Easy ways to get more out of your day without spending any money
Everybody wants to improve their health, but most are confused on what the best strategies you can start today without disrupting your current routine or lifestyle. Here I break down 5 simple steps for you to start implementing into your day.
Sunshine
Sounds simple but it’s often overlooked or ignored. Studies show that just 30 minutes of sun a day can drastically improve your mood, energy levels, and cognitive function. Getting the necessary levels of vitamin D is important for vitality and general well-being.
Moderate Exercise
Just getting out of the house and going for a 10 minute walk every day has tremendous benefits. If you have a bike, treadmill, or stationary exercise equipment that will work too! It’s best to get your exercise time outside, this way you get your needed vitamin D while you exercise! Even just 3 days a week can be beneficial to your overall health.
Limiting Phone Screen Time
We are glued to screens most of the day but giving your eyes a break is important for eye health. LCD screens can cause permanent damage to your eyes from long periods of exposure. Wearing blue light blocking glasses can aid and prevent eye strain. There are clear lenses to wear during the sunlight hours and you can switch to yellow lenses to block over 75% of blue light, and even red which block up to 100% of blue light. It’s necessary to have at least some blue light as a part of your normal circadian rhythm, so clear lenses offer not more than 40% of blue light blocking during the day.
Eye strain and fatigue is a real thing and taking precautions to help longevity can be done very simply just by limiting your overall screen time. Televisions and computer monitors can be even brighter and cause more damage than phone screens, so it’s best to limit your exposure or wear protective glasses during those extended periods of time. The importance of “disconnecting” is understated.
Sleep
Sounds self-explanatory but the importance of sleep has not gone away. Setting yourself up for success and dedicating at least 7-8 hours of restful sleep can go a long way for improved energy levels, cognitive function, and general mood. Limiting screen time right before bed is crucial as blue light affects our natural circadian rhythm levels that affects the amount of natural melatonin our bodies require to fall asleep. Disrupting that can cause restless sleep patterns and limit the amount of R.E.M. sleep we have each night, which is a major part of waking up and feeling rested.
Control What You Consume
Many of us rely on caffeine to start our day, and often get through the day. But this may affect our sleep patterns as well as burn out our bodies due to overexertion of our neurological system. If you workout right before you to go sleep, that could keep you up late and be counterproductive to what you are trying to achieve. Not only is your system in overdrive and pumped up, you may have also taken preworkout products to get you motivated, which can further affect your body negatively in relation to your sleep patterns.
Are you consuming heavy meals? Eating heavily can cause lethargy. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day combined with light meals consisting of fruits, vegetables, and small portions of meat can mean the difference of a productive day or an unproductive day. The simple tip to remember is do not wait until you are starving before you eat, that will reduce the chances of you overeating and having the “food hangover” from too large of a meal.
There you have it, 5 simple tips you can start incorporating into your lifestyle today to improve your overall health and quality of life. Want more content like this? Follow my health and fitness blog here.