Making major changes to your lifestyle can not only be tough, but it can burn you out if you try to change everything at once. The last thing you want is to give up before you’ve begun! This is especially true when it comes to diet and exercise. Instead of trying to make the change overnight, one of the best ways to begin adopting a healthy lifestyle is by gradually incorporating health-conscious habits into your daily routine. Doing this can act as a bridge to a healthier and more active life without overwhelming or burning you out. Plus, it is all-around good for your body! Below are a few easy ways to incorporate healthy habits into your daily routine, whatever your health goals may be.
If You Are Able, Take Opportunities to Be Mobile
There are plenty of ways to be more mobile in your day. The key is taking opportunities to be active instead of inactive. Some examples can include taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking your car a few blocks from your destination for some extra walking time.
If you work in an office, fear not! There are dozens of ways to stay active even during your work day. If you can, walking or riding part-way to your office can turn your daily commute into a workout. Taking a walk on your lunch break (or even just a short walk around the block for a quick break) is enough to get the blood circulating. Some people do stretches in the restroom, others request a standing desk. The most important thing is to make sure you aren’t sitting for too long.
Doing so can contribute to organ damage, digestive troubles, poor posture, and muscle degeneration. Even in a job where you are required to sit for long periods of time, it’s possible to sneak in some leg raises! Something as simple as standing up regularly lights up the energy cells in your body - making it ready to be active. If you can, don’t miss out on this easy way to start a more active living. You’ll feel great and your body will thank you!
Opting for Less Sugar in Your Diet
Okay, so maybe this one is a bit easier said than done. Sugar is in almost everything we consume - the average American adult has a daily intake of 22 teaspoons of it! For a long time, health enthusiasts targeted fat as the culprit for poor health, but this has proven not necessarily true. Sugar has been shown to increase risk of heart disease, fatty liver disease, leaky gut, Type 2 diabetes, and dozens of other health issues.
Cutting sugar completely out of your diet can be daunting, but taking small steps can be easy. For starters, simply cut out things you know to have a high sugar content. Sodas are obvious enough, but many forget that juices and commercial coffee drinks are loaded with sugar. Abstaining from your morning Starbucks run can help your diet and your wallet, and if you are drinking juices, make sure you aren’t drinking the sort that gets rid of all the valuable nutrients.
From there, you can begin to check the nutrition facts of your snacks - you’d be surprised how much sugar is in just about everything (even the “healthy” snack bars!). In general, it is best to shoot for as little sugar as possible - anything below 8-10 grams is a great start. This can vary from person to person, so it is always best to check with your doctor about your specific sugar intake recommendation. Almost like a drug, you may feel a pang for sugar once you’ve removed a lot of it from your diet, but the long-term effects will keep you healthy and happy.
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!
We might be a little biased, but this is perhaps the easiest healthy habit you can adopt. It might seem like a no-brainer, but a CBS report showed that an estimated 75% of Americans may be considered chronically dehydrated. In other words, most people might be dehydrated and not even realize it.
Aside from the most obvious way (feeling thirsty), our bodies have numerous methods of letting us know we need more hydration. Common signals include headaches, lethargy, dizziness, and fatigue. In some cases, dehydration can even cause mild depression.
While “8 glasses a day” is a myth, keeping your body hydrated to the standards that it requires can make an incredible difference in your day. You may find you have more energy and less fatigue, more motivation and less lethargy. In addition, you may notice improved skin health and digestive regulation.
The good news is drinking more water throughout the day and understanding your daily hydration needs is easy with KOR+. With a KOR+ subscription, you receive a monthly “KOR Score” that outlines exactly how much you should be drinking, as well as continued hydration guidance. In addition to this, KOR+ features a unique filtration system that adds molecular hydrogen to your water for various health benefits. Staying hydrated throughout your day has never been easier, and it is never too soon to start hydrating properly!
Those are some of our suggestions, tell us some of yours! Share the ways you stay health-conscious throughout your routine in the comments below!
