The world is full of hacks these days. Work efficiency hacks. Relationship hacks. Dog grooming hacks. Fitness hacks. Time management hacks. And of course, health hacks, which may be the most important of all. After all, everything actually revolves around your health. Without your health, you simply will not have wealth in time, relationships, and in life.
Your health is rarely impacted by single events. It’s the little things each day that maintain or destroy your health. In every given moment, you are either building health or building disease. The choice is yours as to which one you are building. A healthy and holistic lifestyle is built consistently deliberately over a consistent period of time. Hopefully, with these simple health hacks YOU can make EXCELLENT HEALTH CHOICES to stay well for years.
Build your health with these simple health tips:
1.Try intermittent fasting. The human body wasn’t designed to deal with a constant stream of calories. Our ancient ancestors certainly didn’t have the luxury of three meals a day, plus snacks! An 8-hour eating window each day is plenty, and many experts advocate significantly less than that for adults. Sometimes if you need a metabolic reset, intermittent fasting can provide your digestive system a much needed rest. If you struggle with blood sugar challenges this may not be the best hack for you, but adding some amino acid supplements can help support your blood sugar needs.
2.Bodyweight exercises. You can get a great workout at home without any equipment. If you can’t even do a single push-up, stand at the bottom of the stairs and place your hand on an appropriate step. If you’re really out of shape, lie flat on your back on your floor and stand back up. Repeat. Repeat. Bodyweight can help build strength and lean out. Bodyweight exercises can help to build the strength of the body as well as speed metabolism by increasing blood flow and circulation.
3.Have a piece of dark chocolate each day. Dark chocolate is delicious and has numerous health benefits including being an antioxidant. It can be a great way to finish your evening meal or as a special treat with one square piece of dark chocolate. Even those this is mildly bitter, having a piece of chocolate after a meal can ease any sugar cravings while also providing some health benefits.
4.Use smaller plates. Studies show that using a smaller plate leads to eating less. If you wish to cut calories, this is an easy trick that works, as long as you don’t go back for seconds or thirds because the plate is smaller. This can be a helpful health hack if you tend to overeat. A smaller plate can teach portion control. There are even plates that pre portion to make it easy for you to build macros on a plate.
5.Take a cold shower. Hot showers feel good, but there’s not much else you can say about them. However, a cold shower has many benefits. Lower stress levels, better immune response, increased tolerance to pain, and weight-loss can all be yours for a few minutes of misery each day. In some yoga practices, it is a recommendation and spiritual practice. Furthermore, taking a cold shower can lower inflammation as well as ease joint pain.
6.Move around at least once each hour. Give yourself a break each hour and move around for at least 5-10 minutes. It’s good for you, and you’ll get more work done by taking regular breaks. Stretching, walking, even standing away from a desk can be helpful to break up the sedentary lifestyle that sitting behind a desk for long hours can create.
7.Challenge your brain each day. Spend some time each day working your brain. For example, learn something new, play chess, do a crossword puzzle, or learn a foreign language. Challenging your brain also contributes to cognitive function and keeps the neural pathways smoothly firing for years.
8.Laugh. Laughing is good for your mind and your body. Stream a funny movie, read some jokes, or talk to a funny friend. Laughter is the best medicine. It keeps you light, airy, and happy. Laughing keeps the frequency of your energy high, it keeps your cells vibrating high, and can allow you to maintain healthy mental health.
9.Stretch. While you’re watching that funny movie, get on the floor and do some stretches. You’ll feel better and make yourself more resistant to injury. These days we have a very sedentary lifestyle so stretching is key to keep your muscles, ligaments, and tendons limber as well as relaxed. Stretching calves, hamstrings, shoulders, and back are key to keeping your body as well as your organs open and protected.
10.Get sufficient sleep. You can’t be healthy if you’re not getting enough sleep. Experts recommend 7-8 hours each night. Cutting back on sleep for any length of time can impact your health consistently over a period of time. Alternately, a lack of restful sleep can also have an impact as well. Many people lack a nigh time routine, and may fall asleep watching television or their minds racing which can impact the depth of their sleep. If a person lacks depth in their sleep, they can wake up feeling exhuasted, worn down, etc which can impact their day.
11.Eat your vegetables. Most vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals and low in calories. High levels of nutrition with minimal calories will boost your health and reduce your waistline. It’s hard to overeat if you’re eating a lot of vegetables. Vegetables are like free foods, you can eat as much as you like without gaining weight. Choosing greens foods such as broccoli, kale, etc can also help bring much-needed oxygen to your blood stream.
12.Use fruit for dessert. Fruit is nutritious, but most fruits are also high in sugar. Use fruit as a way to finish your meal and avoid less healthy dessert options. Choosing low glycemic fruits such as berries and apples can help to keep blood sugar balanced as well as keep unhealthy bacteria down within the digestive system.
13.Avoid screens before bed. By the end of the day, you’ve already spent plenty of time looking at computer, TV, and smartphone screens. Give your brain a break, and you’ll sleep better. Freeing yourself of distractions and stimulus can allow for the mind to ease before bedtime. It may be tempting to grab your phone before bed, but doing so can trigger the mind to be stimulated before a time of rest.
14.Keep a journal. A journal can reduce stress and boost mental health. Writing in a journal can be a great way to end your day especially before bedtime. Keeping journals around the house and writing as you become triggered or upset can allow for a space to vent unwanted feelings as well as thoughts. Physically writing with a pen and paper goes to the ideomotor response in the brain directly tied to the subconscious mind. Journaling can allow for the mind to vent unresolved feelings as well as thoughts.
15.Drink more tea. Tea without sugar can help build your water supply up for the day keeping you hydrated. Plus many herbal teas have many health benefits. Herbal teas with chamomile, lavender, valerian can help ease stress responses while peppermint, rosemary, and green teas can energize the body.
There are simple things you can do each day to enhance your physical health. It’s important to recognize just how important your health is and be conscious of your health needs. There are plenty of examples in the news every single day of people that are suffering. When people experience deep levels of suffering they develop diseases, many of which are self created lifestyle conditions. Diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and even hypertension are rooted in lifestyle choices.
While you can’t avoid every injury and sickness, there are many things you can do to put the odds in your favor. A little self-care for your health each day begins to build actions as well as behaviors that lead to long lasting health for years to come.
