100 HEALTHY HABITS YOU HAVE TO TRY!

Hey guys and welcome back to my channel. Thank you for joining me for another video. Today we're going to be whizzing through a hundred healthy habits that you have to try. If you're new here then hit that subscribe button and the notification bell so that you never miss another video, especially if you're interested in sustainability, low-impact living and all things habit. As always take what is applicable for you and simply leave the rest and if you're interested in supporting me a little bit further then check out my Patreon in the description below for more and lots more videos. Okay grab a cup of tea and let's get straight into the video. Yes, drink water. I'm obviously going to say this, do it, don't just ignore it because everyone says it. Get regular sexual health checkups. In the UK if you're under the age of 25 we have loads of clinics you can pop into for free and without an appointment to get the pill, condoms, advice or an STD checkup. If you're very active and some unprotected then just please make sure to get yourself checked. Always use protection. There are loads of great fair rubber companies like Hank's etc in the UK and lots of free condoms and also lots of other different methods of contraception that you can get for free, just check with your GP. Get a smear test regularly. I know it can be uncomfortable and embarrassing but just remember how many vaginas those doctors have seen. Your health is more important. Pause the video and go and book one now. I'll wait. Eat lots of greens daily. Air out your room once a day or a couple times a week whenever you have time. Vacuum your room to remove dust and dead skin cells etc. Create an optimal sleep schedule for your situation. If you want to read about the importance of sleep try the book Why We Sleep. Wake up at the same time every morning. This helps to create routine and prevent oversleeping which can actually make you more tired. Do some form of meditation whether it's This is actually a really hard habit to create so try finding an anchor point for it. After I turn on the kettle to make my tea I take a moment of calm. Repeat this until it becomes automatic and make sure to celebrate it every time you do it. Remember celebration and feeling good creates habits not repetition. Move your body every day in a way that you enjoy. I love HIIT training or and because I love it it doesn't feel like a chore. Moving your body looks different for everyone. Find what works for you. Walk, walk, walk or simply get outside where possible. If you have the ability to do so why not consider biking to work instead of public transport. It's a great way to save money, add in some exercise and time alone just to think and work through anything you may need and the space to do so. Find ways to sneak in vegetables into your diet through pasta Add some weight lifting into your regime. This helps us to retain some muscle mass and stability as we get older. Work on your pelvic floor. This is really important for spine stability as well as many more things. Reduce the amount of time you spend on social media. Take weekends off social media completely and try to put your phone down for a few hours as well. Work on implementing tiny habits into your life to improve specific behaviours rather than trying to attempt massive aspirations that leave us feeling like failures. I have a whole video coming out next week but if you want a book recommendation Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg is excellent. Track how you spend your time and use your calendar to block out specific amounts of time for tasks. This helps you to be more productive and therefore spend less time working and more time on the things that you love. Practice self-compassion and start speaking more kindly to yourself. We get enough ---- thrown at us by society, the damn patriarchy etc so it's important that we learn to be kinder to ourselves. This isn't easy but it is essential. Stop looking at screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime as this can really affect your sleep quality. Opt for reading a book or magazine etc whatever you choose before bed instead of scrolling endlessly on your phone. Keep a journal. This can help to process your thoughts and emotions and for me it's even helped to better understand solutions to problems I've been facing and process these ideas I've had in the back of my mind. Put time aside daily or weekly whenever you can to practice being in your flow state. For more information on this check out the description for a book recommendation. Check your desk setup. It could be forcing you into a bad posture or straining your neck especially now that we're still in lockdown working from home this is more important than ever. Stand up every 40 minutes if you have a job that requires you to predominantly be sat at your desk for hours on end. Wear SPF on your face to protect from sun rays every day. There are lots of sustainable and reef friendly ones out there. I'll link some in the description. Please remember that self-pleasure is nothing to be ashamed of and is a healthy and very normal part of our lives so enjoy yourself people. Give yourself a regular breast or testicle examination. It's a simple thing to do but can genuinely help to catch things early and save lives. There are plenty of tutorials online but I'll leave a few below. Read Period Power by Maisie Hill. It's a great in-depth book about what is normal, if something changes in your period and what to do and gives you the insight that so often isn't talked about when it comes to periods. On that note if your period becomes heavier or irregular or there is something significantly changed then please see your GP or seek medical advice as this could be an indication that something needs to be addressed. Please respect people's pronouns. By ignoring someone's pronouns you are completely invalidating their identity and this can have painful implications on that person's mental health. It's an easy thing to do so please respect people's pronouns. If you have many moles like I do then please make sure to check them regularly. If they change colour or change in size they may need to be looked at. Try to do some brain training daily. This is something the Alzheimer's Society advises to help protect brain health from age-related diseases. Floss your teeth. Don't forget to go to your dentist appointments and if you can hygienist appointments too. Keep your room tidy especially if like me you work in it. Designing your environment has been shown to be highly effective in encouraging behaviours like productivity, helping you to sleep and clear a mind. Declutter your wardrobe of any clothes you no longer wear or are too small for you. I find having these clothes in my wardrobe can make me feel really negatively about my body image especially if I've gone up a few sizes or if I'm less active. Spend time with people who bring you joy and say no to those who don't. Wash your bed Question everything and often. Try new things regularly. Seek discomfort. When we push ourselves to do things that scare us it can have an amazing effect. Don't follow people on social media or spend time with friends that make you feel bad about yourself or what you have or what you're doing with your life. Many people ridiculed me for starting a YouTube channel and Instagram and I paid no attention, worked hard and I'm happier than I've ever been. Try daily affirmations. Feels weird at first but has a significant impact on the way that you think about yourself. Read psychology books or behaviour design books to learn more about yourself and others. Find out what motivates you and gets you up in the morning. Write a to-do list if it helps to boost your productivity. Just remember to write a realistic one. Create a prompt for a new behaviour you'd like to implement into your life. For example if you make coffee every morning but you want to drink a glass of water before, write a note on the empty glass and place it next to the coffee machine saying fill me and drink me first. Without a prompt new behaviours will never become a habit and remember to celebrate it when you do it. Cook your food at home. It is a luxury to be able to eat out and should be treated as such. Cooking from scratch allows you to understand exactly what's going into your food and ensures you're in control of what you're eating. Stop drinking fizzy drinks or reduce them as much as possible. Sit less and stand more if you have the ability to do so. Practice gratitude for the people and the things you have in your life. Allow yourself to be bored sometimes. For me this has been the catalyst for so much creativity. If we're constantly stimulated how can we form new ideas that truly come from ourselves? Listen to Esther Perel's podcast Where Should We Begin? She's a psychotherapist who explores the tension between the need for security and the need for freedom in human relationships. It's made me think a lot about how I act in relationships and it could be helpful to you too. Speaking of which can we please normalise going to therapy? It is a wonderful tool that is there to help you. There is nothing shameful about it and I'm proud to say that I have loads of friends who have been and found it extraordinarily helpful. Literally **** what box society wants to put you in. You're flipping great just the way you are. Now ingrain that into your brain. If like me you judge your body way too much for what it used to be like remove any mirrors that prompt you to practice this behaviour. Self-help books get a bad rep but if you find a good one by a reputable author like BJ Fogg or Angela Duckworth those pages are gold. Now instead of looking for more content to read actually put into practice the teachings those books give you. Listen to music to help boost some motivation. This has literally zero scientific research that I found but damn does a good tune put me in the mood to do something. So hey it may work for you too. I find that as a woman I'm often encouraged to see the achievements of other women with jealousy. However this doesn't help anybody. Instead I try to actively feel inspired by the achievements of those people and work on turning that negative emotion into a positive one. Listen to podcasts that are educational. I love Hidden Brain, Invisibilia and Oologies. I just love to learn. Do some form of mobility every day. This is different from stretching as it actively puts your body into positions that encourages a full range of motion rather than simply stretching. Don't do exercise you think you should do. Do exercise that you love. Dancing around your kitchen certainly counts. Celebrate your wins however small. This is how we turn tiny habits into lasting behaviour change. It also makes us feel good on a more consistent basis. Let your bed breathe in the morning. Don't make it right away. I learned this one from you guys so thanks. Do some dry brushing. I hear it's wonderful for circulation and soft soft skin. Do something kind for another person. Spread those good vibes. Take care of your gut. Whether that's eating fermented foods, taking supplements or something else gut friendly. It's very important. Which actually leads me on to please take your B12. It's not just for veggies and vegans. It's an essential vitamin that we don't get enough of from our food. Sleep without underwear. It really changes your life. Roll roll roll your quads gently to your knees but never on your knees. But in general rolling is so so great if you have any knots. I've had a ton of injuries and physical therapy and rolling has helped enormously. If like me you sit at a screen for hours on end consider getting blue light glasses. They help to prevent your eyes from over straining. Use natural cleaners in your home. Find yourself a workout partner if that will increase your motivation to go to the gym or a class etc. This was a game changer for me when it comes to evening workouts. Meal prep. Some of your food. This is great for health as well as sustainability as you can help reduce food waste by making your meals ahead of time and only buying what you need. If I have food I don't want to be eating all the time in the house then it will get eaten. Sneak in some movement by exchanging one journey by car for walking or biking. Switch up your routine of working. My boyfriend likes to stand half the time and sit the other half. Stroke an animal. Apparently this helps to calm us down. Just be kind to that animal. Limit your caffeine intake. Have a cold shower or commit to wild swimming. Just make sure you follow the safety protocols if you're going to. Try something new once in a while. Sometimes we think we know what we like but sometimes we just haven't exposed ourselves to the possibility that we may have other hobbies. Have a few plants around and make sure to maintain and keep them happy. Lower your sugar intake. I don't think you need to be completely eradicating everything if you know it makes you happy. That's what matters right? Just everything in moderation. Take a trip alone. This sure is character building and then you'll find that you're actually a great company. Create work-life boundaries for yourself. Whether that's no emails at the weekend, switching off your phone due at a specific time at night. Whatever it is it's so important to create boundaries between work and home life especially as lockdown has forced many people to work from home. Create boundaries with friends or family members that are constantly putting you in positions or asking you to do things you don't want to. There'll be a book recommendation in the description. Do five minutes of Pilates as often as you can. Pilates seems to be recommended by every physiotherapist I've ever seen. It's great for engaging all of those small muscles. Question the authority of the author of everything you read. Whether it's research papers, books, blog posts or magazines. It's always important to know if the research on something is being funded by a body that wants a positive result or colonialist history is written by white authors which will of course be extremely biased. Our black indigenous and friends of color shouldn't have to be the ones to constantly call out racism. All forms of racism have a detrimental effect on physical and mental well-being. Let's do our part and call it out. Don't conform to sleep schedules that suit other people. I used to try and get up at 5am to get loads done but I'm just not an early riser. I prefer later nights to earlier mornings. Save a little bit of money if possible each month for an emergency fund. This can really help you in a fix if you have a medical bill, a birth tire or some other inconvenient issue that will inevitably arise. Spend a little bit of time figuring out what your coping mechanisms are for when times get particularly stressful. Put aside time each week to work on personal development. Incorporate other sources of protein into your diet like lentils, beans, tofu to reduce your meat intake even a little. Eat less processed foods if you have access to them and if you do and are in a position to do so consider donating to help those in food deserts or have limited access to healthy food. Learn when to rest. Radical self-care shouldn't be frowned upon, it should be embraced. Whether you're an activist, a parent, work several jobs or long hours, everyone deserves to rest recharge. Do the best you can with what you reasonably have available to you and if you can give back to those who have less, health should be accessible to all. If you're interested then check out my first video in this 100 series, 100 zero-waste swaps you have to try. As always if you like this video please give it a thumbs up because it really supports my channel and hit that subscribe button so that you never miss another video. I'll see you next time.