If there’s one thing you should invest in every single day – it’s your health. Doing small healthy things every day will make you feel more energetic, more productive and proud of yourself because you know you’re doing the right thing. You’ll look good on the outside and feel good on the inside. So today, let’s take a look at 5 simple habits to help you look good and be healthy every day!
5 Simple Habits To Look Good And Be Healthy Every Day
1. Exercise
It’s a surprise to nobody at this point – exercise is known to improve your health. It’s important for your cardiovascular health, bone health, brain health and it can prevent cancer, osteoporosis and hypertension.
However, the sad reality is: over 250,000 people in the US die every year, because they don’t move enough. (source) Isn’t it truly sad? Exercise is a super simple habit anyone can do every day. You can change that habit at any age – it will still benefit your well-being and improve your quality of life.
To do that you need at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily. Whatever moderate means to you – if you have a quite sedentary life it could be just walking and then you work yourself up from there.
As for looking good – exercise will improve the circulation in your body and help fresh nutrients get to your skin cells. Exercise can also help you lose weight, lose fat, improve your posture and build muscle which will make you feel stronger and more confident and look leaner overall.
2. Hydrate
Did you know not drinking enough water can weaken your immune system, give you headaches and bad breath? Among other things…It can also affect your weight and your skin. According to Healthline dehydration can lead to more wrinkles, scary under eye circles, itchiness and dullness in your skin. So if you’re having any of these symptoms, maybe it’s time to start drinking some more water. Drink at minimum 2L or a ½ gallon a day. You might need more depending on your activity levels, your eating and other habits. I know I need around 4L or a gallon every day and I don’t always make it. But I’m trying! My best tip is: make it easier! I make sure to always have a large bottle of water in reach and this makes it so much easier to drink more.
3. Eat more hydrating foods.
To sum it up: it’s fruits and vegetables. Eating enough of these foods will ensure you get enough water, even if you don’t quite make the gallon a day.
What’s even more important, all of these healthy foods contain a ton of antioxidants and nutrients that your skin and your entire body need in order to stay healthy and vibrant.
In fact carotenoids, the antioxidants that give red and orange fruits their color (they can also be found in green leafy vegetables, but are masked by chlorophylle) can actually protect you from sun damage and improve your skin color.
So whenever you need a snack – instead of dry chips, go for fruits and vegetables like strawberries, watermelon, cherry tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers or cucumbers – whatever you love. Don’t make yourself eat things you don’t like. Make these foods a priority in your everyday diet and you’ll see how much better you’ll feel.
4. Quit sugar, dairy, coffee, and alcohol
Aside from eating the right foods, we need to also stop consuming the “wrong” things. These are mostly processed foods, foods that we all know are bad for us, but eat anyway, because we crave them at the moment. The list is quite long, but some of the main offenders include sugar, dairy, coffee and alcohol.
Sugar is bad for your health and it can affect your skin in two really bad ways – it can make your skin age faster and it can cause acne.
Dairy can also cause acne and the majority of adults have an intolerance. If you have some skin and digestive issues, quitting dairy for a while might be the solution to those problems.
Now, coffee and alcohol are both dehydrating and consuming too much is not great for your overall health. If you can’t let these drinks go, consume in moderation. A cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of wine in the evening (or the other way around jk) should be fine for most people.
5. Spend time in nature.
The health benefits to spending time in nature are comparable to those of exercise. A study has shown that spending over 120 minutes a week in nature can greatly improve your emotional and physical well-being. That goes beyond getting your vitamin D from sunlight, shocking I know.
Being in nature for as little as 20-30 minutes a day is a very simple way to reduce stress. And stress makes you more susceptible to disease, weight gain and skin problems. So this is something you can combine with the first habit – exercise. Go out to do your workouts, walk more instead of driving everywhere and be intentional about it.
For the best outcome, the study suggests spending between 200-300 minutes a week or between 30-45 minutes a day in nature (the study found you can do the 300 min on one day too and you’ll notice positive effects).
So these are 5 simple, everyday things you can do to look good, feel good and be healthy! I hope you found some new ideas and got motivated to start a new habit for a better you today.
