After being around my family and friends, I have picked up on habits I have that set me apart. Some of you may have two, three or all of these habits already and that’s amazing! You can implement any of these simple lifestyle changes to feel, act and emulate a better you.
1. Drink Water
I know you probably think I am your mother telling you to drink more water or a sports coach trying to force you to hydrate during halftime. I can’t emphasize enough how drinking water changed my daily routine.
I try to drink a glass of before every meal, but now that I have gotten so accustomed to hydrating on a regular basis, I don’t even think about it. I carry my Camelback around with me everywhere I go and sometimes I add lemon to spice things up. It’s the key to better skin, hair and higher energy levels. Water can only help you so try jumpstarting this habit by having a glass before a meal.
2. Eat Healthy
Although eating healthy is key, it is also so important to indulge as well. I try to dedicate my meals to being healthy during the week, and then I indulge on the weekends.
However, in college this is harder than it sounds when you’re constantly tempted into late night snacks and very few options. Eating healthy simply means trying to get vegetables, fruits and healthy fats into your daily diet.
Instead of grabbing some Tostitos chips to snack on, grab some rice crackers and dip it in something yummy. You’ll soon miss those Tostitos chips less and less. Another tip to eating healthy is consuming foods with higher water content such as a cucumbers, celery, watermelon or apples. These will fill you up faster, especially if they're accompanied with protein like peanut butter or hummus.
3. Read Something Inspirational
My good friend bought me these cards for my desk that hold 365 quotes that I read daily. Another fun way to get daily inspiration is for you tea drinkers. I buy tea that has little quotes on the tag of the bag and it’s almost the same satisfaction you get when opening a fortune cookie.
If tea isn’t your thing and you don’t want to spend the money for desk decorations, then simply look up the quote of the day or download the app. This little inspiration questions you to think about something differently or apply a new idea to your day.
The quote on my tea bag today was, “Appreciate yourself and honor your soul.” The quote of the day today was, “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth” (Arthur Conan Doyle). Thinking with a positive mindset is the key to becoming a better you and inspiration from what you read is how you can get there.
4. Limit Your Time Online
As much as this is so reiterated, the less I am on my phone during the day, the happier and healthier I feel. I recognize my environment and immerse myself deeper in my life. I live in the moment and let go of the desire to please people through comments, likes, and shares.
I physically have limited my time online this summer due to my summer internship, which has been a refreshing wake up call to how much I can accomplish in a day when limiting my time on my phone.
5. Take A Walk
A lot of my friends and I started to “mom walk” when I was a senior in high school, but I lost the desire to up until recently. People usually think of going for a walk as a waste or not effective compared to a workout, but this is a complete misconception in my opinion.
Especially in the Florida heat, walking is really the only survivable option for working out with a time and weather constraint. I try to walk to the beach every night and if I have no one to walk with, then I usually bring my pup. Dogs make the best company because they just peacefully enjoy your presence without interrupting your thoughts.
