Habits are the foundation of your routine; they are essentially what determines how your life will look like 6 months, 1 year, and even 5 years down the road.
The way you spend your days also affects much more than your future; it makes a huge difference in the way you feel on a daily basis, and thus the way you carry yourself, your relationships with the people in your life, and your well-being in general.
And let me tell you something: it’s often the simple things that truly make the biggest difference, and there’s absolutely no need to complicate life when you can get to where you want to be just by being consistent with these small every day actions.
For this reason, you must make sure that the habits that you’re practicing daily are moving you towards the life of your dreams and helping you in accomplishing your goals.
So here I present you with 5 habits that although are clichés, will definitely aid you in your journey and will make you feel 10 times better in your body and in your life in general, if you are actually willing to be consistent with them.
Stick to a sleep schedule
Yes, I had to start with that one, as sleep is one of the most important bases of a healthy and happy life.
It’s what allows your body to properly rest and recover, it strengthens your immune system, it regulates your mood and lowers stress levels, it improves learning and sharpens focus…
Not getting enough sleep can be detrimental to your health and it can cause long-term health problems.
Moreover, I’ve come to realize that a good night’s sleep is essential to have a successful and productive day; you certainly will not accomplish a lot if you can’t even keep your eyes open during the day.
Oh and drinking 4 cups of coffee will not cut it as well. (Guilty, eh?)
Hence why you should be getting at least 7 hours of sleep each night; and to be able to do so, you should create a sleep schedule that works with your routine.
Unless you have nothing to wake up to, which in this case, I recommend you get something going ASAP, because too much rest (AKA having nothing to do with your life) is as damaging, if not more, than not getting enough.
But chances are, you have a job, school, kids, or some kind of responsibility that requires you to wake up at a specific time each day, so I highly recommend that you establish a sleeping routine that corresponds with your wake-up time.
I’m a huge advocate of waking up early as well, as you can get a lot of things done in the first hours of the morning, which brings us to habit #2:
Have a 1+ hour morning routine
How you start your day dictates how the rest of it will go, so make it a point to start it on the right foot every single morning, because although there are always some things you can do to turn it around in case things get messed up, it’s ten times easier to have a productive day when you start it with a well-established routine.
I personally like to get my workout done first thing in the morning before I get dressed and have breakfast and then start working; this is why I’m recommending an hour or more, but since every person has their own schedule and set of responsibilities, you should find what works best for you.
If you are someone who has commitments early in the day, like a 9-5 job or classes, and you are able to wake up extra early to move before you take on the day, kudos to you because you’re doing an awesome job.
But even if you’re not part of the early-workout squad, and you prefer to leave it till after you tackle your daily responsibilities, I recommend that you still wake up at least an hour before you have to leave to your destination. This will give you enough time to drink your water and coffee, have a quick but healthy breakfast, and get dressed before you leave the door.
And just like the habits we’re talking about are super basic, your morning routine doesn’t have to be complicated either; forget about the videos you watch on YouTube where they do a trillion thing before even starting the day, as they can be super unrealistic, especially considering most of these people are self-employed, meaning they are free to set up their own schedules.
So as we said, just one hour doing the right things after you wake up is enough to set you up for a good and productive day.
Eat 3-5 regular meals
How many of you skip breakfast or snack on crappy food during the day and then binge-eat whatever comes into your sight at night?
I know I know, we all have busy schedules and sometimes the last thing we can think about is eating healthy and consistently.
Some of you might not even get the time to have lunch mid-day; but in cases like that, I need you to ask yourself what your priorities are, because if health is not number one on your list, I think you need to reevaluate your choices.
Studies show how important eating regular healthy meals is for your health and well-being: it prevents all sorts of health issues from diabetes to heart disease, it aids weight loss/maintenance by boosting metabolism and preventing binge-eating, and it has a huge positive effect on mood and energy.
And the good news is: it’s not as complicated as you think it is. You just need to learn to cook a few meals that are filled with the proper nutrients and that you actually enjoy, and no it doesn’t have to take you hours.
For breakfast, I recommend something as simple as oatmeal or an egg wrap; 20 minutes only, 10 to prepare and 10 to eat, and you’re good to go. Or my favorite banana pancakes:
For lunch and dinner, there are plenty of healthy and delicious meals that you can prepare in as little as half an hour: take some time to surf the internet and try out a few easy recipes, and once you find some that you like you can make them several times per week.
If you can follow the meal-prepping route, that’s even better.
As for snacks, the key is to keep healthy and easy to reach bites around the house, like nuts, fruits, yogurt or granola.
And whenever you find yourself thinking that you don’t have the time to prepare anything, remember that food is fuel, so dedicating that little time each day to make good and healthy meals will in return give you more time and energy for other tasks.
Workout
That ought to be the most clichéd of all, but it’s for a good reason: working out on a regular basis is one of the best things you can do for your body and mind, as the benefits you get from moving for just an hour each day on average are limitless.
I’m a huge fan of weightlifting, and I’ve been doing it for almost two years now, and to tell you it has changed my entire existence is an understatement.
It lowers body fat, it increases bone density and joint stability, it boosts metabolism and the immune system, it improves athletic performance and power, it makes you stronger by the day, and it makes you more confident than ever; being able to look at your naked body and be proud of what you’ve accomplished through all the hard work is a very underrated feeling.
Oh and let me not forget my favorite advantage: you can eat a lot more food and still lose fat and gain muscle, which will give you the lean look that most people dream of.
Even if lifting barbells is not your thing, I still recommend that you engage in some sort of resistance/circuit training to build muscle and maintain a healthy body fat percentage, coupled with regular cardio for cardiovascular health.
I also advise you to work out first thing in the morning, as it’ll make you feel way better about yourself and it’ll equip you for a hard-working day.
But as I said earlier, if moving early does not correspond well with your routine, schedule a time of day where you can fit in a good 45-90 minute workout.
And don’t worry if at first you find it super hard to do so, because I can guarantee that once you get used to it and you start reaping the benefits, it’ll become hard for you not to workout. It really is addicting.
Read for at least an hour
“Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.”
How long has it been since you’ve learned anything of value? And how long has it been since you’ve picked up a good book and sat to read?
It is absolutely necessary to integrate reading into your everyday routine if you actually want to improve and get places in life.
I mean if you think about it, when someone writes a book, they’re literally gathering all the knowledge and experience they have acquired in their lifetime and putting them into words, and all you have to do is purchase that book and read it and you’ll gain incredible life-lessons just by doing that.
Now imagine you make that a daily thing; within one year you’ll have read tens of books and you’ll have become a whole different person.
Of course there are great books and not-so-great books, so definitely do some quick research before you decide to pick up a certain book; and always keep something in mind: the classics are classics for a reason.
On top of that, don’t limit yourself to a single type; I suggest you pick up all sorts of books from self-help to biographies to fiction.
I actually like to read two books of different genres in parallel, so I dedicate an hour each morning to read a self-help book, and I’ll end the night with a good fiction book. On nights when I don’t go out, I’ll spend two to three hours reading: no better feeling than getting lost in a good book.
However, if you don’t have that kind of time, an hour of reading will do, but no less than that.
You can even distribute it throughout the day, and one more advice: for self-help books, make sure to note down what you learned after each chapter and how you can apply these lessons to your own life, because otherwise you’ll forget what you’ve read as soon as you turn over the page.
What I want you to do now is grab a pen and paper, and write down how your ideal routine looks like and how you can integrate these habits into it, because although they are quite mainstream, they can be straight-up life-changing.
Then be consistent with that routine for at least a month, and you’ll be able to understand how important these small daily actions are and how big an effect they can have on your life, your career and your sense of self.
