1. Start fresh every single day.
It might sound a little corny, but every day could—and
should—be considered a fresh start. Had a fight with your
mom/boyfriend/landlord yesterday and didn’t resolve it? Had an awful day
at work that you went to bed thinking about? Not thrilled with the way
your friends treated you while you were out last night? Today’s a new
day, and you should use it to approach the problem with fresh eyes and
commit to either resolving the issue if it’s important, or move on
completely if it’s something small or petty. You’d be surprised how
insignificant problems might look once you put a few hours of distance
between you.
2. Understand that exercise doesn’t have to be a big time commitment.
We don’t have to tell you that the biggest healthy habit every
girl should have is exercising regularly, although so many of us claim
we simply don’t have time. We hate to break it you, but that’s not
really an excuse, as there’s mounting evidence that short but frequent bouts of exercise can yield some major health benefits.
For example, a study published by the
American Journal of Sports Medicine in
2006 showed that short walks after dinner were more effective than long
exercise sessions in reducing the amount of fat and triglyceride levels
in the bloodstream after a hearty meal, according to WebMD.
3. Check your credit card statements, bank statements, and pay stubs regularly.
This one’s definitely a mental health habit that we all should be extremely diligent about. With security breaches happening left and right,
it’s key to take ownership of your own finances by always knowing
exactly where your money went, when it’s coming in, and any
inconsistencies that arise.
4. Adopt a “meatless Monday” mentality.
Did you know that cutting out meat—even if it’s merely once a
week—can drastically decrease your risk of heart disease by up to 19%, according to a Harvard University study?
Eating a diet heavy on red and other processed meats have been shown to
increase the risk of diabetes, obesity, and other health problems.
Cutting back on meat can also impact the environment by reducing the
amount of fossil fuel and water that’s used to raise livestock. Do
yourself a favor and dedicate one day to fresh vegetables, fruits,
legumes, grains, and nuts.
5. Drink a glass of lukewarm water with lemon (and cayenne pepper, if you dare) first thing every morning.
This morning drink gets your organs going, and fresh
lemon juice and cayenne pepper both have major anti-fungal, immune
boosting, and detoxification properties. Plus, Lemon juice is nature’s
best tool for aiding in digestion and regularity, destroying bacteria
and cleansing the system.
6. Cut back on evil sugar.
If you cut anything from your diet today, make it sugar. In and of
itself, sugar has no nutrients, no protein, no healthy fats, and no
enzymes, making it empty calories that have disastrous effects on our
health.
7. Don’t try to keep up with the Jonses.
Never try to keep up with that one friend who always has the
new “It” item—it’s a dangerous game to play, one that not only can harm
your wallet, but can also wreak havoc on your self-worth, if you let it.
8. Use a retinol if you’re starting to get wrinkles.
Instead of continuously wasting money on the latest anti-aging
creams, ask your dermatologist to prescribe you a good retinol
product—it’s the only thing that really works, anyway.
9. Check in with HR.
Ask your office Human Resources department to remind you of benefits
you’re probably not using, such as flex spending accounts for
prescriptions, transit cards, or classes.
10. Count to 10 when you’re pissed off.
This healthy habit is one we all should adopt: Before reacting,
take a beat. You’d be surprised at how much perspective you can gain in
10 seconds, as opposed to irrationally firing off an email,
or confronting someone out of sheer anger before collecting your
thoughts.
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