We’ve juuuuuust past the halfway mark of the year. Is it year shaping up the way you’d hoped it would? Have you stuck to any of the goals you made in January?
Honestly, this year has been pretty just-keeping-my-head-above-water. Between family stuff, tons of fun-but-incredibly-time-consuming travel, and the Trump administration, it’s all I can do to tick the items of my Every Damn Day List.
But the halfway point in the year is a great time to re-commit and develop one good habit that will get you a tiny bit closer to being the person you want to be. During the summer, days are longer, work pressure might be a bit lighter, and most of us are in slightly better moods.
What a great time to make a change!
5 Summer Good Habits To Start Today
Get up earlier
A big ol’ asterisk: I don’t buy into the narrative that you can’t be productive unless you get up at 5:30 am etc etc etc. Honestly, part of my personal definition of success includes sleeping till I want to get up! And sometimes that’s 9:30!
But. For a lot of people, early morning is the only time they have to themselves. It’s the only uninterrupted time they can write, work out, or meditate. So it makes sense they’d like to make a habit of getting up a bit earlier.
Now is the time! If you live in the northern hemisphere, your body’s internal clock is already leaning in the direction of early rising this time of year. So leverage it!
Figure out what time you’d like to get up and work backwards eight hours to see when you’d need to go to bed. For example, if you want to get up at 5:30 every morning, you need to be asleep by 9:30. Every night, go to bed a bit earlier, till you’re sawing logs at the ideal time.
Related: How to become a morning person (or at least fake it)
Add one piece of produce to every meal
I don’t do well with deprivation. I last 23 minutes on any given budget or diet before I scream “Don’t tell me what to do!!!” and spend $200 on throw pillows while eating an entire Pizza Hut deep dish.
A much more enjoyable approach is to just add one piece of produce to every meal. You don’t even need to stop eating the pizza! Just eat the pizza and two slices of watermelon. Eat the waffles for breakfast and the bowl of perfectly ripe cherries.
Eating more fruits and vegetables is a habit that benefits pretty much everyone, forever. Why not build the habit now while most fruits and vegetables are in season and affordable?
And a reminder: it’s a lot easier to build a habit of eating healthy things you actually like. You’re not required to eat kale if you don’t like it! If you love cucumbers and raspberries, this is your permission slip to load up on ‘em.
Drink a tall, cool glass of something* every afternoon
We all know hydrated-ness is next to godliness and very few of us are chugging enough H20 to meet that 8-glasses-a-day requirement. Did you know that dehydration is one of the main causes of headaches and fatigue? And our bodies can’t tell the difference between hunger, thirst, and wanting to buy something?!
What if we all developed a 3 pm habit of pouring ourselves a tall glass of decaf iced tea? Or water with a few slices of a favorite fuit? Or just strolling to the vending machine and buying a can of La Croix?
Staying hydrated is obviously even more important during hot weather. 3 pm is one of the hottest times of day and the time many of us start to get tired or unfocused. Hydrating combats all of those things!
You can make this a lot easier by setting an alarm on your phone or scheduling a reminder in Google Calendar: “3 pm: Drink a giant glass of cucumber mint water like the hydrated goddess you are.”
* probably not coffee or soda
Wear a hat whenever you’re outside
Did you know that most of the sun exposure we get is incidental? That means most of our sun exposure isn’t from laying on the beach. It’s from wandering around parking lots and walking the dog.
And did you know that the signs of aging come primarily from sun damage? YES THIS MATTERS TO ME BECAUSE I’M VAIN.
To that end, let’s get serious about our hat-wearing habits. Let’s find hats we actually like so we’ll actually want to wear them. Maybe even buy a few hats that work with different outfits if that’s what it takes! Look at this one that’s 14!
And then let’s hang those hats someplace obvious, visible, and accessible so every time we head outside it’s easy to grab them.
Apply a body lotion with sunscreen after your morning shower
No, I’m not done talking about sun damage and skin cancer. If you shower in the morning, you probably slather on lotion every morning, right?
Why not switch to a body lotion that contains spf? If you’re moisturizing your shins and forearms and ankles anyway, you might as well protect them from that aforementioned incidental sun exposure.
Related: 13 cute swimsuits with sleeves
But I want to hear from you! What are you recommitting to half-way through the year? Tell us in the comments so you’ll have a bit of public accountability!
P.S. Do you want 1-on-1 support and accountability with making changes in your life? I can help with that!
I need to start waking up early again asap. Waking up at 11am every day isn’t doing me any good right now! (My full time job starts late, so…) It’s such a bad habit!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
This post really spoke to me. I had great intentions at the start of the year, but I’ve completely been in survival mode. Time to refocus on what’s most important! And also drink more water.
Excellent post! I was sitting on my patio reading then I hit #3. I promptly got up and poured myself a glass of water. So refreshing! Now I’m going to set that reminder. Thanks!
Can’t click through to the link about the swimsuits. ?
After having a week of runs that felt like garbage, I realized I wasn’t drinking enough water. I downloaded an app that adds water to a fishbowl-type environment every time you log your drinking, and it’s weirdly motivating. (Also related – the Forest productivity app that will force you to kill virtual trees if you navigate to your blacklist apps during your productivity period).
I’ve recently become a proponent of the dorky sunhat. It’s kind of awesome to carry around your own shade.
No. 2 is a good one! Soundy way less threatening than trying to eliminate all bad stuff at once.
I just got into the habit of eating savory breakfasts like scrambled eggs or salads with a bit of fruit. Not every day, but 2-3 times a week. And guess what: When I don’t start my day on a sugary meal, I get way less cravings in the afternoon.
Also: get several small bottles of sunscreen and place one in your office, one in your bag, one in the other bag, one at home… No excuses!
I’m on a quest to learning a new language. For the past month, I’ve been making time to sit down with my phone and two language apps – Mango and Mondly. I make flashcards and try my best to learn new vocabulary and pick up grammar at an A1 level.
I tried learning this language before using bulky textbooks that required at least an hour to get through a lesson. I somehow found more excuses not to study when I knew it would take an hour of my time. But 15-20 minutes is totally doable right now.
I don’t plant to stay at this phase forever, and I’m hoping to go back to the textbooks in the fall. By then, I will know a little bit more vocabulary and hopefully not feel so overwhelmed.
So yes, this is the summer of language learning for me.