3 Habits You Can Start Today to Stay Healthy All Year Long

Good health starts today.

We all want good health, but it doesn’t always feel easy to achieve.

But the good news is there are plenty of small steps you can take today to help you work towards better long term health. Below, we’ve included some of our top tips to help you stay healthy all year long.

Get a good night’s sleep.

Getting a solid night of sleep under your belt is probably the most important thing you can do for yourself to stay healthy. It’s also one of the things we most often overlook. But did you know that poor sleep is strongly linked to weight gain? It’s true. In fact, it’s one of the strongest risk factors for obesity. 

On the flip side, getting enough sleep has a lot of positives. Good sleep makes it easier to concentrate, which can improve your productivity throughout the day. It also improves your body’s ability to fight off sickness, so you miss less work. And sleep affects your emotional state of being, which is why poor sleep is often linked to depression and other mood disorders.

According to cancer.org, there are several simple things you can do to help you improve your sleep quality and get the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Here are a few of our favorites:

1. Go to sleep at the same time each night, and get up at the same time each day (yes, that means weekends too).

2. Stay away from caffeine and alcohol late in the day. Avoid nicotine completely.

3. Get regular exercise.

4. Make your bedroom comfortable, dark, quiet, and not too warm or too cold.

5. Follow a routine to help you relax before sleep (for example, reading or listening to music).

Don’t skimp on nutrition.

The next best thing you can do for yourself to feel your best throughout the week is to eat well. We all know the lure of the fast food line, but there are easy ways to add a little more nutrition to your day with fresh, healthy foods. A few tips to start a new healthier eating habit:

1. Plan ahead. You’ll be able to make your best healthy decisions when you start with healthy choices. Planning ahead and doing a weekly shopping trip can make all the difference to help you stay on track throughout the week.

2. Pack a lunch (bonus points for packing it the night before to make your morning as simple as grabbing your lunchbox on the way out the door!).

3. Stock up on healthy snacks. The key here is to pack healthy, high protein snacks that are easy to eat even, on the go. By eating healthy snacks throughout the day (every couple hours if you can) you’ll keep your energy up, your blood sugar steady, and be better prepared to make healthy food choices after work, too.

Make regular exercise a priority.

Many of us have active workdays, which can make it easy to forget that we still need exercise outside of work, too. That’s because even light aerobic exercise offers benefits that go beyond the body. In addition to helping you control your weight and reduce your risk of disease, exercise can also reduce your risk of injury on the job. And exercise also has a positive effect on our mental and emotional wellbeing. People who exercise regularly have more energy, sleep better, and feel more relaxed and positive throughout the day. 

A few tips to help you get started:

1. Start small (even 5 to 10 minutes a day helps) and slowly increase your time.

2. Make exercise a family affair. Get your spouse and kids involved, or invite a friend to join you.

3. Focus on activities you enjoy. Your chances of sticking to it increase if you’re having fun!

4. Think about making exercise your transportation. Try to walk or bike to the job rather than driving - or take a short walk during your break time. 

Good health is the best gift you can give to yourself, your family, and your employer. And the best part of all is you can get started anytime you want!

What are some of your favorite tips for staying healthy? View more healthy living tips from IBEW Local 48.