It’s that time of year again. New Year’s resolutions, New Year’s goals – you know the drill. What better time to take stock of your lifestyle and set some concrete goals for a future healthier you?
In order to reach this goal, it’s important to first of all be aware of the current status of your health, and then to think about how you can avoid some of the most common unhealthy habits. Here are six health behaviors you should be doing in 2022 — plus ten habits you don’t need to do anymore.
1 Get up early
It seems to be true that ‘the early bird catches the wurm’. There is something very special about getting up early, before the hustle and bustle of the day … and it’s been proven that you are at your best in the mornings, especially in regards to your level of concentration. Important is that you are able able to get eight hours of sleep, because people who don’t get enough sleep tend to have lower self-esteem, poor decision-making skills, and memory loss.
2 Drink more water
H2O is important, because not only does it help with body functions, it also flushes toxins out of ones system. Also, for women, a health condition known as “decongestive vaginitis” can occur when not drinking enough water.
3 Lose belly fat
Belly fat is very unhealthy. When you have a lot of excess fat around your midline, it can cause all kinds of health problems, including heart disease and diabetes. Also, researchers have recently found out that belly cancer is caused by cells that are inflamed in the abdominal wall – so cutting belly fat can reduce inflammation and help prevent all kinds of disease. Excess hormones in your system tend to reprogram your natural metabolic processes, causing insulin resistance, which can lead to increased risk for high blood sugar (diabetes). Many people don’t recognize that a visceral abdominal fat pattern can already start developing at an early age (at 40 years, or younger) and take years to become noticeable on the outside.
4 Eat a healthy diet
A healthy diet is important, not just because it determines your weight. Eating unhealthy foods, like sweets and junk food, can cause many health problems in the future. You should try to eat fruits and vegetables on an every day basis and cut back on the unhealthy stuff.
5 Do some exercises regularly
This is very important, because the more you exercise, the better you will feel. And … fact is, the better you feel about yourself the more you will want to exercise.
Regular exercises – of any kind – are vital to your health. Even when you just go for a short walk every day, you are investing in your health. Gyms offer wonderful classes, if you don’t like to work out by yourself. Or find a friend to work out with or join you on regular walks.
The positive effects of regular exercise cannot be stressed enough. Life exists in any kind of movement!
6 Don’t forget to do five minutes of meditation every day
Meditation is important to help you calm down after a stressful day and get back in touch with yourself and your personal needs. In his book, The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle talks about how meditation clears your mind so that you can connect with your inner wisdom, inspirations, and the mystery of life itself. Eckhart Tolle believes that we are all capable of being happy and at peace – and that we can achieve this state through meditation.
Meditation can make us happier, healthier, and more successful – at work and in relationships. It improves both mental and physical health by decreasing stress levels, boosting self-confidence, and reducing anxiety. Meditation also encourages positive emotions, such as love, compassion, empathy, and joy. A study conducted by the University of Michigan shows that mindfulness through meditation improves creativity in business leaders, who then are able to lead teams and help others reach their full potential.
7 Take a break from drinking coffee
Your surgeon general recommends avoiding coffee in order to prevent liver cancer, but did you know that drinking too much can cause your overall physical health to suffer?
A study published in the International Journal of Cancer found that drinking coffee increases the risk of 12 different kinds of cancer, including liver, breast, and endometrial cancer. Coffee drinkers are 40% more likely to develop liver cancer than non-coffee drinkers. Another study found that, on the other hand, drinking only one cup of coffee per day is associated with a 43% lower risk of colorectal cancer.
8 Try not to eat veggies and fruits treated with pesticides
Some people think it’s ok to eat raw fruits and vegetables contaminated with chemicals, but these chemicals are never good for your health. The challenge remains to find organic, and at the same time, affordable fruits and vegetables.
9 Put down the phone
A study published in BMJ found that people who used their cell phone for calls for more than 10 hours per week had twice the risk of developing tumors in the part of the brain closest to where they hold the phone.
10 Stop watching too much TV
Passively watching TV requires very little physical activity – now add all the delicious chips you’re always munching while watching TV, and you are definitely not investing into your health… and blaming your genes or lack of willpower won’t help the situation either. Instead, get up and move…
11 Don’t go to bed completely hungry, but also not stuffed
Inadequate sleep is correlated with bad skin, muscle pain, memory loss and lots of other health issues. So, make sure you get enough sleep in order to stay healthy – and do not go to bed hungry, so that you can enjoy quality of sleep. At the same time, it is not recommended to eat right before you go to bed, but to have your last light meal or snack a few hours beforehand.
12 Stop producing so much garbage
We are producing and discarding so much garbage worldwide that our environment is greatly suffering. This environmental pollution will directly affect us and our health, that is a fact. The average American, just as an example, produces 4.5 pounds of garbage per day! It’s currently estimated that Americans are using a shocking 3 billion plastic bags each year. Those billions of bags end up clogging rivers and landfills, suffocate wildlife … and even worse – take hundreds of years to decompose into their original elements! If each of us tries to produce a little less trash every day, it will have a huge impact on our world – and be better for our health!
13 Get more sleep
There is nothing new about the realization that getting enough sleep is vital to your health. It is interesting to know that, if you’re not really tired when going to bed, your brain is still working very hard even after you have fallen asleep. As important as sleeping enough hours, is for you to promote healthy sleeping habits, such as not checking messages or reading the news on your cellphone in bed, but reading a book instead.
14 Stop wasting money on fancy pillows
A good pillow is essential for getting great sleep. Whenever your pillow is old and worn, it won’t support your head and neck correctly anymore. This can cause pain in your shoulders and neck, headaches, muscle strain, and poor circulation due to poor sleeping posture. Some people spend a lot of money on expensive pillows that are supposed to provide the perfect support for better sleep; however, with some online research, you can also find a more affordable pillow to suit your needs. Just don’t wait much longer to replace that old and worn-out pillow of yours!
15 Stop drinking alcohol
It has been scientifically proven that too much alcohol consumed on a regular basis is poison for your body and brain. Even low regular doses can potentially slightly damage brain tissue, which can lead to poor decision making and mental illness. Drinking large amounts of alcohol causes cirrhosis and cancer, as well as cardiovascular diseases, and, when combined with tobacco use, leads to obesity, high blood pressure, hypertension, and diabetes. In the worst case, alcohol abuse impairs one’s judgment, loosens one’s tongue and changes one’s character – and can lead to uncontrollable actions of assault, sexual assault and car accidents.
16 Stop smoking cigarettes or other tobacco products
Tobacco products have been proven to cause cancer as well as many other illnesses, and are directly related to lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease. Smoking cigarettes or other tobacco products can also lead to depression, anxiety, tuberculosis, low self-esteem, and even fatality. Smoking is a nasty habit that affects nearly every organ in the body.
Summary
As you can see, many of the things we do and eat today are unhealthy. Such an unhealthy lifestyle will affect our health now, and in the future – but also society as a whole. If we can confront, work on and change these bad habits, and add some good ones, not only will our personal health improve, but we are also contributing to making our world a better place.
The future is in our hands, so let us make changes for our own betterment – and for a better world!