sure that you are giving yourself enough time in the day to properly disconnect from everything else that's going on. So, sign out of work on time and make sure that you keep your weekends and evenings just for you. Think about booking that weekend break. Something as simple as ensuring that you can step outside for a breath of fresh air can make a real difference.