My favorite healthy habits

Healthy Habits, translated as healthy habits in German, are small, tiny changes that will have a big impact on your life. You may be wondering where to start with habits? - First, you should recognize which areas of your life could benefit from a small positive change.

As a little inspiration, here are some of my favorite Healthy Habits and the small changes that have helped me.

• Drink More Water
  I never managed to drink enough water during the day. For a while, I tried to make up for it in the evening, which led to more trips to the bathroom and unwelcome sleep interruptions. Now I try to make it a habit to drink a glass of water with my morning tea every day. This is called "Habit Stacking". I already drink tea every day, and by adding the glass of water, I create a new good habit that is linked to an already established habit.
  
  Habit stacking is a great tool that also helps to remember to take supplements, probiotics, and other necessary medications or vitamins. Simply attach the new habit to an existing habit so you don't forget it.

• More Exercise
  Getting a dog is an excellent healthy habit because it gets you out of the house and moving every day. But I know from experience that owning a dog also has its downsides with vacation planning, vet visits, and the like.
  
  If you want to motivate yourself to exercise more, make a pact with yourself: always walk wherever you need to go. By the way, the best way to start is to wear the right shoes. Steve Jobs was famous for conducting meetings on foot. Here are some more suggestions:
  - Could your next meeting take place during a walk?
  - Could you walk during phone conferences?
  - Skip elevators and escalators and take the stairs instead.
  - Regularly make yourself a cup of tea so you have to get up more often.
  - If you take 10,000 steps a day, you practically run seven marathons a year.

Never underestimate the small changes in your daily routine!

• Go to Bed EarlierSleeping is a wonderful habit, and the trick is to go to bed earlier and earlier. Try going to bed 5 minutes earlier every day. You will eventually see that you no longer need an alarm clock and wake up naturally without feeling overwhelming fatigue.
  
  This is my favorite healthy habit and something I am really good at now. I started with the 5-minute method years ago and now I never need an alarm clock. I usually get up before 5 am to work on something or do other healthy habits. Then I feel good and refreshed before the family chaos begins.

• Keep Healthy Meals ReadyIf you have teenagers at home, you should always have healthy ready meals in the fridge. (This also applies to partners!) Everyone loves a quick, tasty snack, but if there is nothing healthy readily available, they will end up opening a bag of chips or cookies.
  
  Some of our favorite healthy snacks are:
  - Hummus with vegetable sticks. It is important that the cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, and similar vegetables are already cut. (This is the key to getting the dishes chosen!)
  - Pasta salad or leftover pesto pasta. The cheese is already grated over the dish.
  - Homemade muesli - just add milk.
  - Boiled eggs.
  - A delicious guacamole, simply add lemon to prevent it from turning brown.
  
  
• Less is MoreI regularly check our bathroom for expired products. I now know exactly which products are microbiome-friendly. Reducing skincare products, cosmetics, and perfumes is really a healthy habit. We could all use less of these products on our skin. Stick to your favorite products and those you can't do without, and throw away the rest.
  
  If your children see you using less, they will follow suit. There are clinical studies showing that children and teenagers who use fewer products actually have better skin. Babies don't need any skincare at all. In my opinion, a good diaper cream is enough.

• Read MoreReading is a wonderful habit. You never stop learning! Alternating between several books at the same time has changed my reading habits. I usually have three or more books that I read at the same time. One for each mood:
  - A challenging book that I only read when I can fully concentrate on it.
  - A funny or cheerful book, mostly fiction, that cheers me up when I need a lift.
  - An inspiring book related to work that makes me think about what's next.
  - And my favorite book, the read-aloud book that I read to my girls - currently it's Harry Potter for the two older ones and Wigglebottom Primary for my little one.