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Habits are safer than rules; you don’t have to watch them. And you don’t have to keep them either. They keep you.
Frank Hall Crane
Your habits are what make you or break you!
Habits form the cornerstone of personal development. According to James Clear, author of the book Atomic Habits, a habit is a decision you make or actions you perform on a regular basis. According to researchers at Duke University, habits account for about 40 percent of our behaviors on any given day.
Having said that, not all habits are beneficial to you. Some of your habits can be classified as good habits and others bad habits. And not all habits are created equal.
In this post I am going to talk about 3 Key Habits Which will make your Life Awesome:
#1 Keystone Habit: Proper Sleep 💤
Have you ever slept less a night and felt terrible the next day?
I am sure you have!
Take me for example. If I have not had a good sleep, my upcoming day becomes a great drag. I feel lethargic, I feel moody, I am angry, and so on. Like me, I have heard my friends say the same about lack of sleep.
Sleep deprivation affects all parts of your life. It affects your life in the following ways:
- increases symptoms of depression
- impairs cognition
- higher levels of anxiety
- stroke risk
- increased risk of diabetes
- increased risk of breast cancer
- increased risk of heart disease
- weight gain
Sleeping less than recommended has more bad effects than good effects. The long term negative impacts of sleep deprivation outweigh the feeling good short term. I have observed this with myself that whenever I sleep less the previous night, I tend to lose my part of concentration on work the following day.
Since sleep affects so many parts of our body and mind, any sane person would allow himself a proper night’s sleep.
What’s the recommended sleep schedule?
- Newborns (0–3 months): 14–17 hours
- Infants (4–12 months): 12–16 hours
- Toddler (1–2 years): 11–14 hours
- Preschool (3–5 years): 10–13 hours
- School-age (6–12 years): 9–12 hours
- Teen (13–18 years): 8–10 hours
- Adult (18–60 years): 7-plus hours
- Adult (61–64 years): 7–9 hours
- Adult (65+ years): 7–8 hours
#2 Keystone Habit: Regular Exercise 💪
The year 2015 was a terrible year for me in terms of health. I learnt that I had high LDL type Cholesterol and high Triglycerides!
For a week after that I was depressed like I have never been in my life. I always thought that I was invincible when it came to my health. I have a thin body type and everyone thought I was fit as a fiddle. I was wrong. Completely!
What followed was a exercise regimen after consulting with the doctor. Apart from regular exercise, I added Yoga into the routine of my daily exercise. But if you are like most, doing exercise is quite boring, even when you have a great reason for this.
I tried to think how could I have high Cholesterol?
One of the main reasons I could think of was my sedentary lifestyle. We get used to the same lifestyle of:
WAKE UP ==> GET READY ==> OFFICE ==> WORK ==> GET HOME ==>REPEAT
8 out of 10 people follow this routine. I was not different. Add to that a bit of Netflix! And life was perfect.
Lack of physical activity or exercise leads to heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes and Cancer. Exercise and physical activity will lead to following benefits:
- Good sleep
- Mental clarity
- Enthusiasm in body
- Active senses
- Lose weight
- Stronger physique
- Less common diseases
- Low blood pressure + many more
No person in their right mind would give up exercise or physical activity.
#3. Keystone Habit: Good Diet 🍲
My grandfather used to regularly say: You are what you eat!
Of course, I did not understand what and why he used to say. I don’t ever remember in my childhood there was anything like junk food. This is one good thing about growing up in the countryside.
Well, I am sure you know the importance of having a good diet. There are numerous possibilities these days for you to consume food that you wish. And I have nothing against any food.
A good diet is the one which makes you feel good inside and outside of your body. According to what I have read a good diet is the one which consists of:
- High fiber
- Starchy carbohydrates
- Fish
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Grains
- Water
- Lean meat
- Chicken eggs
A bad diet is the one which has lot of sugar (natural + processed), high salt, fried, aerated drinks (Pepsi, Coca Cola etc) and so on (you know them!!).
A good diet is quite important and goes hand in hand with the exercise.
Everyone knows the importance of leading a healthy life. Despite that we ignore the 3 most important habits that we must have. You may be tired, but don’t give up on these keystone habits and guard them with your whole might. Ignore anyone of these and other two will be affected. These three habits are meant to go hand in hand.
When you have conquered these 3 habits, you will surely be in a position to lead a great life.
May you be well and may you be happy.
If you pick the right small behavior and sequence it right, then you won’t have to motivate yourself to have it grow. It will just happen naturally, like a good seed planted in a good spot.
BJ Fogg
#Other Good Habits
The above habits form the pillar to a great life; no doubt about it. And there are some other important habits that will be a good addition to the above-mentioned keystone habits for your life:
- Meditation
- Journaling
Recommended Reading Resource on Habits:
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