Healthy Habits in a Trying Year

At this point… no one wants to hear “you should eat healthy!” or “do a HIIT workout 5x/week!” … many are just trying to survive/get through this year without feeling guilty that they aren’t doing the “right” thing. I’m definitely on this boat but at the same time… I also don’t want to feel like total physical (and mental) crap. So how do you balance the two? Enter tiny, achievable habits that don’t involve saying “No, that’s not allowed.” For me, that looks like the following:

1. Add water. Not “drink water instead of copious cups of chai” but rather… just have the cup of water around while drinking chai. At some point, out of boredom (or lack of motivation to make more chai), I’ll end up at least taking a few sips. Over time, this has actually led to me drinking *gasp* water. At least more than I used to.
2. Workout in a way that feels good. In the past, I’d force myself to do workouts I didn’t want to do… which would lead me to just… not do them. So now… I listen to my body and do a workout that fits both my physical and mental needs for the day. Sometimes that’s strength training and other times it’s something as simple as stretching.
3. Go outside everyday. This one is easy for me since the dogs get walked every. single. day. But I highly recommend it. If you don’t want to take a walk around the block… just sit outside your front door. You do you.
4. Have music or white noise on…. all the time. Don’t ask me for the science behind this one but my mood is infinitely better with gentle Christmas music on 14 hours a day. So I’m counting that as a mental health win. Also, if something upbeat comes on, use that as an excuse to dance around the room and move your body.
5. Take a nap (if you’re tired). Don’t force gallons of caffeine on yourself to stay awake. Put a blanket over your head, close your eyes, and at the very least… give your senses a break.