10 habits for good health

The foundation of a healthy lifestyle consists of lasting habits like eating right, watching your weight, exercising regularly, managing your mental health, and getting routine medical exams. But even daily, small steps toward these goals also can have a significant impact.

Here are some practices that can help support your ongoing health journey. While you might find it unrealistic to follow them all the time, try to include them in your daily life as much as possible.

1. Do a morning stretch

Stretching before getting out of bed wakes up the body, improves circulation, and promotes relaxation, helping to set the day's tone. While you're still lying in bed, move the covers aside, then flex and release your lower limbs several times. Bend your knees and lift your legs into the air. With your legs still elevated, flex your feet up and down and rotate them side to side. Next, sit up and slowly look left and then right. Roll your shoulders several times. Flex your wrists up and down, and open and close your hands repeatedly.

2. Stay hydrated

Proper hydration supports digestion, improves brain performance, and increases energy, among other health benefits. Drink a big glass of water after you wake up and a glass with every meal.

3. Floss

Maintaining good oral health includes daily flossing, but make sure you do it right. First, wrap the floss around your middle fingers, which helps you reach the back teeth. Then loop the floss around one side of a tooth, so it makes a C shape. Beginning at the gum line, slide it up and down the tooth several times. (Don't move the floss back and forth in a sawing motion. You miss cleaning the entire tooth, and the friction can irritate the gum.) Repeat on the other side of the tooth, and then the other teeth.

4. Apply sunscreen

Sunscreen is the best defense against skin-damaging rays. After washing your face in the morning, apply a facial moisturizer that contains sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 30. Or blend equal parts sunscreen and a regular moisturizer. Use one or two nickel-sized dollops to cover your entire face, neck, ears, and any bald or thinning spots on your head.

5. Go nuts

When you crave a snack, reach for unsalted nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and cashews. They contain many beneficial nutrients and help prevent cravings for highly processed foods. Nuts are high in calories, so keep to a palm-sized portion.

6. Nap

Afternoon naps can recharge a weary body and may boost cognitive function. A study published online on Jan. 25, 2021, by General Psychiatry found that nappers scored higher on cognitive tests than non-nappers. The researchers found that shorter and less frequent naps - lasting less than 30 minutes, no more than four times a week - were associated with the most benefit. Schedule naps for the early afternoon, and use a timer so you don't oversleep.

7. Bust some moves

Break up bouts of sitting with small bursts of movement. For example, dance across a room instead of walking. When you brush your teeth, suck in your lower gut for 30 seconds, which activates your abdominal muscles. Do 10 air squats or push-ups (on the ground or against the kitchen counter). Make it a habit to stand up "twice" each time you stand up - that is, get up, sit back down, and then get back up.

8. Take a breather

Alternate-nostril breathing, in which you breathe through one nostril at a time, is believed to help reduce stress by slowing your breathing rhythm and forcing you to take deep, full breaths. Using a finger or thumb, close one nostril and slowly breathe in and out through the open nostril. After about five to 10 breaths, switch and close the other nostril and repeat the breathing pattern. For a variation, try inhaling through one nostril with the other closed, changing finger/thumb positions, and exhaling through the previously closed nostril. Then, inhale through that one, close it, and exhale through the other nostril. Go back and forth like this for a few minutes.

9. Enjoy a hobby

A study published online Sept. 11, 2023, by Nature Medicine suggests that having a hobby is good for people's overall health and mood. Hobbies involve creativity, sensory engagement, self-expression, relaxation, and cognitive stimulation. One way to pick up a new hobby is with a project kit designed to teach you a skill like gardening, building a model, carving wood, or making beer, soap, hot sauce, or jewelry. The kits come with instructions and all the materials you need to start. You can find kits at local bookstores or hobby stores, or go online: just type "how-to kits" or "project kits" into a search engine.

10. Be social

Social interactions can stave off loneliness and protect against depression and cognitive decline. Strive to have some kind of social engagement every day: make a phone call, send an email, or chat with a neighbor. Another option is to create your own social pod - a small, intimate group that you interact with regularly, like meeting for coffee or conversing over a Zoom call. Casual conversations are also helpful; for example, chat with a grocery store employee or interact with a stranger on the street.

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