8 DAILY Habits that can change your life

Let's skip the intro. After all, you are here to read about my personal recommendations on habits to have on a daily basis am I right?

Disclaimer:
I am no scientist nor health expert. I spend a lot of time studying, conversing with experts in the field, and access research materials to apply such changes in my own life. I then recap what works with me, my personal thoughts & preferences, and use it as knowledge sharing in the hopes that it can help you the way it has helped me.

1 Hour of Exercise (or 30 Minutes at least)

Motion activities are the best wealth you can give to your body. Exercising approximately 30 minutes up to 1-hour every day comes with rewarding benefits to your health (besides aiding your general weight and body shape).

Exercising regularly improves your mood and can reduce the feelings of anxiety and depression.

Here's a list of the benefits:

• It can make you feel happier:
  Exercising can increase the production of endorphins — They help produce positive feelings and reduce perception of pain (source).
• It facilitates weight loss:
  Regular exercise has been shown to increase your metabolic rate, which aids at calories burning. Exercising is crucial to supporting a fast metabolism and burn more calories x day whilst maintaining muscle mass and weight loss (source).
• It is crucial for your Muscles and bones longevity (source).
• It can Increase your energy levels and reduce the risk of chronic diseases:
  Engaging in regular physical activity can increase your energy levels. This is true even in people with persistent fatigue and those suffering from serious illnesses (source).
• It positively impacts your general brain & memory:
  Regular exercise improves blood flow to the brain and helps brain health and memory. Among older adults, it can help protect mental function (source).
• It can help with general relaxation & sleep (FACTS).
• It can promote a better sex life, increasing your desire (probably should have lead with that to hook you in).

2 Liters of Water

It has been highly recommended by health experts to drink approximately ~2 Liters of water per day (half a gallon). The best recommendation is to obviously sip water constantly throughout the day (even in times of low thirst), as every day varies in terms of the of activity level and calories burnt.

What is more, drinking water can temporarily increase your metabolism — drinking it half an hour before each meal can help you eat fewer calories which can contribute to weight loss for some people.

Do appreciate & cherish the privilege of having access to clean water.
For more information on how to avoid wasting water, read more here.

Your health, activities & surrounded environment directly affect the amount of water you require to maintain a healthy rhythm.

3 Cups of Tea

My most interesting learning from scouting around countless amount of health websites, is that drinking tea can be beneficial if done correctly.

It is recommended to drink between 3 to 5 cups of green tea per day to grasp the most for your own health — reducing the risk of diabetes, heart diseases and cancer (source). If that doesn't convince you, let Greg Mortenson inspire you with his book Three Cups of Tea (totally unrelated to the subject):

"The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honoured guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family"

4 Colours on the Plate

There are five food groups which include fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods and dairy to get the nutrients you need. My recommendation is to make sure you have a variety of at least four, ensuring you are making healthy food & drink choices across the day.

Here's why YOU need more colours on your plate (source):

• WHITE fruits & vegetables provide dietary fibers, which can help protect against cholesterol, in turn, protecting your own heart health.
• RED foods (tomatoes, watermelon, cherries, beets and peppers) are rich in antioxidants anthocyanin and lycopene, which are also valuable for heart health.
• ORANGE & YELLOW foods get their potion from beta carotene which can be converted into Vitamin A from your body. Vitamin A is vital for your bones and skin health.
• GREEN vegetables provide you with Vitamin C, K and E. Each contribute in supporting your immune system, your eye and bones health and equally help reducing the risk of chronic diseases.
• BLUE & PURPLE fruits and vegetables are known to have compounds that act as anti-inflammatories, reducing the risk colon or oesophagus diseases. Furthermore, they can be "fruitful" for your general recovery.

Although not easy to adopt new foods into your diet, here's some recommendations on how to turn your plate more colourful:

• When your dish includes potatoes, ask for sweet potatoes instead to bring some Orange to your plate. Fun fact: sweet potatoes have a higher level of fibers and vitamin A, letting you pack more nutritional punch into each meal.
• Select unusual varieties — You can find golden cauliflower, purple broccoli, red carrots and more. They are not expired, they are still natural.
• Give more space to your vegetables. Reduce your meat intake and swap it with four or five different vegetable ingredients. A lot of vegetables (such as lentils, beans, chick-peas, etc… are rich in proteins).
• Skip Tiramisu, have fruit instead.

5 Minutes of Meditation

One of my favourite apps that I use to make sure I get my daily meditation done is the AWorld App as part of my daily habits.

It's been scientifically proven that meditation improves cognitive performance, and all you need is LITERALLY 5 minutes. It has the power to change grey matter in your brain which impacts directly your hearing, memory, emotions, voice, auto-control and decision-making. Moreover, it can significantly improve your memory, self-conscious, empathy and stress.

In a nutshell, 5 minutes of meditation can notoriously improve your quality of life and the way you present yourself to the world.

6 Songs to Motivate You

During times like 2020 with an ongoing pandemic — where we have limited engagements to inspire us — turning to music can be a healthy way to develop a better work ethic (source).

Every once in a while, we feel like we don’t have the motivation to work and we often turn to music to look for some energy and inspiration. Especially during times like the pandemic when we have limited engagements to inspire us, turning to music can be a healthy way to develop a better work ethic.

Find your motivational tunes, place them on a playlist, tune at least 6 of them each day to capture extrinsic motivation and go out there and conquer your objectives. Here's some suggestions coming directly from my playlist:

• Lose Yourself — Eminem
• Firework — Katy Perry
• Numb Encore — Linkin Park ft. Jay Z
• The Show Must go On — Queen
• Ain't No Mountain High Enough — Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
• Eye of the Tiger — Survivor
• New York, New York — Frank Sinatra

Obviously, listening to music for motivation isn't the only benefit that comes with it. The benefits are vast and can impact other areas of your daily habits. Here's a few:

• Music makes you happier
• Music enhances running performance
• Music lowers stress and improves health
• Music helps you sleep better
• Music reduces depression
• Music elevates your mood while driving
• Music strengthens learning and memory
• Music increases verbal intelligence (source).

7 Minutes of Laughter — there's even a Podcast for it

Laughter is no joke, it's healthy.

If you’ve heard it’s a good remedy, it really is and you should trust that statement. Laughing can have Physical, Mental and Social benefits and you should truly embrace good humour into your life (source).

Physical health benefits:

• Boosts immunity
• Lowers stress hormones
• Decreases pain
• Relaxes your muscles
• Prevents heart disease

Mental health benefits:

• Adds joy and zest to life
• Eases anxiety and tension
• Relieves stress
• Improves mood
• Strengthens resilience

Social benefits:

• Strengthens relationships
• Attracts others to us
• Enhances teamwork
• Helps defuse conflict
• Promotes group bonding

8 Hours of Sleep

National Sleep Foundation guidelines advise that healthy adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. Babies, young children, and teens need even more sleep to enable their growth and development. People over 65 should also get 7 to 8 hours per night.

Sleep needs can vary from person to person, but in general, experts recommend that healthy adults get an average of 7 to 9 hours per night of shuteye. If you regularly need more than 8 or 9 hours of sleep per night to feel rested, it might be a sign of an underlying problem (source).

Signs that you may not be getting enough sleep include (source):

• you’re drowsy during the day
• you’re more irritable or moody than usual
• you’re less productive and focused
• your appetite has increased
• your judgement and decision-making isn’t what it usually is
• your skin is affected (dark undereye circles, dull complexion, droopy corners of the mouth).

See the recommended amount of sleep required for you based on your age [recommended by Healthline].

Lastly, make sure to check out and apply healthy sleep tips so that you can actually get the full night’s sleep that’s recommended.

IN CONCLUSION…

If you have arrived until here, you're probably eager to try at least one of the eight recommended habits out right? Well, what are you waiting for? Let's skip the conclusion as well because let's face it: you're not interested in my conclusion at this point you are more interested to get SH*T DONE.

Thank you for reading, and let me know in the comments if you have any tips or habits to recommend yourself.