Sneak Healthy Habits in Your Daily Routine

Most of us would like to have a better life and embrace healthier habits but our hectic lives,busy schedule,procrastination and other issues often prevent us from achieving our goals and that’s why sneaking healthy habits in our daily routines is an easy solution.

Lack of time and motivation are some of the most common reasons many people fail to successfully change their habits. Behavioral change requires self discipline,willpower and commitment and although many of us have all the necessary ingredients to succeed,it seems that something always gets in the way.

 

When trying to embrace a new habit we should always pick the path of the least resistance,meaning that we should make the change almost effortless. Most of us don’t ever think about being motivated to brush our teeth for example as it takes only a few minutes and it has become automatic. This is exactly the reason why sneaking healthy habits into your daily routine will help us change for the better: we don’t have to make a lot of adjustments,we only have to tweak our existing habits a little.

Although small changes might seem meaningless at first they accumulate rapidly over time,having a significant effect over time. Here are a few easy ways to tweak your daily routine:

  • If you don’t usually have time to prepare breakfast in the morning,don’t use it as an excuse to deprive your body of essential nutrients. Instead prepare your breakfast the night before to make it easier for you to eat a healthy breakfast,have a slightly shorter shower to have enough time for breakfast.
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    If you can’t find time to eat breakfast at home find alternatives to have breakfast on the go. Grab string cheese and whole grain crackers or add a few nuts to your yogurt for decent dose of calcium and healthy fats. Add a piece of fruit to your purse to avoid hitting the vending machine for something sweet later in the day.

  • Making sure you are properly hydrated can be tricky because if you are not used to drinking a lot of water you can quickly forget about it. To instill this habit easier try creating associations.
  • For example each time you surf on the internet,bring a glass of water with you and have a sip of water each time you visit a new site. Have a bottle of water near you at all times as a visual reminder. To make water taste better try adding raspberry juice,lemon juice,mint leaves, or cucumber slices.

  • If you have difficulty sneaking exercise into your daily routine try these simple ideas: combine relaxing activities such as watching TV with exercise. Commercial breaks are perfect for exercising and you won’t miss anything important.
  • Try walking with a friend instead of going to his house to hang out, take the stairs instead of the elevator, put on an energizing music when doing the household chores and speed up your cleaning routine and have fun in the process, visit your coworkers instead of sending them e-mail or teach your children how to jump rope or demonstrate dance movements to them and you won’t even feel like you’re exercising.

  • Cooking at home can be a real pleasure and a great way to ensure you eat healthier. To save time in the kitchen use ingredients that require minimal preparation and processing like baby carrots,canned beans,pre-cut cauliflower florets or precooked meats.

    Adding some store prepared gourmet items like roasted vegetables,grilled salmon to speed up the cooking process.Making healthy choices is generally a matter of minutes so if you are willing to make a few simple changes in you will be able to positively impact your lifestyle without really trying.

    Article Source: http://widbox.com/sneak-healthy-habits-in-your-daily-routine

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    How to Boost Your Energy at Work

    There are days when you just don’t have enough energy or enthusiasm to finish projects for work. What can you do to boost your energy without resorting to caffeine? If you don’t want to become a caffeine addict, you should know that there are other methods to boost your energy at work.

    Caffeine is known as the best energy booster among many people. Most of us just cannot start the day without a hot cup of coffee. It’s energizing and it drives away tiredness. Nevertheless, besides its benefits, coffee also could develop a few negative side effects such as irritability or headaches. So, you should start thinking to other healthy ways of boosting your energy at work.

     

    Take a break

    Studies show that a 20 minute break could give you the energy you need and could completely drive away tiredness. Therefore, don’t get stuck in your chair for 8 hours or more, and move a little. You could find a pretext and step away from your desk for about 20 minutes, whether you go to buy something to eat, smoke a cigarette or simply ask your co-worker to go for a walk and just talk. You’ll see that after coming back you’ll feel much more inspired and ready to work.

    Music

    Probably your job doesn’t allow you to do this, but psychologists say that music can boost your energy and it might help you have a better distributed attention. You just need to figure out what music relaxes you the most and the one that motivates you. After doing so, just press “play” and you are ready for work. Just be careful not to disturb the co-workers around you. If you want to increase your concetration listen to light songs. As for rock and classical music, studies have shown that they also increase productivity.

    Stretch and desk yoga

    All the tension accumulated throughout the day will be felt at the end of the day. It’s advisable to stretch at work when you are sure that you are not disturbing anyone. You’ll feel more relaxed and this could save you from future backaches. Try some yoga poses easy to make at work and you’ll feel more alert.

    Rest your eyes

    People working in an office tend to use their eyes in proportion of 90%. Therefore, you need to take care and rest them daily. The ideal thing to do is to take your eyes off the monitor every 20 minutes and look straight ahead for 20 to 30 seconds. Another variant would be to simply look through the open window. Eye strain is known as asthenopia and it is mainly caused by computer screens. That’s why the screen should be placed at a distance of about 35 to 75 centimetres and to the side of the main light source.

     

    Hydrate and healthy snacks

    Make sure you drink enough water to keep you body and brain into shape and to provide a high oxygen level. Studies show that eating every four hours helps you keep the metabolism charged and maintain the energy level high. Avoid unhealthy snacks and sweets and choose instead fruits that can give you the fuel you need in order to keep your energy levels steady throughout the day. For a quick energy boost go for dried peanuts, almonds, cashews or walnuts. Celery sticks, a yogurt, some crackers with peanut butter are also a great and healthy option.

    Good sitting posture

    Having a good and correct posture is essential as it keeps you more energized and alert. The right position is with your back straight. If you are working in front of a computer all day long, make sure that the computer screen is at eyelevel, as looking up or down will only put strain on your neck and muscles and cause you headaches. The desk should be at belly button level in order to allow you to keep the elbows below the dektop.

    Article Source: http://widbox.com/how-to-boost-your-energy-at-work

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    Foods That Improve Memory – Healthy Food For a Healthy Mind

    Through your life you have probably heard the term “brain food”, suggesting that there are certain types of foods that can help your brain function. This is all very true! Studies have shown certain foods can increase your brain function and enhance your memory as well. So lets take a look at some foods that improve memory and discuss what it is about them that helps you retain more information.

    So what foods improve memory?

    Fatty Fish:
    There is a lot of benefit in having a good does of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. These fatty acids help your brain to build and maintain its cells. Fish that have a high amount of omega-3′s include: mackerel, salmon and herring.

    Flax Seed and Flax Seed Oil:
    These are also a fantastic source of omega-3 fatty acids.

    Eggs:
    Eggs are incredible in what they are able to provide for you. They are rich in vitamin E, omega-3′s and B-vitamins. B- vitamins help in the production of neurotransmitters and also their release, helping your nervous system overall. In addition, B-vitamins are believed to help with the creation of new brain cells.

    Sweet Potatoes:
    Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin B6, carbohydrates, as well as vitamin c and beta-carotene. Carbohydrates are used by your brain for energy. Vitamin C and beta-carotene are excellent antioxidants that help protect your brain cells from free radicals that can damage them over time.

    Avocados:
    Avocados can help in blood flow in the body. This means that the better blood flow to your brain the more oxygen can be supplied. This improves both concentration and the ability to retain information.

    Apples:
    Apples contain a nutrient known as quercetin which is an antioxidant. Recent studies have shown that this particular nutrient can help protect against Alzheimer’s disease. However, be sure to eat an apple whole with its skin on as its skin is where most of the quercetin resides.

    Dark Chocolate:
    You might be surprised to see this one on here as chocolate seems to be the enemy. But it’s not necessarily true with dark chocolate. Amazingly, if your dark chocolate is 60% cocoa or more, you can receive a lot of great health benefits. Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants but also contains natural brain stimulants that can help increase your focus as well as your concentration.

    There are a lot of foods that improve memory, and they’re even the types that most people all ready enjoy! It wouldn’t take much to incorporate a little more of these types of food in your diet.

    David is the author of How To Improve Memory Power, a site dedicated to helping people boost their brain power through exercises, techniques and even improve memory games.

    Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Gimmer

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    Mind, Body, and Spirit

    So I think it’s time for me to get this out there in the open for everyone to see. I want to paint you a picture. It’s you! Then around you a warm fading glow of energy that only you can see. Now I have a question for you. What was the color of that glow within your surrounding aura? This can depend on a lot of things, but it’s really not important because you probably just envisioned your favorite color. What is important is understanding if you were able to put this image all together. This was just a simple mind exercise stimulating the depth and complexities of your thoughts. See it should have been your favorite color, and if it was another, then guess what? That’s your new favorite color. You just needed to re-align yourself, now you’re centered in the realm of thought. Cool, now what?

    You’ve realized your energy shade. You now must understand it’s got to be all about you! Your health of course is what I’m talking about. Be selfish, be self-centered, that’s good because that’s focused. I just tried making an example with colors. Again, that was just an exercise for the mind. But you see it all translates into the physical realm. The mind and what it influences within the physiological aspects of regulatory bodily functioning. Well, what does all that mean? Basically, your mind is the master controller of your influences on the body. The brain, which comes second in that rotation simply, follows along for the ride while taking care of other purely physical subconscious functioning. Like blinking, or wiggling your toes.

    What about this thing called spirit? What’s all that nonsensical religious poppy-cock bah-humbug jibberish? Blasphemy you say? I’m actually not talking about religion at all. Again, I’m only here to talk about you. And maybe a little bit about me, even though I’m not that interesting. Your spirit is your third key to the equation. Think of yourself as a triangle in both physical and mental forms as one. Your spirit is the third connecting corner at the bottom left. Body is the bottom right, and of obviously, the mind is at the top. But, spirit can be your ace in the hole. Like the mind, this is purely an external feature. Meaning, it exists within your aura, but not inside the body as pulsating fleshy appendage or organ. Everyone’s is unique; people I’m sure everyday relay information to you letting you know what kind you have. Know it, recognize it, learn it, and then use it to your advantage. And that’s the true beauty of spirit my friends.

    Once you’re able to bring these three lines of self together and are able to form and connect that centered triangle of inner and outer being. You’ll be well on your way. But first, you must accept and recognize their individual existences. Then, you must see them for what they truly are. Which is what you ask? Hey I don’t know, only you can tell or see that deeply into your interior about yourself. No one else can do it better; you’re just going to have to trust me.

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