When you think of the “basics” of caring for your health, what comes to mind? Nutrition? Sleep? Self-care? The truth is, there are pieces of advice that we’ve heard over and over again. Starting in our earliest years, we learn how to take care of ourselves at the most fundamental level to stay happy and healthy.
As we get older, we continue to hear these same messages. Repeated over, and over, and over. Sleep seven to eight hours each night. Don’t skip meals. Eat a balanced diet. And so on.
Despite hearing the same advice throughout our lives, we often don’t make these habits part of our daily routine. For a variety of reasons, the simplest of habits evades our schedules, leaving us feeling less than our best.
Instead of making sweeping, dramatic changes in 2022, my advice is to start with the basics! This is especially helpful if your routine frequently feels chaotic or unpredictable. By working first on consistency with the following health habits, you can build a strong foundation for future goals and habits.
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Balance your protein, fat, and carb intake
One of the most confusing aspects of creating effective health habits is deciding what to eat. With so many exclusionary diets out there, it can feel impossible to know what is — and isn’t — good for you!
Despite the results that these diets can produce, weight loss is often short-lived. Why? Making certain foods off-limits, or labeling them as “bad” foods, creates a negative relationship with food. If you choose to deviate from your diet, and consume what you’ve deemed to be “bad,” your feelings of guilt and shame will be much worse than they would otherwise.
Unless you are avoiding specific foods for a health condition, stop restricting yourself! Instead, aim to balance your intake of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. This can be an effective approach for both weight loss and weight maintenance. What does the ideal ratio look like? That really depends on whether you’re looking to increase your lean muscle, decrease body fat, train for a marathon… in short, it depends on your goals. For just one example, if you want to decrease body fat, you would look at targets in the range of 30-45% of your calories from carbs, 20-30% from fat, and 30-45% from protein. There isn’t a single “right” answer, but you can find a good target range with some trial and error. And working with a good coach 🙂
Hydrate!
You’ve likely been given this tip hundreds of times in your life — and for good reason! Proper hydration is one of the single most important health habits you can adopt. Consuming approximately half of your weight in ounces of water per day is essential for keeping your entire body refreshed.
Unfamiliar with the benefits of hydration? Adequate daily water intake can help you feel energized, improve brain function, prevent premature skin aging, eliminate headaches, reduce the risk of kidney stones, and help with weight loss.
Reap the rewards of sleep
All of us know how important it is to get enough sleep every night. Unfortunately, most people don’t come close to getting the recommended seven to eight hours they need. In fact, a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) revealed that a whopping one in three American adults are clinically sleep deprived!
Although it may seem next to impossible to get a full night’s sleep on a consistent basis, getting to bed early can have some impressive benefits. Just an hour or two more can boost your immune system, enhance your concentration, help you maintain a healthy weight, and improve your overall mood and mental health. Start by evaluating how you spend your time each evening. Reducing the amount of time you spend on social media and television watching can help you find the time needed to achieve proper rest.
Keep your wake up and bedtime consistent
Similarly to getting enough sleep, your wake up time and bedtime also matter greatly. Radically changing when you go to sleep and wake up can confuse your body, and ultimately lead to health problems.
When creating your new health habits, aim to go to bed no more than one hour earlier or later than usual. You should also wake up within an hour or so on either end as well. For example, if you typically go to bed around 10pm, aim to always go to bed between 9pm-11pm. If you usually wake up at 6am for work, set your alarm between 5am-7am on most off days.
Nourish your body every three to four hours
With the pace of life being so hurried these days, keeping your eating schedule consistent can seem like a lofty goal. Rather than setting specific times to eat during the day, or grabbing a snack whenever possible, one helpful guideline that I give my clients is to eat every three to four hours. This recommendation provides both flexibility and structure.
It is important to note that this does not mean that you should eat a super-sized meal every few hours! Right-sized portions are actually far better at keeping you energized and feeling your best. And if you want to know more about the right-sizing concept, join my 21-Day Reset group.
Try to limit the amount of processed food you eat and aim to “eat the rainbow”, which is to say that you should have a variety of fruits and veggies so that you can get a variety of micronutrients. Sometimes, supplementation is needed. If you’re not getting 15 servings of fruits and veggies each day, you may want to consider adding some to your diet in an easy-to-manage form. I use the Triangle of Health to supplement things that I have trouble getting in my daily diet. Check it out here.
Recharge your mind, body, and soul
Now more than ever before, self-care is emphasized as a critical health habit. The term “self-care” has become a popular buzzword, and is used to market a myriad of products and services.
Despite the recent cultural obsession with self-care, nourishing your mind, body, and soul is quite necessary for your well-being. Doing what refuels you has been shown to prevent burnout, and to reduce symptoms of certain mental health conditions. Schedule time every day — even if you only have five minutes — to recharge. Take this undisturbed time to do whatever you need at that moment. This can include reading, yoga, basic stretching, journaling, a chair massage, or anything else that helps you feel whole. Sometimes, I just lie on the floor and breathe. It’s really quite refreshing.
This year, make it your goal to harness the immense benefits of these basic health habits. While simple, when you are consistent in these practices you will be on the road to function at your peak.
DAWN MCGEE
Dawn McGee is a certified and licensed Nutrition Evangelist and a long-time foodie, she focuses on both the health and joy of food as fuel for your body. She is a driving force in bringing education on healthy eating to more people through her community, my “Reclaim Your Life, One Bite at a Time” programs, and my book “365 Days of Healthy Living”. Her hope for you is that you live a life you love, without being hungry, feeling deprived, or giving up your glass
