Summer is a beautiful time. For some, it means an extra time off, a time to restructure their life in a way that best serves them and their health. That can be done by letting go of old harmful habits and interestingly, the one best proven way to get rid of bad habits is to replace them with good ones!

 So, what habits you can try to incorporate in your life starting this summer? Here are 5 suggestions from Droobi health coaches:

 1- Swimming 

 Learn to swim and subscribe in a gym that offers a pool. Swimming is a highly beneficial physical activity as it helps you build endurance, muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness and increases flexibility, all at the same time. It provides a full body workout, as nearly all of your muscles are involved during it. Swimming most importantly is among the rare low impact sports, meaning that it is even suitable for people with joint knee stiffness who are looking to improve their health and body weight.

 2- Playing with your kids

 Nowadays, lots of parents are anxious about their children spending long times on the screens. What we tend to forget is that children learn from the examples they see around them. So, as parents, we need to lead by example. Besides showing our kids that we are having fun moving around, we can play active games with them such as football, basketball, dancing , rope jumping….That will not only move them but will also help you create a trusting supportive relationship with them, as parenting experts state.

 3- Trying out new delicious healthy recipes

Many people mistake healthy eating for having to eat plain repetitive food … well that is a very narrow way to look at the matter. In fact, we are lucky that we live in a world where healthy ingredients are countless!  And the recipes that can be done using those ingredients are a whole new world to explore. So, wake up your senses to new tastes every once in a while by making time for cooking new recipes and noting them down. Next time you feel tired from your indicated diet plan meals, you will surely know that you have a broad list of other enjoyable options to choose from.

 4- Making time for a hobby

Besides bringing a sense of fun, freedom, identity and creativity to your life, a simple hobby like reading, yoga, drawing, knitting or gardening can provide you with a meaningful outlet for stress and something to look forward to after an exhausting day at work. Knowing that constant stress is detrimental to your physical and mental health, you can conclude that a hobby is no longer a luxury but a necessity to look forward to implement in your routine.

5- Learning what you need to know 

For many, the reason behind a radical beneficial life change was a piece of awareness information that they didn’t know. For example, if you find yourself wondering ‘’ why I don’t manage to eat well ’’ it might be because of your lack of nutrition knowledge and possible swaps. Maybe you ask yourself “ why I cannot run for more than a minute ’’ , it could simply be that you lack the technique and not the ability. Hence, a short relevant workshop or course can take you a long way for life!  Remember that the brain is like a muscle, the more you use it in learning new information, the more it will be resistant to cognitive decline, so learning is indeed a winning habit on many levels!

 A healthy life is not just a life with no diseases. It is a life full of healthy habits in eating, exercising, relationships, stress management, thinking …. Invest this summer in creating habits that will help you grow healthily and independently, habits that are too enjoyable for you that you would happily do your whole life.