Healthy Habits

Did you know 62% of Brits, changed their diet in 2022 to become healthier?

Influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of obesity, brain diseases and other factors, more people are looking into refining their lifestyles.

One of the best ways to do this during 2023 is by reviewing your existing habits, dropping bad ones and implementing healthy ones, to help you make you live a more wholesome and happier lifestyle.

What are habits?

Habits are nothing new to your life, you have them all the time and perhaps you may not realise. They’re a word commonly exchanged in conversation and have the same meaning as rituals. Habits are behaviours that we do without thinking, they carry us through our day and lives. They serve many benefits and can move our behaviours from the conscious mind to the unconscious mind.

There are hundreds of them you might undergo every day, you just need to be aware of them. If you were to categorise habits, there are three main categories they typically fall under:

• Automatic habits: These habits have been around for a long time that you may not notice. Common examples of automatic habits are brushing your teeth, making your bed, checking your emails and more.
• Unhealthy habits: These habits can be detrimental to our health and well-being and difficult to break. Common examples of unhealthy habits are too much phone usage, smoking, drinking, not exercising or lack of sleep.
• Healthy habits: Just like the heading suggests these habits are great for your lifestyle. To know more about these habits in detail, we’ll cover them a bit further later.

How Habits are formed

There’s more science behind it than you think when it comes to developing a new habit. Every habit is formed due to a psychological pattern, commonly given the name “habit loop”. This loop is split into three parts, they usually have a trigger or cue that sends a signal to your brain.

The signal informs your brain to perform a certain action or behaviour. Once that behaviour is performed, your brain rewards itself by encouraging it to do it again in the future. As a result, a repetition occurs, commonly called a habit loop ingraining the habit into your brain.

Healthy habits

If you want to take on new habits in 2023, here are some top healthy ones you might wish to consider:

Drink more water

Hydrating yourself is one of the most important things you can do for your body each day. There’s endless research supporting why water is beneficial for you and rightly so. It can protect major organs, help you lose weight and more.

On average you should be drinking 2-2.5 litres of water a day. If you don’t like drinking water you can always infuse it with slices of fruit! To encourage you to drink more water you may wish to get a water jar with measurements showing how much you’ve drank in a day.

Exercise regularly

Try and aim for around 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week to get you in shape. Try and mix your exercise up between cardio and strength training. If you do so you’ll find your body burning calories, even when you’re resting! Plus consistent exercise can help with weight management, reduce the likelihood of disease, enhance cognition, and strengthen bones and muscles.

Go offline more

Now and again you should aim to take a digital detox from all of your devices. Try not to check social media a lot or your emails, especially first thing in the morning or before you go to bed. To gain control of your digital habits you might want to set a time limit on your device and put your phone down freeing you up.

Learn a new skill

Acquiring a new skill can help your brain stay focused and keep healthy. Try learning a new language, engaging in something creative or anything else. Constantly working your brain can reduce your chances of ageing and, may help delay cognitive decline.

Tips for starting a new healthy habit

If you’re ready to get going and start a new healthy habit this year, here are a few tips to consider:

Plan

First of all, before going into your habit you must plan for it. When planning for it, you’ll want to think about small, achievable goals and what actions you need to reach them. You might want to get your friends and family involved, to support you and stay on track.

Report your progress

When trying to solidify your habit you’ll undergo a range of feelings. Sometimes you may be feeling optimistic and ready to grab it, others it may be negative. Whatever you feel it’s important you keep a record of it in a journal, spreadsheet or even on your mobile notes. You might want to note your feelings, behaviours and more so you can reflect on them and progress.

Be patient

Habits don’t form overnight and often other health issues can intervene. So be patient when you’re on the road to achieving them, sometimes it’s a case of trial and error. It’s also ok if they don’t go as planned, just keep moving forward.

Conclusion

Overall, habits make up our lives consciously and unconsciously. We do so many daily that is a mix of healthy and unhealthy. To make a new habit you must create a habit loop and stay consistent.

Creating a healthy habit in 2023 can keep your brain active and help you stay on track to achieving long term goals. Remember if you’re starting a new habit, you should plan, report your progress and be patient!