Five Good Habits To Consider For 2024

As regular readers know, this blog is presented in a magazine style - we hope something for everyone. You will find a variety of articles, studies, thoughts, photographs, cartoons, music and recipes!

Todays post is about our habits, they can often reveal what kind of person we are. That’s why creating healthy habits and breaking bad ones is important, especially when it comes to things like succeeding or feeling happier. Here are five 'good habits' you may wish to consider as we move forward into 2024. They are only suggestions, please read on, see what you think of them and do share your thoughts in the comments section below.

1. Avoid doom-scrolling.
Too much screen time has been a problem these days. And one culprit of it is scrolling too much on social media. It can be addicting to the point you find yourself consuming content for hours on social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. (Not blogging of course LOL)

This bad habit can make you waste a lot of time and prevent you from achieving the goals you’ve set or keeping your New Year’s resolutions. To avoid mindlessly scrolling, consider turning off your notifications, setting time limits for app usage, and deleting apps that always distract you. Why not consider just putting your phone down, and not turning your computer on!

2. Eat for nutrition, not just for pleasure.
Some may think that healthy foods typically taste bad while unhealthy ones make your mouth water. However, it's not always the case, and there are many recipes and ways to make healthier foods taste yummy! Some examples would be roasting your veggies or adding herbs and spices to it. It’s also worth noting that eating healthy doesn’t necessarily mean you only eat fruits and vegetables. You can still have the occasional treat like that piece of cake! Indeed make it the low carb way and reduce the sugar and carbs! Suggestions here and here

3. Exercise consistently.

Besides eating healthier, exercising is one of the things that’s always in the conversation if health is the topic. After all, working out improves your physical and mental health without making your wallet cry. However, not everyone who works out becomes healthy. Why so? Well, it’s due to a lack of consistency. It's no good to do one day or even a month of exercising. To keep in better shape and health it's best to exercise regularly ... go out for that daily walk, go swimming regularly. Any exercise is good, any movement you can do is good, just do it regularly.

4. Wake up earlier than usual.

Research at the University of Westminster, UK, discovered that people who wake up earlier have higher cortisol levels, which is associated with energy and productivity. That explains why people generally feel more energized and motivated to accomplish their daily tasks when they wake up early rather than late. It’s worth reminding, though, that for this to be a healthy habit, you need to get to bed early enough; going to bed late and waking up early is terrible for you!

5. Socialize more.
While spending time with your own thoughts can be a good thing, too much of it does not always help our mental health. That’s why you also have to interact with others since it prevents loneliness, increases happiness, and even improves your memory. So, get yourself out there, have some chit-chats, and make new friends!

~ xxx ooo xxx ~

I thought number one an excellent suggestion, not too sure about number four, as since retiring I tend to wake later!

Come back on Saturday for some more good habits to consider ...

All the best Jan