Healthy habits (and some cheat days).

​​​​​​​Phaytea’s Pulse is participating in the #AtoZChallenge for 2017. The Theme is ‘Awakening of Self’ and ‘Healthy habits (and some cheat days)’ is our entry for letter H. The theme focuses on character traits that will gear us towards Meaningful Living and will run for 26 days in April except sundays. Please stop by the blog everyday for subsequent posts as we read the 26 letters of the alphabet together. Enjoy!!☺☺

Do you have healthy habits?

When i was a lot younger, thanks to mum i usually get regular health checks in the hospital before I head to boarding school for a new term or to the university for a new session. I get dewormed and take all those other health precautions to avoid being prone to illness while I am away from home.

Now that I am busy ‘being an adult’, i have had too many cheat days (read that as months or even years). Less doctor appointments, less exercise and so on. I saw my mum over the weekend and as expected she made sure she reminded me to go get dewormed and do a routine check.
I know scheduling appointments with a doctor and meeting up can be a lot of work especially when you have a very busy schedule. 

However, one thing we can do for ourselves is to maintain healthy habits. We should get involved in preventive activities that will help curb the possible occurrence of a major illness.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – Benjamin Franklin

Our body is like a car and requires maintenance (either high or low level) to ensure it continues to serve us well. It is impossible to keep using your car without doing daily checks. In the same way, we should not leave our body unattended until we breakdown.

Developing healthy habits is important for the present and especially in the long run. You know those abs/six packs and body goals you admire from a distance, it involved a lot of discipline and retaining healthy habits.

To go about achieving our goals, our body must be able to agree with our plans. Time and opportunities can be lost as a result of being ill no matter how meagre. 

Here are some healthy habits we can inculcate into our lifestyle. I do not practise all but I know i should and I try to:

1. Go to bed early (my favourite spanish telenovelas will not let me)
2. Eat light before bed. (Note to self- try not to ‘nibble’ again after dinner.
3. Breakfast is important.
4. Eat vegetables (Le hubby will give me a ‘side eye’ if he sees this. I can’t have them without dressings..the very unhealthy ones).
5. Avoid processed food. 
6. Read about cooking oil (Hi hubby😉)
7. Eat fruits and nuts (Gradually working on my office snacks).
8. Read about having a balanced diet.
9. Practise portion control.
10. Avoid too much sugar anything that contains it (Sigh, doing away with cupcake(s) is so difficult).
11. Avoid fizzy drinks
12. Drink water (and warm water too with lemon)
13. Drink Green tea ( I miss some days)
14. Exercise (Another side eye from le hubby, I need motivation ….and yoga can suffice plus it is a lot of fun too..thanks to you tube videos).
15. Wash your hands frequently especially before meal.
16. Practise good hygiene.
17. Take walks if you can (Hi hubby…..I hate long walks though).
18. Rest when you feel the need to. Avoid pushing yourself too hard.
19. Stay away from habits that will be detrimental to your body in the long run. (If an advert gives you a fore warning, why use it?)
20. Practise self love, be happy and stay away from negativity.

There are lots of healthy habits that does not involve food intake. It can be having a good mindset, being optimistic and basically any habit that tilts you towards achieving your goals. Feel free to add some in the comment section.

We all desire good health because it helps us live a meaningful life. Paying attention to our habits mean we value our well being.

“Take care of your body, it is the only place you have to live in” – Jim Rohn

Maintaining good health habits will not be easy but thinking about the benefits can motivate us to have a healthy lifestyle. Healthy habits will mean:

• Less emergency hospital visits.
• You can save cost on hospital bills.
• You have a longer and happier life
• Better body posture and improved self esteem
• Healthier food choices prevents different kinds of illness in the long run and helps fight diseases.

If you do not already have healthy habits as part of your daily routine, it is not late to start. 

Just like the way we set goals, start small then gradually instill these practices into your lifestyle. 

Feel free to enjoy a slice of pizza (or more) but remember to exercise later.

All the best practising healthy habits while living a meaningful life!!

If you enjoyed reading this post, please share your thoughts on healthy habits.

What healthy habits do you currently practice?

What conscious effort have you put into living a healthy life?

I will love to read from you.

Love, Peace and Cupcakes

Phaytea😘😘😘