5 Tips to Help Your Health at Home
You need to help your health. In this series of tips for making the most of working and learning from home, you might have expected us to address physical health. That’s because it’s an easy aspect of your life to ignore, especially when your normal routine has been upended.
Taking care of your physical health will maximize your everyday productivity. You don’t have to spend an hour in the gym or eat vegan or buy tons of expensive supplements to make a difference.
Here are 5 tips to help your health that will make you feel better and work better.
1. Sleep right
Believe it or not, there’s this thing called “sleep hygiene.” These are practices that help you sleep best at night.
First, sleep the correct amount. Three hours each night is not sustainable, and it’s certainly not healthy. On the other hand, regular oversleeping can cause drowsiness and lethargy during the day. Generally, you only need 7 to 8 hours of sleep. So limit yourself to that amount, then get up and get going.
Second, limit your daytime naps to 30 minutes. If you do get tired during the day, utilize a power nap. You’ll be amazed at how refreshing a 25-minute rest can be. Be careful of napping for more than 30 minutes. Your body can fall into a deeper sleep cycle that makes waking up feel worse than being tired.
Third, help your health by sticking to a sleep schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Yes, stick to that schedule even on the weekends.
Finally, set yourself up for sleep success during the day. Cut out caffeine after 3 pm and limit your electronic use about an hour before bed.
2. Eat Breakfast
It’s the most important meal of the day, right? These days, there is some debate about that, but I’m not here to comment on practices of intermittent fasting or those people that “just aren’t breakfast people.”
However, generally speaking, a high protein breakfast with a cup of good coffee is good for your body and good for your productivity. If you’re skipping breakfast because you’re rolling out of bed at lunch time or you’re still full from your 3 a.m. snack, you really need to rethink your eating habits.
3. Drink Water
Up to 60% of your body is water. If you aren’t drinking any, you’re going to wither and die. Ok, maybe it’s not that extreme, but dehydration can cause headaches and lethargy not to mention more serious and unpleasant health problems.
Help your health by staying hydrated. Keep a water bottle with you throughout the day. Set a goal for how many full bottles you will drink. And if you tire of the taste of water, add some lemon, cucumber, or berries for a different flavor.
4. Stretch
Sitting for long hours can cause tight muscles that lead to cramping, headaches, and poor digestion. In addition, if you’re sitting in a soft seat like a couch or on your bed, poor posture can cause painful back problems too.
But back and neck muscles aren’t the only problems. Tight hamstrings and hip muscles can affect the rest of your body as well.
Solution – stretch. If you don’t know how, look up stretching and yoga routines on Youtube or Pinterest. It doesn’t have to be fancy to be effective. It might be uncomfortable at first, but if you stick to it every day, you’ll start to see and feel a real difference.
5. Exercise
There is no substitute for exercise in helping your health. I know your one friend is selling a miracle supplement that burns fat, boosts energy, and makes your hair softer. But, that can’t replace exercise
Now, you don’t have to start training like you’re the next America Ninja Warrior. You can start small. 15 minutes per day is better than zero minutes per day.
In addition, you don’t have to do incredibly strenuous exercise to experience some health benefits. For example, walking a mile and running a mile burn roughly the same amount of calories. The big difference is the time in which you will finish that kind of workout.
If you want more direction, research fitness apps that offer a variety of workouts at different fitness levels. Personally, I like the Nike training app.
Whatever direction you decide to go with your fitness, utilize this time at home establish healthy habits that will follow you through quarantine and beyond.