Why having a daily routine is important for your health
Having a daily routine is important for helping you to maintain both your body and mind in tip-top condition. When creating a healthy daily routine in your life you need to consider your diet, your exercise and your rest time. Your rest time includes sleeping well and also building in some down time in your day. You also want to schedule your working life. It’s important to create balance between work and home life.
Sometimes a particular day of the week or week in the month can cause increased stress. If you have a business and only sort out your finances and accounts once a month it can hang over you.
Family life can also be stressful. Maybe you have to organize school runs, packed lunches, gym kits and after school clubs. Or perhaps you are holding down a full-time job, setting up a home business and trying to fit in hobbies and exercise.
In all situations creating a daily routine can help. If you feel overwhelmed and don’t think there are enough hours in the day to get everything done then having a plan will help. Creating a plan in advance will help remove the feeling of overwhelm and you will start to feel better about things.
There are so many things that happen in our daily lives. Sometimes these events can crop up unexpectedly and just add to the problem. How you react to the situation is really important. It’s your choice how you react to the problems and that can often affect the outcome.
If you feel bad about yourself because you feel stressed and overwhelmed then that needs to change because it is not healthy.
Create a structure for your day
One of the best ways to avoid overwhelm is to plan ahead. Sit down and plan as much as you can in advance. Sure you will still need to react to the unexpected crises that crop up but your normal daily routine will be less stressful.
If you are juggling the demands of several members of your family then make a list of all their appointments, classses, club nights etc. Have a wall-chart to which you can add the details. It can be handy to have a different color marker for each family member.
Make a list of all the things that you need to get done during the day. You can include household tasks like cleaning, washing and ironing that take up time but are not fun. Just by looking at the list, you will be motivated to get those jobs done. Start right now planning the daily tasks that need to get done.
Having a written plan eliminates decision fatigue. I think I read somewhere that the average person makes 30,000 decisions a day. Some of the most successful people remove as many of these from their lives as possible. Think Steve Jobs always wearing a black polo neck sweater.
If you are spending time in the mornings deciding what to wear then perhaps you need to structure your wardrobe. If you stick to one base color and two or three accent colors will mean you can easily mix and match without much thought. Making the decision on clothes the evening before will help.
A healthy daily routine includes exercise and nutrition
If you are feeling stressed it is more important than ever that you take regular exercise.
A healthy body makes it easier to have a healthy mind and heartClick To TweetIf you feel that you don’t have time then consider getting up an 30 minutes earlier. How you start your day is an important indicator of how your day is going to go.
We have looked before at how exercise doesn’t have to involve going to a gym. You can build an exercise routine into your day. Pick something you enjoy and you are more likely to stick with it. Perhaps dancing is more your thing, even regular walking can help maintain health.
Begin your day with a meditation session. A calm mind makes better decisions. Once you learn to meditate and it becomes a part of your daily life it will become easier to enter the meditative state. 10 or 15 minutes can set you up for the day.
Creating a healthy daily eating routine
You are what you eat. There is a lot of truth in that. If you are eating processed or junk foods then there is room for improvement. Make a decision to eat healthy meals that you prepare from scratch and see how much better you feel.
Fruit and vegetables are a healthier alternative to cookies or chips that will fill you up. If you are a snacker then replace your foods high in sugar and fat with nuts or fruit. Even if you don’t need to lose weight there are health risks from consuming too much sugar or fat. Diabetes can sneak up on you even if you are a healthy weight.
Not enough time to cook from scratch? This is another area where advance planning will help enormously. Prepare healthy meals in bulk and freeze batches to have later in the week.
Most of us need to drink more water. The recommended amount is 2 liters a day. Staying hydrated will help keep your concentration levels high in addition to being good for your body.
Build in some me time
Once you have implemented a daily plan and scheduled all your tasks you may be surprised how much extra time you can find in your day. It’s important to have a hobby or pastime that allows you to unwind and forget about any stress in your life.
If you pick a pastime that involves physical activity then so much the better as you will get the benefit there also. Power walking, cycling, dancing, sports all of these will help. Hobbies where you meet new people are also a good idea. Perhaps join a book club or choir. Maintaining social interaction is particularly important if you live alone.
Get enough sleep
Getting enough sleep is very important for good health. The amount you need may vary through your life but if you aim for 7-8 hours you won’t go far wrong.
Having a regular sleep routine is important. Try to keep regular hours and go to bed at the same time each night. Take a break from screens and unwind beforehand. Keep your room dark and don’t eat or exercise in the hour before.
If you have trouble sleeping try listening to some soothing music or a mindfulness app.
9 Tips for creating a healthy daily routine in your life
If you implement most of these suggestions then you will eliminate chaos and overwhelm from your life. Here’s a summary that you should consider:
- Get up early, make the most of the day
- Meditate
- Take exercise
- Eat a healthy breakfast
- Use a plan to complete daily tasks
- Build in some time for relaxation,hobbies, socializing
- Eat healthy meals
- Avoid computers and cellphones late at night
- Sleep well
To summarize your daily routine needs rest, exercise, a healthy diet, sleep and focused action. Nature is a wonderful way to de-stress. Get out of the house and exercise more.
You may have to spend some time planning your week but the rewards will be well worth it. Once you start you will get a feeling of satisfaction and that will give you the motivation to continue.
Having a healthy routine will give you personal satisfaction and stress relief. You will be able to get up every day and begin daily habits that will improve your quality of life now and decrease your risk of health problems in the future.
Remember that it takes a month to turn new activities in to habits. Make a commitment to stick to your new healthy routine for a month. You may never want to go back to your old habits.
