8 Habits to Improve Your Life and Boost Mental Health

Mike Paul
Sep 23, 2018
2 min read

There are many articles and studies out there that highlight healthy habits. A recent harvard study found that these 8 habits are the core ways to add years to your life and boost mental health.

1. Drink alcohol moderately

Drinking 1-2 drinks per day is the recommended consumption to avoid health risks associated with alcohol. The goal is to drink moderately or socially but not overdo it. I enjoy drinking socially like anyone, if you do too, be smart!

2. Don’t smoke or quit smoking

Never starting to smoke is by far the best way to avoid this health risk, for those regular smokers or trying to quit—start today! I’ve been smoking on and off since my college years, started the bad habit socially and it became a regular habit at different times in my life. If I can start to quit, so can you. If you've never indulged then never start!

3. Exercise

Exercising atleast 30 minutes a day is the recommended time to shoot for. Whether that’s walking, running, weight training or aerobics, do something. Did you know that there are 10,080 minutes in a week? So, putting in 150 minutes per week seems pretty attainable to accomplish huh!

4. Eat balance diet

Sticking to a healthy diet is one of the most commonly known healthy habits but it’s so true. I’d recommend checking out www.chooseyourplate.gov for healthy dietary tips and advice. The goal is to limit unhealthy eating as much as possible, which is easier said than done. Taking some time to implement even 1 or 2 healthy eating tips can make a world of difference in your life!

5. Maintain optimal BMI

This may be one of the most overlooked health habits. BMI refers to Body Mass Index and your weight. BMI is the exact calculation of your weight divided by your height. Researchers suggest maintaining a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 depending on your own height and weight. To calculate your weight, click here; www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm. Definitely recommend staying on this!

6. Meditation

Meditation can help reduce stress, improve concentration, encourage a healthy lifestyle, increases self-awareness, happiness, acceptance, and slow aging. That’s an impressive list of benefits, adding meditation to your life can help you emotionally, mentally and spiritually—and that’s something worth your time!

7. Smartphone Usage

We live in an age where everything is at our fingertips so it’s not surprising that most people are on their phones hours and hours of the day. The downfall of that much smartphone usage takes time away in the day to be in the world around us—so take time to focus on yourself and those around you and not exist in the smartphone world too much!

8. Sleep

Try to maintain 6-8 hours of sleep per night. Lack of sleep can affect mental and physical health. There are many health risks associated with bad sleeping habits; short-term effects include increased fatigue, inability to concentrate, irritability and problems with relationships while long-term effects increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease obesity and diabetes. The better your lifestyle is, the more likely your sleep patterns will improve!