7 shocking simple habits for a healthy life

Make these small changes today to reap their benefits for life.


In partnership withAtkins

Have you ever noticed how often your relative, your colleague or your friend is going ondiet, loses weight, then wins a lot of things back? Of course you have. (Maybe it's evenarrived at you.) Because this is how most "work" schemes. And that's because most schemes focus heavily oncalories rather than lifestyle changes.

Without making approximate lifestyle changes - and transform them into habits - you will never lose weight or become healthier in the long run. When new behaviors reach a level of automaticity, you no longer need conscious effort to execute them. (Think: brush your teeth before going to bed, get a cup of coffee every morning, or go to the gym of your lunch break.) And that's what makes good habits so powerful: a little effort to The advance to incorporate new habits into your daily routine produces lasting results.

The power of habits is scientifically proven: when overweight participants who voluntarily brought to test a new weight control program have been responsible for integrating 10 weight loss habits into their daily lives, they lost an average of 4 , 5 pounds in eight weeks. The control group, which has not received the habits ofLondon University of College Researchers, lost an average lower than a book on the same time.

To help you exploit the power of these practices, we put together a list of easy-to-implement development habits that will give you on the right track to lead a healthier life.

1

Wake up at the same time every day (even on weekends).

Happy man waking up from sleep in bed
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Few things feel better than sleeping on weekends. During the week, you could have an alarm set as brutally early than 6:00, but during the weekend, in order to mitigate what experts call "sleep debt", what you miss on the doctor, Recommended for seven to eight hours and catch up later in the week - you could go back to your teens and rest until noon.

Unfortunately, everything you do is to rock you.

See, remaining late and sleeping on weekends, you hit your circadian rhythm from bullets - something that can take days to get back to normal.Studies Show that those who deviate from their work sleep diagrams are more likely to have lower food grade, higher alcohol consumption and a more poor overall structure of lifestyle behaviors than those who keep a Constant sleep schedule. That's why theNational Sleep Foundation You recommend "Vary your wake up time in no more than an hour on the weekends". It sounds tortoise, but after a few weeks, you will feel more energized and well rested than you sleep while sleeping until lunch every Saturday.

2

Allow yourself an indulgence from time to time.

Man and woman sitting on couch opening atkins endulgence bar
Courtesy of Atkins

Do not hesitate to think of your body as a machine everything you want; You are always human. And humans need treats. If you are on a diet and you stand as a glue, never leave yourself a little indulgence, you may drop your diet and eat a pile of unhealthy food. Saving against this, treat yourself to decadent treatment, like theEndulge peppermint pattie, which only has 1 gram of sugar and 2 grams of net carbohydrates - and has always tasted equally chocolate and delicious as any other barbuan. When you crop acheating meal like indulgence or treatment rather than feelings of guilt,studies Show this can better support healthy food behaviors and long-term self-regulation.

3

Make some of the meditation of your schedule.

Woman meditating on her bed
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The benefits of meditation can not be overestimated. This helps you focus. This stimulates your mood. Herself,According to a study, helps you make fewer mistakes. But the best of all, it takes only ten minutes. If you do not only find ten minutes in your schedule - before your work, during your lunch, just when you come home, then you areabsoutely Someone who could benefit from a daily session.

In addition, according to a 2019 study in theJournal of Business VenturingA meditation session is worth 44 minutes of sleep (in terms of brain boosting services). So, if you really can not adapt it to your schedule, wake up just ten minutes earlier than usual. In this way, you're reallywins half an hour of sleep. Winner!

4

Keep training equipment at your desk.

a woman with a leather bag checking into the gym during presumably her lunch hour
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The unique excuse for jumping on the workouts is: "I do not have time." Well, we are here to tell you that yes, yes, because you do not need to sweat for 60 to 90 minutes to harvest the benefits of exercise.The search suggestsThis alive 30 minutes of daily exercise can reduce your blood pressure, reduce your triglycerides, improve your circulation, accelerate digestion and even give you more energy. On your lunch break, take half an hour for a quick hiit session. And to make sure you take time, keep essential gymnastics, shoes, a bottle of shaker, at your desk.

5

Walk more.

Man and woman colleagues walking around during work
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It is no longer secret than the Americans, for the most part, sedentary lifestyles live. Spend 40 hours (or more!) Per week glued to your office isIn no way great for your health. Deploy the famous Pomodoro Method - for every 25 minutes of work, take a break of 5 minutes to get up and move. Go for a walk around the block. Walking keeps your flexible muscles and is scientifically proven to bothlower stress levels andHelp with the regulation of blood sugar When you walk after a meal.

Also: invest in a standing office. Try to spend half of the day standing. RoughlyFour in five Americans Experiment with lower back pain at a given time, as a result of a sedentary lifestyle. The easiest way to combat this problem is simply to sit less.

6

Store your desk drawer with nutritional snacks.

Healthy office desk snacks
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So, there is a pizza in the theme room. Tempting, right? Well, like everyone knows, the easiest way to resist temptation is to have an alternative - something that is fast and easy to eat but always distinguished you from the apple (or pizza, In this case) of your eye. Walnuts, cheese and spicy crackers, and chopped vegetables and hummus do good options. But we also recommend something nutritious and prepackaged, likeAtkins chocolate chocolate chocolate caramel bar, which has 15 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber and 180 calories (the perfect amount to fill you without making youtoo much full).

7

Eat a fruit or vegetable at each meal.

Serving pizza on table with side spinach salad
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Do not be mistaken: we do not say that you should eat less. We do not say either that you should exchange these fries for a lateral prescription of Brussels sprouts. We say you should add Brussels sprouts to your meal. Most Americans eat heavy diets on animal protein and simple carbohydrates. But get more plant-based foods in your diet ishealthy for many reasons-This can help you lose weight among other benefits - so transforming this into a habit is one of the best movements you can do for your health.

In other words, yes, you can still have this pizza. But just make your plate a little more green.


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