Healthy Everyday HabitsWhen you’re young your parents have to force you to brush your teeth twice daily. As you get older and the bills start to pile up, you start to think about low income dental care. Many health problems can be prevented with small daily work. Most health problems don’t just creep up on us out of nowhere. These problems can be seen coming over a period of many years.

Let’s jump into some healthy everyday habits that will help you save money down the line:

Brush and floss your teeth.

It may get annoying and it does become easy to forget, but giving your teeth a good floss and brush twice daily will go a long way to protecting your teeth. As a college student you’re usually covered by health insurance from your school or your parents, so going to the dentist usually isn’t expensive. Now imagine that you decide to start a business after college or you just don’t have coverage for whatever reason. Every dental visit will cost you a lot of money. A simple cleaning can go for a few hundred dollars. On top of the price, think of the pain of going to the dentist.

Take a walk.

I would recommend that you try to do some sort of physical activity every single day. Now I do understand that life can get very hectic at times and exercise can be the last thing on your mind. This is why I urge all of you to try to find a way to take a 20 minute walk every single day. The best time to take a walk I find is right after breakfast. This gives you some time to plan out your day calmly. It beats rushing and stressing about getting everything done on time. Plus in Canada with our four months of summer, it gives you a fresh chance to enjoy the weather.

If you have no time for a walk at all you can always sneak one in. When you go shopping you can park as far away as possible so that you’re forced to walk a little bit longer. You can also take the stairs at work or school instead of waiting for the elevator.

Decrease a nasty habit.

Do you have any nasty habits? I know that it’s difficult to quit smoking or to get over any addiction. It’s also very hypocritical to tell someone to quit a nasty habit because it’s just not that simple. With that being said, there are many benefits with reducing a negative habit. You can slowly work on smoking less and eating less junk food. Quitting is challenging, but I’m sure that most of us can find a way to reduce things. You’ll be surprised by how great you feel just by cutting back. Who knows, you might eventually get the urge to quit when you realize how healthy you feel.

Eat better food.

What’s your diet like? Do you get your food groups in? Are you eating any greens? Is there lots of sugar in your diet? I feel like crap personally when I eat junk food. You know the old saying? They say that you are what you eat. This is true because when you eat sugars and processed food you can become really lazy and lethargic. When you eat food like lean protein (turkey, chicken, egg whites), slow carbs (beans, lentils), and vegetables (broccoli) you have much more energy. Not only will you have more energy, you might also lose that stubborn pounds that you gained in the winter time.

Building the habit of eating well will benefit you in the future financially because you won’t have to spend money on crazy diet pills that are always hitting the market. You also can prevent many diseases from affecting you in the future (like diabetes).

Cut out toxic people from your life.

Are there people in your life that are bringing you down? Do your friends judge you or do they accept you for who you are? Are you surrounding yourself with positive people? I’ve noticed over the past few years that my life has improved greatly just by cutting out certain toxic individuals. Anyone that puts you down or attempts to pass on poor habits will only bring you down in life. As a 20-something you don’t need this. You deserve to surround yourself with those that will help you improve your life over time.

What everyday healthy habits do you ensure to perform?

Check out the other posts in the series:

Affordable Sports and Training For You.
Frugal Balanced Menus.

(photo credit: fathersspoon)

Martin Dasko

Martin Dasko