How To Create A Daily Routine For Healthy Body And Mind

Daily Routine For A Healthy Body

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!

It is essential you drink water throughout the day as part of your daily routine. Being hydrated helps you stay focused and energized whereas dehydration can lead to feeling groggy and exhausted. 

One great daily routine to get in the habit of is drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning. Your body goes all throughout the night not drinking anything. Therefore, it’s inevitable you’ll be dehydrated when you wake up.

Consider leaving a glass of water next to your bed/ on your nightstand to be a visual reminder when you wake up to drink water.

Likewise, you’ll want to get into the routine of drinking water periodically throughout the day. A great way to remember to drink water is to have a water bottle that you carry around. This will further serve as a visual cue/ reminder for you to drink water whenever & wherever you go.  

We LOVE the Arc Water Bottle. It has a cute, sleek design. It also has time markings to keep you motivated to drink a certain amount of water throughout the day.

Skin Care

Another daily routine for your body you have to do is follow consistent skin care for BOTH morning and night. That’s right, you should be doing your skin care both in the AM and PM.

While your skin care routine may vary from your friend’s routine, it’s essential you at the very least cleanse, hydrate, and apply some form of facial sunscreen in the morning. 

Cleansing is important both morning and night as your skin is constantly being exposed to dirt and grim. Over time, this dirt & bacteria can cause clogged pores and unwanted breakouts. It’s important you get a gentle cleanser that works with your own unique skin type.

Our personal go-to cleanser is the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. We’re obsessed with this because it’s affordable, does its job at cleaning your face, and works with all skin types. 

Upon cleansing, continue to go about your skin care routine– and stick with it! 

After going through your skin care routine, always get into the daily routine in the morning of applying some sort of facial sunscreen.

Sunscreen should be an essential part of your skin care routine because you should be protecting your skin from the Sun’s harmful rays. You don’t want to be getting any unwanted Sun damage that could cause premature aging of your skin.

Our go-to facial sunscreen is the perfect 2-in-1 sunscreen/moisturizer combo. The Cetaphil Face Moisturizer with SPF 35 works as both a hydrating moisturizer and has a high SPF to protect your skin from the Sun.

Walk Outside

Get into the daily habit of walking outside. This is a great daily routine for a healthy mind and body because you are being active, while giving your mind a chance to "escape" from your daily stressors.

Even if it’s just a quick walk around your neighborhood or local trail, walking is an easy way to be active, that doesn’t take any crazy workout equipment or a lot of time/ skill to do.

Yes, treadmill walking is “okay” at getting your steps in. However, it’s important you consistently make it a habit to walk outside. This not only is a great daily routine for the body to stay active, but it’s a great daily routine for your mind.

This is because it allows you to take your mind off your work or whatever stressors are going on in your life, and be present with the outdoors. 

Try exploring new trails or parks in your neighborhood and allow your mind to mentally and physically take a break and appreciate the outdoors.

Take Time To Cook

I know what you might be thinking: “I’m too busy to cook some elaborate meal…. I barely have any time as it is.” Yes, cooking can take a lot of time, especially if you choose some complex recipe with tons of ingredients. However, you don’t have to choose the most difficult recipe to make a delicious, healthy meal.

Instead, make it part of your daily routine to cook a meal accordingly to the time you have in your day. There are some super simple, yummy recipes that only take 15-20 minutes tops if you just search on Google or Pinterest. 

Cooking your own meals instead of ordering takeout is not only a good daily routine for a healthy body and mind, but better for your wallet too lol. 

You may even come to love cooking and make it a newfound hobby.

And... you don’t need to become the next greatest cook in the kitchen to have an enjoyable time/ make a delicious meal. At the end of the day, as long as you are still taking time out of your day to focus on creating a quality meal for yourself (& your family) to enjoy- that's what's important!

Exercise

It’s important you exercise to not only maintain a healthy weight but grow stronger as an individual both physically and mentally.

There are so many great forms of exercise that can be a fun way to keep active on a daily basis. You can even mix-and-max workouts and exercises to get some variety and work different parts of the body.

Some different forms of exercises to consider trying, whether on your own or in a workout class, include:

• Running

• Yoga

• Cycling

• Swimming

• Rock Climbing

• Pilates

• Boxing

• Weight Lifting

• …and the list goes on and on!

Therefore, exercising each and every day doesn’t have to be this scary, exhausting thing. Instead, consider joining a workout class with a friend. This can be a great way to have fun, be active, and learn more about a new exercise that may become your new favorite hobby!

And, incorporating exercise as part of your daily routine for a healthy body and mind allows you to move and be active. AND it also allows your mind a chance to relax and focus on you instead of the external stressors going on in your life.

Daily Routine For A Healthy Mind

Read 

Take the time each day to read something that interests or excites you. Whether it be the next big sci-fi novel everyone’s been raving about or a self-help book. It's important to pick a book you’re actually interested in.

This way, by picking up a book that actually interests you, you’ll end up being more motivated to read it rather than it being just another book you throw on your pile of unread books on your bookshelf!

Don’t know what to read? First, decide what genre you want to learn more about or that interests you. Our personal favorite right now is the self-help genre. Then, Google or Pinterest top books within the genre that interests you.

Want a recommendation?!

We LOVE 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think by Brianna Wiest. This is a great self-help/ reflection style book for those looking to improve your life and reflect upon your own life for the better.

Journal

Another daily routine for a healthy mind is journaling. We are HUGE fans of journaling. This is because it can be a great way to get all your ruminating thoughts down on paper rather than constantly cycling through the same toxic thought patterns or overthinking.

The great thing about journaling is that there’s no “right way” to do it. And, there are so many different ways to journal.

You can free write in a plain journal and write to do a “brain dump” of sorts.  This is where you get all your ruminating thoughts in your mind down on paper.

Journaling is also a great way to document what’s been going on in your life and who you hope to become in the future. This is fun because after years of journaling you get to look back at old entries and see how far you’ve grown as an individual.

If you find that free writing isn’t for you, there are plenty of journal prompts and questions you can find on Google and Pinterest to motivate you on what to journal about.

For instance, list what you are grateful for in your life, or write down something you hope to accomplish by the end of the year.

And, if you find journaling in a plain journal is too intimidating or just not for you, there are plenty of journals that offer already built-in prompts for you to fill out.

Our personal favorite journal for built-in writing prompt ideas is the Five Minute Journal. 

Take "Breaks" (aka. short naps)

If you’re feeling exhausted, sometimes the best thing to do is take a short, 20 to 30 minute, break. This is because nothing will come of you sitting at your desk, wasting time, hoping for you to get motivated to do your work.

Rather than wasting time, it’s better to just take a break to serve as a mental reset to get back to work feeling more productive & focused.

Some mental breaks you can consider doing is going on a walk. Or... our personal favorite, taking a short 20-30 minute nap. Make sure you set your alarm to ensure you aren’t sleeping for too long!

These breaks will give you the mental reset you need to get back to work and be more productive.

Listen To Relaxing Music Or Podcasts

Music can be a great way to stop any wandering, ruminating, anxious thoughts you may have and feel calmer and more focused.

Personally, we find it helpful to listen to a “calm music” playlist on Spotify or a “writing playlist”  to get focused and in the right mindset to write.

If you are interested in Spotify and don’t have it already, you can get Spotify Premium for just $10/ month.  This way you can like/favorite songs, you won't have to wait for ads, and you can create personalized playlists or search playlists others have made.

Even better, you can get Spotify Premium students with Hulu and SHOWTIME for just $5/ month!

If you want to learn something new, podcasts are another great daily routine to get into listening. And... listening to podcasts is a great thing you can do while cleaning, walking, or whatever task you may be doing.

Daily Routine For An Organized Life

Make Your Bed

Right when you wake up each morning, a quick and easy daily routine is making your bed.

This simple routine will not only make your bedroom look more clean and organized, but it will help you mentally start your day off right.

Even better, you won’t be as tempted to just roll right back into bed after making your bed.

Lay Out Clothes Night Before

Another quick and easy daily routine is to lay out the clothes that you want to wear the night before.

This is because you can waste so much time deciding what to wear each morning. Whether it’s picking out a workout outfit or deciding what to wear to work, all this wasted time spent deciding what to wear could be spent doing something more productive.

So…. instead of wasting time each morning deciding what to wear, figure out what you want to wear and physically lay it out so you don’t have to waste time in the morning.

This is also a great daily routine trick if you like going to the gym first thing in the morning. This is because by laying your gym clothes out the night before you’ll immediately be able to put them on the next day to go straight to the gym.

Otherwise, if you waste time tiredly figuring out what to wear in the morning before going to the gym, this brings about a form of resistance. And, inevitably the more time you waste could tempt you to just jump right back into bed and not want to go to the gym.

Everything Has a Space... Put It There

The key to an organized life is daily getting into the routine of putting things away in their given “space”. Yes, that’s right, nearly all your belongings should have a sort of “space” where they belong.

Take, for instance, your clothes. You probably have an exact place to hang them in your closet, dresser, etc.

Or, your makeup you know to put all your makeup in your makeup bag, under your bathroom sink, or wherever you store your makeup products.

This way, by having and getting into the routine of putting everything away in its supposed “space”, you won’t have to think twice about where to put your belongings.

This then saves you valuable time and energy to effectively clean and organize your space to your liking.

To Do List

Making a to-do list is another daily routine essential to living an organized life. Yes, you can try to remember all the important tasks you need to do and when to do them by in your mind. 

However, why waste all this time and effort when you can just write it down?

You should get into the daily routine of creating a to-do list because not only will you more easily remember all the tasks you need to get done, but it keeps you accountable.

This is because by writing something down, you will have physically written to yourself this needs to get done instead of saying in your mind “it would be great if I got X done”.

Making a to-do list puts nothing up to chance and motivates you to get everything you want to do, done.

Clean Your Desk At End Of Each Day

Another daily routine for a more organized life is cleaning your desk at the end of each day. This ensures when you start working the next day, you can get right to work. 

Wasting time cleaning your desk at the start of the day not only slows you down, but can easily distract you.

Therefore, make sure you always tidy up your work space at the end of each day. This way, you can jump right into work and be productive for tomorrow.

Daily Routine To Be More Productive

Plan Your Day The Night Before

Moving on to ways you can be more productive in your daily routine, start by planning your day out the night before. 

This is great for two reasons. First, you get to set aside time to prioritize things you know need to get done ASAP. You also don’t waste time the next day worrying about what needs to get done and when.

Planning the night before also ensures you prioritize what you need to get done first thing the next day.

There are many helpful ways to plan your day. Consider using Google calendar and color blocking to have a nice visual display of your day. 

Or, if you prefer to write things down, consider getting a planner. This way you can physically write things down, cross things out, and see a breakdown of what needs to get done and when.

Complete Your Hardest Task First Thing In The AM

Similarly, try to prioritize the “hardest” task you have first thing in the morning. This is a good daily routine to do your most difficult tasks first for many reasons.

First, you’ll likely be more energized to start your day and be productive. Therefore, you can put your greatest energy into completing a task that may require a lot of energy & effort for you to complete.

Likewise, if it’s a difficult task, it’s likely it may take you a good amount of time to complete. Therefore, by starting that task first thing in the morning, you are setting yourself up to have a large portion (if not all of it) complete that day. 

Limit Distractions

Last but not least, try to limit distractions throughout your day. Yes, sometimes you may need a break as a sort of mental reset. However, this doesn’t give you the excuse to waste time simply procrastinating.

I’m the first to admit I’m an avid procrastinator. However, what good is to come of scrolling on your phone first thing in the morning?!

Or, binge watching the next great series on Netflix rather than getting your work done on-time & efficiently.

The work is still going to be there after your busy scrolling on your phone or whatever form of distraction you like. Therefore, implement ways and boundaries to not even tempt yourself to get distracted in the first place.

For instance, don’t look at your phone for the first 30 minutes after waking up.

What’s the point in starting your day off scrolling on social media in bed, anyways?

Also, try to not have your phone near you in your office space. Sometimes, you may need your phone to send a text or call to a coworker. However, if you don’t need your phone for work purposes, put it away or leave it in another room to reduce the temptation of wanting to procrastinate on your work.

10 Healthy Habits To Follow Everyday

There’s no denying our habits greatly influence our lives, whether we like to admit it or not!

With that being said, your daily habits can truly “make or break" you. That’s why it’s so important to focus on your good habits and eliminate all the bad habits in your life.

Not sure what healthy habits you should be following to help improve your life?

Here are the top 10 healthy habits you can easily use in your daily routine for a healthy body and mind:

1. Drink water first thing when you wake up.
2. Eat Breakfast (even if it’s just a little snack!).
3. Exercise.
4. Journal.
5. Make Your Bed.
6. Walk Outside.
7. Protect Your Skin with SPF!
8. Organize Your Space.
9. Read something that interests you.
10. Wake up at the same time each day.

How To Create & Stick With A Daily Routine

Making a daily routine for yourself doesn’t have to be a painstaking task. Your daily routine is meant to 1) improve your life and 2) excite you. Therefore, this doesn’t mean that by following a routine you lose your freedom/ time for fun activities.

If anything, routines lay the groundwork so you do have more time to do the hobbies and things you love while ALSO improving yourself one day at a time.

Here are some steps you can do to create a daily routine for a healthy body and mind (that you actually stick with):

Step 1: What Needs to Be In Your Routine- Write down a list of things you NEED to do each day. For instance, if you need to go to class or work at a certain time each day.

Step 2: What Goals/ Changes Are You Trying to Make In Your Life- Write down a list of goals or positive changes you want to make in your life and routines you can do to accomplish those goals. For example, if you want to lose weight, dedicate a routine to going to the gym, cooking more healthy meals, etc.

Step 3: Plan Out Your Day- Once you have a list of things you need to do each day and other goals you want to work towards, start crafting your daily routine hour by hour.

Step 4: Follow Through with Your Plan (Consistency is KEY)- Now that your plan is in place… it’s time to put that routine into use! Although each day may vary from one day to the next, ensure you are following through and being consistent with the routines you set for yourself. 

Step 5: Track Your Progress- Keep track of how consistent you are with following the daily routine plan you set for yourself.

Benefits Of A Daily Routine For Your Overall Health

Mental Health Benefits Of Routine

Routines can help you lower your stress levels. This is because routines (in some ways) take away some aspects of uncertainty so you have a better idea of how you want each day to go in your life.

By have a greater understanding ~roughly~ of how each day will go, this will allow you to predict and more accurately have an idea of how and when all the things you want to do will get done. 

There's nothing worse than having a huge list of tasks you need to get done, but being unsure when and how you will get them done during your day.

Therefore, a daily routine is healthy for body and mind because it reduces stress/ that uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty.

Likewise, a routine will also help you sleep better. This is because 1) you may have a set bed time and wake up time to ensure you get a full night's sleep. And, 2) you'll likely be able to sleep better without having to worry about what tomorrow will hold because you'll have (at the very least) a rough idea thanks to your daily routine you've set for yourself.

Physical Health Benefits Of Routine

Routines also provide many physical health benefits. Not only will you feel less stressed and anxious, but you will likely be more focused and energized to go about your day & accomplish your goals.

This includes things like incorporating fitness and healthy eating into your daily routine. 

For instance, by regularly going to the gym, walking, or whatever form of physical activity you like to help get your body moving will help you stay in shape and maintain a healthy weight.

The same goes with healthy eating. By taking the time each day to cook healthy foods, you'll feel better and this will encourage you to eat balanced meals rather than processed foods and snacks throughout the day.

This post was all about how to create a daily routine for a healthy body and mind.

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