A habit is a behavior that we carry out practically automatically, almost without realizing it. What characterizes them is that they are very difficult to eliminate, so it is convenient to invest a good amount of attention in creating positive habits and avoiding bad ones.
Good habits have the enormous advantage of allowing us to stay healthy and pursue our goals without the effort we invest in it weighing us down, so they are a fundamental pillar in our quality of life. Today we bring you a list of fifteen easy habits to acquire at home, which will help you improve your diet, rest cycles and physical activity. Take notes and put them into practice today to see positive results in less than a week.
5 habits to give a healthy twist to your diet
1.- Leave your favorite healthy ingredients ready to serve
One of the main reasons why we end up eating junk food or unbalanced food is that we don't have the time or courage to start cooking healthy dishes three times a day.
A weekly habit that will also help you save time and money is to spend a couple of hours preparing, disinfecting, washing and chopping the ingredients that you will use in your salads, snacks or dishes for the rest of the week.
2.- Don't shop hungry
Whether you go to the market or shop online, always get into the habit of doing the super after eating, otherwise you'll be hungry, craving high-calorie foods and your brain will lead you to buy less healthy products.
A large part of the secret to healthy eating is anticipating and avoiding unnecessary temptations.
3.- Check your macronutrient rations
Do you know exactly how many servings of fruits, vegetables, protein, fats and cereals you should eat per day? Probably not, since this is a proportion that only a nutritionist can determine according to your age, weight and lifestyle.
The first step towards one of the healthiest habits you can have, is to check with a professional exactly how much of each type of food you should be eating, and keep a more or less strict control during the first weeks. Over time, both your stomach and your eating routine will automatically adapt to the nutritional plan that works best for you to be healthy and energetic.
4.- Change commercial sweets for quality superfoods
If you want to treat yourself, quality is better than quantity. It's not a matter of restricting everything delicious in your diet, but it's much better to invest in snacks that although they are high in calories, are of good quality and full of nutrients.
For example bitter chocolate, nuts, dried fruit, dried vegetable chips, wholemeal biscuits, etc. Many of these healthy snacks can be made at home.
5.- Set realistic goals
Wanting to form a new eating habit overnight is simply naive. Habits take between two weeks and two months to take hold, so it's much better to bet on daily constancy than on wanting to see big changes overnight.
6 tips to properly adjust your sleep habits
1.- Turn on the "night mode" or "blue light filter" of all your devices
When you watch a screen all day and into the night, it can affect your sleep and alter your body's natural rhythms. Researchers continually publish studies on the potential damage of blue light emitted by the screens of your digital devices. For these reasons, blue light filters are incredibly important and are increasingly common on Windows, Google and Apple devices. Do a search on the internet on how to turn on the blue light filter or night mode for your device and you'll find many options.
2.- Stay away from digital screens
Even if you have turned on the "night mode" on your device, at least an hour and a half before you go to sleep, stay away from the cell phone, computer, TV or tablet. The light from these devices interferes with our production of melatonin and makes it difficult for us to fall asleep.
3.- You don't want to fix major problems before bed
If you spend time before going to bed thinking about the problems you need to solve the next day, arguing with your partner or checking the news, the only thing you will achieve is to raise the levels of cortisol -the stress hormone- in your system, and this will prevent you from getting adequate rest.
It's best to make a list of outstanding issues - so you can be sure you won't forget any - and take care of them during the morning.
4.- Don't get hooked on an interesting story
Reading a book with an exciting story, listening to a new artist you like or watching the new chapters of your favorite series at night, is a guarantee that you will be unveiled. It's much better if you occupy your time before going to sleep in a routine that relaxes you and encourages deep sleep.
5.- No caffeine, tobacco or sugar
Although coffee and refined sugars are very standardized in our consumption, we should not forget that they are practically stimulant drugs. The same goes for tobacco. So, if you want to sleep better, avoid them from three hours before going to bed. What you can drink is a caffeine-free infusion.
6.- Ask for a professional lymphatic massage or get used to self-massage, meditation or yoga
Lymphatic massage is especially good for a calming effect that induces good sleep. Another ideal habit to give that little push to sleep is to give ourselves a self massage before going to sleep, or ask our partner to do it. You can also dedicate twenty minutes to meditation or a very light yoga session.
5 tips for more physical activity
1.- Find something you like
It's great that you want to reach the goal of exercising daily, but you should not lose sight of the fact that, in order to really make a habit of it, it has to be an activity that you really enjoy, and that will depend a lot on your tastes and your personality.
Try various types of routines and exercises, from dance to yoga, choose the ones you like best and give variety to the one you do every day.
2.- Identify your schedule with more energy
The best time to exercise depends solely on your metabolism. In the case of women, moreover, hormonal cycles influence the amount of energy we have throughout the day and week. Identify when you feel most encouraged to move and use that time to get into your daily routine.
3.- Accompany it with music!
Various research studies have confirmed that listening to music can help you improve your performance during physical activity, since rhythmic sounds stimulate the motor cortex of the brain and improve our synchronization and the predisposition of our strength.
4.- Create a routine before your routine
It has happened to all of us that there are days when we are simply zero motivated to put on our sneakers and start our routine. A good way to activate the body for our workout is to simply let it know that we are about to start, and we do this by establishing a brief pre-workout routine.
For example, maybe fifteen minutes before you eat a light snack, put on your sports clothes, choose the music you will listen to, prepare your moisturizing drink and arrange the space with the implements you will use. These are actions that involve much less effort than the exercise itself, and when you've finished them, there's no turning back and you'll go all the way.
5.- Go from less to more
Learn to listen to your body. It's important that your muscles are working hard and your heart is racing during each exercise session, but that doesn't mean you should push it beyond its limit. Remember that your physical condition, strength and flexibility will improve with consistency, not with haste; if you overdo it you will lose motivation and it will be harder for you to pick up the habit.
In Zen to Go we want to be part of your lifestyle. Don't miss the advice of our blogs and the health tips we always have for you in social networks.
