5 Easy and Effective Health Habits to Sneak Into Your Day

When it comes to managing due dates and projects, busy people often resort to skipping the gym to work late or stopping for fast food to get to class on time. Sound familiar? Over time, these small sacrifices can add up to big health issues. In order to make healthy habits stick, you have to make simple changes that have a major impact.

Busy people need solutions to modify what they already do, as there is no room to add anything else to an overly-packed schedule. Here are a few ways to make healthy habits work.

Stay Motivated with an Accountability Partner

One effective way to keep yourself motivated is to connect with an accountability partner. This can be a friend looking to eat healthier, a personal trainer you pay to keep you focused, or a co-worker who wants to be more aware of self-care. An accountability partner keeps you inspired and engaged with your new healthy habits because of positive peer pressure. To avoid letting this person down or looking like a failure, you won’t eat a burger and fries for lunch; instead, you’ll opt for a healthy salad with lean proteins and head to the gym to better care for your needs.

Know Your Healthcare In and Out

Your health insurance plan is your foundation for overall well-being. Health coverage can help prevent illness and decrease recovery time, which can help ensure you don’t miss a thing on that jam-packed to-do list. As a student, you have the added benefit of staying on your parent’s plan until age 26, but the plan might not apply if you are attending college out-of-state. If you aren’t lucky enough to still be on your parent’s plan, don’t fret just yet. Many universities offer health insurance plans. No matter what your situation, it’s always a good idea to understand your policy, so spend an afternoon going over your coverage to better understand what your insurance covers. Policy Genius offers a very useful “health insurance 101” guide that will help everyone, from families to students, better understand their coverage. For example, most insurance policies pay for one wellness visit per year, which you should definitely take advantage of.

Prepare Healthy Meals Ahead of Time

Meal prep is a growing trend for busy students, professionals, and everyone in between. As a student, you have access to healthy food via the dining hall, but those who live off-campus or commute might be pressed for time. Ensure you have easy access to a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day by spending two to three hours one day a week to cook and store all your meals. Meal prep saves both time and calories. You can drive right past that fast-food restaurant when you have healthy meals ready at your fingertips. If grocery shopping takes too much time, let food and meal delivery services like Blue Apron, Sun Basket, or Amazon Fresh deliver groceries straight to your door. 

Get Moving

By now, you know that you should exercise every day, though it’s not always an easy feat to accomplish. Whether your schedule is packed or you simply lack the motivation, getting off the couch and finding ways to work out can seem daunting. And while some people might gravitate toward a gym membership, it may not be a financially sound decision for you. Instead, look for ways to work out while adhering to your budget, whether it’s simply walking around campus or enjoying a bike ride. Another way to stay on top of your workout routine is to put your streaming stick to use: your streaming device can provide countless fitness channels and exercise videos at a fraction of the cost of a gym membership. If you don’t yet have a streaming stick, do your research to compare available products; you’ll want to be sure your purchase fits your needs and is compatible with your television.

End the Day with a Bedtime Ritual

Sometimes, we need a signal for our bodies to let go of our busy day and begin to wind down, and establishing a bedtime routine can help improve your sleep. Good sleep helps with physical and mental health issues and empowers us to be more capable of tackling daily challenges. So, try ending the day with a warm bath or some relaxing yoga. Slide into bed with chamomile tea and a book or by rubbing lavender or eucalyptus lotion on the soles of your feet. If you are stuck ruminating over items you didn’t get done, write a list of what you accomplished so you can let go of stress and feel good about what you achieved that day.  

Take an inventory of your life to find out what kinds of healthy habits are missing. If you explore a few of these tips, try to start simple and keep it short. You can build over time, but first, you must find balance. Healthy habits are crucial to your mental and physical health — and fortunately, there are ways you can sneak these habits into your day.