5 Ways to Be Healthier Today That Require Zero Effort
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We live in a world where people wear Snuggies, spend a good chunk of their lives watching How I Met Your Mother on Netflix and willingly give the majority of their disposable income to GrubHub. My point? Everyone is lazy sometimes. And if today happens to be a lazy day for you, here: Five ways to be a little bit healthier without trying too hard. Seriously, these tips require no effort.
1. Load your water up with lemon
Got some lemons in your kitchen? Squeeze one in your water. Certified health coach and author of Eat Pretty Jolene Hart tells us she advises all of her clients to start their day off with a giant glass of lemon water. Why? Well, lemons help to keep your liver in tip-top shape and, as an added bonus, when your liver is working well, your skin looks better. Think: brighter, clearer, and slightly more Instagram-filtered. We’ll take it!
2. Add some spinach to whatever you’re eating
If you have a bag of spinach lying around, throw some into whatever you’re eating. The green leaf membranes in spinach, called thykaloids, extend the process of digestion which makes you feel fuller longer. Meaning the chances of you succumbing to a mid-afternoon donut break are slimmer and your day is a little bit healthier. Easy as spinach pie, right?
Yep, you read that correctly. According to dermatologists, we really only need to shower once every two or three days — and stepping under the shower head more often than that could be doing you and your skin more harm than good. You see, showering too often — like every single day, as many of us do — can wash away the good bacteria that live on your skin and irritate and dry it out. Plus, that 20 minutes could be better spent re-watching this TED Talk about power posing for the 173rd time, am I right?
Okay, okay, if you really need to take a shower (because hot yoga), make it a cold one. I know it might sound insane, because, well, who willingly steps under a freezing cold faucet of water? But if you’re going to shower anyway, a cold shower might give you the most bang for your buck: Many cold-shower converts report feeling super energized (more energy means a higher likelihood of you actually going on that afternoon run) and getting a serious mood boost after showering. Worth a try, right?
Yes, sleeping with socks on sounds weird and unnecessary. But according to the National Sleep Foundation, it could just be the key to helping sleep come faster. Socks warm up your feet, causing your blood vessels to dilate which signals to the brain that it’s time for some shuteye. And getting a good night’s rest lessens your chance of suffering from all sorts of health woes. Think: headaches, heart disease, a sudden cold and more.
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