Do you have a habit or ritual that makes a huge, positive difference in your day?
As humans, we are creatures of habit. And it can be easy to develop habits or rituals that feel good for you, but it’s more crucial that they offer huge health benefits in the long run.
Some habits have been part of my non-negotiable list for over a decade. Others, I’ve just recently started. But the end goal is noticing how each habit benefits my body– now, and in my future.
Because even the smallest, simplest habits and rituals compound over time to make a world of difference in our health. As long as they’re practiced consistently.
My body has changed a lot in the past three years. From age 40 to 43, I felt the need to find habits that make me feel healthy and energized, but also help with healthy aging and make the biggest impact on my health.
And what I want to focus on most is the impact healthy habits have on your metabolic health and energy levels.
How Healthy Habits Can Enhance Your Metabolism and Your Energy
I know you’ve heard it before, but energy is the ultimate currency when it comes to our health.
Energy is one of the best indicators of how you and your body are functioning. In our cells, energy is a by-product of the powerhouse called the mitochondria.
The more mitochondria you have that are optimally functioning, the better off you are for living your best, high-energy life!
Optimally functioning mitochondria keep your metabolism rocking and help stave off chronic diseases. Plus they help promote focus and eliminate brain fog.
So, I want to share with you my 5 favorite simple rules I’ve made into habits. And when they’re done consistently, you’ll feel the impact they have on your metabolic health and overall well-being.
Healthy Habit #1: Ditch Dehydration & Bump Up Your H2O
Swap out sugary drinks with water and unsweetened tea.
We know how important water is for every aspect of our health. However, most of us are dehydrated in the first place. More than half of adults in the US don’t drink enough water daily.
And one of the top ways we mess up our blood sugar and metabolism is when we replace water with sodas, sweetened beverages, and other drinks with added sugar.
There seem to be countless drinks with more than 5 grams of sugar everywhere I look. This drives a blood sugar spike and can mess up our health over time.
I navigate this by bringing my 22oz water bottle with me everywhere I go. And I always have iced tea (unsweetened of course!), and San Pellegrino in my fridge.
San Pellegrino and other mineral waters have more health benefits than you may think. Unlike club soda, mineral water is sourced from natural springs and has essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, and sodium.
Because of this– it can help promote heart health, bone strength, and digestive health.
My favorite combo to make at home is mixing hibiscus iced tea with plain Pellegrino, then squeezing in half a lime and adding some mint leaves. Doesn’t get more refreshing than that!
Healthy Habit #2: Watch What You Reach for Between Meals
Quit snacking in between mealtimes, especially after dinner.
Cutting out snacks between meals makes a huge difference for your blood sugar, brain, cells, and most importantly your mitochondria.
The trick is to eat nutrient-dense meals for breakfast lunch, and dinner with enough protein to keep you full longer.
And if you have to snack, stick to foods that won’t spike your blood sugar.
Help stabilize your metabolism even further with the Essentially Whole Supplement Gluco Support, which helps you balance your blood sugar, maintain a healthy weight, and avoid stubborn belly fat.
Healthy Habit #3: Quit Late Night Snacking– No Eating Before Bed!
Stop eating after 7 pm, or 3-4 hours between your last meal and bedtime.
When it comes to dinner, aim to have your last meal before 7 pm.
That gives you 3-4 hours of digestion before you go to bed. Eating dinner earlier will improve your deep sleep and REM sleep. Plus it helps you wake up in a more thermogenic state.
This method is called reverse fasting, or early-time restricted eating. And it leverages the power of our circadian rhythm to inform our eating and our sleep-wake cycle.
Reverse fasting promotes better blood sugar control and improves metabolic functioning.
I usually have dinner by 6 pm, which gives me 4 hours of digestion before 10 pm, when I tend to head to bed.
Healthy Habit #4: Never Underestimate the Power of Walking
Walk throughout the day, especially after dinner.
Walking– especially after meals– is great for digestion and helping with overall wellness. I walk every day, sometimes multiple times a day.
When I walk, I get that feel-good energy flowing through me and it translates throughout my day.
Plus, walking outside in nature not only feels so good, but it sets up my circadian rhythm to work on an ideal schedule, it wakes up my mitochondria, and I get a little vitamin D.
Hands down, walking has made such a big impact on my emotional, hormonal, and metabolic well-being.
Make time to walk daily! I usually walk in the morning because most of my rituals are in the morning already. But if I have the chance, the second time I walk is right after dinner. This helps stabilize my blood sugar after mealtime.
Healthy Habit #5: Don’t Wait on Weights!
Weight train for 20-30 minutes about 4-5 days throughout the week.
Now that I’m in my 40s, I know how critical it is to build and maintain muscle mass not only for my metabolic health but for my brain and energy.
I don’t weight train every day, but I do make sure to move my body daily in some way.
Anything more than 4-5 days a week of weight training puts too much stress on my body and I can get depleted.
But keeping your muscles toned and strong will help increase longevity and makes a big impact on your health.
Try to weight train 4-5 days a week for a minimum of 20 minutes. Then, make sure to incorporate other exercises throughout the week like walking, yoga, or bike rides to stay active.
New or Old, These 5 Healthy Habits Impact Your Health in the Long-Run
What I love about these 5 healthy habits is how easily you can add them to your day. And they are free!
Like any habit, the more consistent we are, the more automatic they become.
Practice makes perfect!
Some of these habits I’ve had for decades, and others I’ve just started. We’re always learning and growing, and our bodies thank us for introducing healthy habits even if they’re out of our normal routine.
I just recently started walking after dinner and eating earlier in the evening. Once I started wearing a Continuous Glucose Monitor, or CGM, I really wanted to make these habits stick.
I was watching my blood sugar get all out of whack later in the evenings when I ate late.
Continuous Glucose Monitors are amazing tools to help you keep track of blood sugar levels.
Recently, both earlier dinners and adding a walk after dinner have helped make a massive impact on my health, blood sugar levels, and sleep.
Which leads me to have more energy in my day.
The Bottom Line
Now that you know my 5 simple rules for healthy aging that have the biggest impact on your health, I want you to choose one you can start implementing today.
Write it down and commit to trying it for 7 days.
These small shifts in our daily habits compound over time and make all the difference in our metabolic health and energy levels.
And you know how much I stress metabolic health!
By understanding how to best serve our metabolic health, we can implement tools to help us feel lighter, more energized, and way less stressed.
That’s why I’ve developed my Metabolism and Hormone Reset Course. This value-packed course is designed to give you a step-by-step, proven plan to completely change your body.
You can finally address underlying hormone imbalances that lead to stubborn weight gain and fatigue so YOU can jumpstart your metabolism and have ultimate energy.
If you take the tools from this blog and implement even one into your day, you’ll start to feel the results over time.
And if you’re ready to take it a step further?
Join me and tons of other women in the Metabolism and Hormone Reset Course! I can’t wait to see you inside.
Here’s to your vitality and health– I’m cheering you on!
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