We’re a few months in 2019 which means that the goals we’ve set for this year like live healthier and become a better person are in full effect. Studies show that people make new year resolutions all the time, but can never really work their way into achieving it. Eighty percent of decisions fail after February, and we are here to prove it otherwise.
Sure, facts are facts, but nothing is constant. You can make a mistake of eating that big bowl of Ramen or chips, but what matters most is that you get back up and fight again. We rounded up a list that will help you quickly develop a habit that will help you achieve your goals. Read on and learn about how you can live healthily and look sexy with these 6 five-minute habits:
Keep Your Phone Far from Arm’s Reach in the Bedroom
Many people, including us, depend on our phone to wake us up every morning. Smartphones have all the features that can help us with even the most mundane tasks. The need to keep our phone beside us all the time might seem the best thing to do, but it’s not.
Phones keep us awake for extended periods, and studies show that it leads to less healing sleep, making you lethargic throughout the day. We advise getting an alarm clock, it’s an efficient and healthier option for everyone.
Develop Your Breathing
Our society tells us that being busy with our lives is a positive thing, but we advise that it’s best to take small pauses in between. No matter how booked and stacked up your day seems, there’s always a way to take a break inside a car, desk or even before a meeting.
In a study that divided a group of 20 healthy individuals into two, it showed that more stress comes to people who don’t take a break. One group did two sets of 10-minute breathing exercises while the other read a book for 20 minutes. They then tested the saliva for three kinds of cytokines, and the group that did the breathing exercises had significantly lower levels of inflammation and stress. Science agrees that taking time to focus on breathing makes an impact on both the mind and body.
Read Before Bed
A study conducted at the University of Notre Dame in 2012 concluded that knowledge recall is optimum when we learn minutes before sleeping. If you need to remember something for your exams or any information that you may find useful in life, it’s best to develop a habit like this every night.
Develop a Stretching Routine
It’s amazing how a few minutes of stretching increases the body’s blood flow. If you claim to have a busy schedule that deprives you of getting a good exercise, then a five-minute stretch is still better than nothing. This easy and low-impact activity keeps our muscles healthy, mobile, and strong.
Lack of stretching causes your body to go tighter and shorter over time which can sometimes lead to injury and other health issues. Start with the classic “cat-cow” stretch and make lower back pain a thing of the past.
Leafy Greens Are Your Closest Friend
Everyone knows that vegetables bring in good health. The list of benefits the human body gets in eating leafy greens like butter lettuce, kale, arugula, and bok choy can be life-changing. It lowers the chance of heart diseases and cancer on top of getting essential vitamins like A, C, E, and K following the claims of the U.S Department of Agriculture.
Adding leafy greens doesn’t need to be complicated because you can add it to almost anything including stew, soup, omelet, etc.
Try Meditation
Millions claim the meditation has changed their lives. Though it is one of those habits that might take time to develop, it’s possible. Just like swimming and running, it will take a few weeks of small commitments before you realize that it is making a significant impact on your anxiety, stress, fatigue and blood pressure.
Studies show that meditating for 5-10 minutes a day can lead to significant improvements in our mind and how we solve problems. If you are new to this, our advice would be to spend three to five minutes listening to an audio-guided session first and observe how you are more likely to follow through in your life.