Habits to Improve Physical Health & Wellbeing

There are many simple habits we can take on to optimise our physical health. Below we break them down into; fundamentals, habits to stop doing and habits to start doing. Further information is also available in the further exploration section below

Fundamentals:

1. Exercise: 3 x 30 minutes per week. Simple. Try to mix up with other daily light exercise such as walking and gardening. Exercise tones the body and releases natural endorphins which make us feel great. Peaceful Soul guide here
2. Food & Drink: A minimum of 5 x portions of fruit and vegetables per day. Fill your diet with the essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients that your body needs to for optimal function. Peaceful Soul guide here
3. Sleep: Allows the body to replenish and recover. 7-9 hours per day (for adults) is sufficient to be well rested. Anymore or less can leave us tired, sluggish and less alert. Peaceful Soul guide here
4. Surroundings: Keeping our surroundings (home / workplace / general environment) in good order will boost both our physical & mental health. The boost is provided by being more active, sleeping better, getting sick less often, being more productive and potentially eating more healthily. Peaceful Soul guide here.

Habits to Stop to Help Physical Health

1. Quit Smoking: Have more energy, healthier skin and stop damaging your body. Stub it out to vastly improve your physical health. Peaceful Soul guide to stopping here
2. Heavy Drinking & Drug Use: Over-indulging in alcohol and drugs may give a temporary high however will ultimately lead to a crash. Heavy usage can damage the liver and other organs in the body
3. Eating Fast & Fatty Foods: These types of food are generally higher in cholesterol, saturated fats and calories. They can lead to conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and heart disease
4. Eating Excess Sugar: Excess sugar means more insulin in the blood which can lead to inflamed arteries and potentially heart disease related conditions (e.g. heart attacks and strokes). Sugar also leads to sugar highs followed by crashes which leave us feeling tired, sluggish and unmotivated 
5. Eating Excess Salt: Too much excess salt can raise blood pressure and in (very) extreme cases lead to conditions such strokes and heart failure

Habits to Start to Help Physical Health

1. Water:  Up to 60% of our body is made up water. Drinking water is vital to replenishing the body. Aim for around 1.2 litres or 0.25 gallons or 6-8 glasses per day
2. Get Out Into Nature & The Sunshine: Being outdoors is good for both physical and mental wellbeing. Sunshine provides us with natural vitamin D and being out in the fresh air generally means we are active, taking a break and relieving stress. Peaceful Soul guide here
3. Cold Water Therapy: Having a cold shower isn’t only refreshing, it also has a number of physical wellbeing benefits such as improved immune response, improved circulation and reduction of muscle inflammation. Peaceful Soul guide here
4. Posture: Straighten up your back, flatten the stomach & stand / sit straight. Reduces pressure on your muscles, ligaments, joints and back. Makes you feel more relaxed too. 
5. Keep An Eye On Your Weight: Maintaining a healthy weight can lower risk of high blood pressure, strokes and heart disease. For the ideal weight to see on your scales to a look at the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) heigh and weight chart here
6. Fasting: Intermittent fasting has many potential physical health benefits such as weight loss, boosting metabolism and improved blood sugar control. Peaceful Soul guide here
7. Relax: Relaxing can improve blood flow which in turn gives us more energy. It can also slow the heart rate and reduce blood pressure