Everyone loves a checklist, right? They make things simple and can streamline even the toughest of tasks.
One of the most rigorous objectives we have in life is maintaining our health and fitness. The reason being it requires work. It’s easy to sit on the couch all day and eat whatever we want. But it takes some effort to improve our lives.
This is where a checklist comes in handy.
Think about taking your car in for some routine, preventative maintenance. The mechanic most likely goes through a specific list of steps (or checklist) to ensure the vehicle is in proper working condition.
If the auto technician were to forget the checklist and try to do everything from memory, there’s a good chance they’d miss a step. Though it may sound small in the grand scheme of things, this could have disastrous consequences when out on the road.
Take your power steering fluid for example. It’s a very small component in the car’s engine. But, if the technician doesn’t pour more fluid into the reserve, you could lose power steering while driving.
This would make any sharp turn a dangerous endeavor, and potentially lead to a crash. All because your car is low in power steering fluid.
While the example may be a little excessive, the point is checklists serve to keep us on track. They can optimize our day to day tasks making things easy. And everyone loves easy.
With that in mind, I want to share a daily checklist for optimal health and fitness. There are only 7 items on this list, but if you practice them each day it can lead to some pretty dramatic changes in your body and life.
Here they are!
- Have protein with each meal
Protein is one of the most important nutrients for maintaining health. One of the primary benefits of including more protein in your meals is it helps build and maintain muscle mass. Research has shown that the amount of muscle you have is indirectly associated with mortality. This means the more muscle mass you have the lower your risk of dying early.
Shoot for 30-40 grams of protein at each meal.
- Have produce with each meal
This one is kinda easy. Everyone knows fruits and vegetables provide innumerable health benefits. Research has shown they possess protective effects against cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, and hypertension. This makes them a great addition to improve your health.
Aim for 1 serving of fruit and 1-2 fist-sized servings of veggies at each meal.
- Sleep 7-9 hours each night
There have been tons of studies conducted on sleep and how it affects our bodies. Time and time again they have shown sleep is correlated with weight. And those who get the least amount of sleep weigh the most. One of the primary reasons being because sleep deprivation increases appetite and cravings.
Increased weight is associated with a host of diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes. This makes chronic sleep deprivation hazardous to your health and wellness. Aim for 7-9 hours per night. This seems to be the sweet spot for the average person.
- Move at least 30 minutes per day
Our bodies were designed to move and move often. But in today’s society, we sit more than ever before. Prolonged sitting has been linked to increased fat around the midsection and cancer. To combat against this problem, all we need to do is move around more.
This could be in whatever form of movement you’d like. Hitting the gym, going for a walk, playing sports, parking further away, taking the stairs, etc. And it doesn’t have to be in one continuous time period. As long as you aim for 30 total minutes per day that’s enough.
- Drink at least 1/2 of your bodyweight in ounces of water
Water is the nectar of life. Our bodies are 55-60% water. Needless to say it’s pretty important. But the addition of soda, juice, and alcohol often limit our daily water intake.
Water has been shown to improve metabolism, keep us feeling fuller, and help our joints feel better. It’s one of the easies things you can do to optimize your health because it’s free! Shoot for 1/2 of your bodyweight in ounces each day. If you weigh 150 lbs, aim for a minimum of 75 ounces of water.
- Prepare food ahead of time
This one thing will make you life so much easier if you do it consistently. We all have a lot on our plate each day. Work, family, errands; it’s hard to make enough time for everything. And that’s why it’s easy to run through a fast food drive through or pick up a frozen pizza.
By preparing your food ahead of time, you won’t have to think about what you’re eating for the day. And it’s easier than you’d think. You can make several days worth of meats and veggies in one cook or package some heathy snacks for the week.
It’s one less thing you have to stress about. And less stress makes life more enjoyable. Which leads us into the final point.
- Laugh and have fun
You’ll be met with countless ups and downs in your lifetime. There’s will always be something to stress and worry over. But if you let that consume your life, it will ruin you. And that will bleed into everything you do.
If you’ve ever watched the movie Patch Adams, there’s a great quote that I love. It says, “Being happy is the best cure of all diseases!” Take time to laugh and enjoy the simple things in life. You’ll be amazed at how it can improve every facet of your life including health and fitness.
There you have it!
A checklist of things you should do each day. One thing you’ll notice is these items aren’t revolutionary. They’re basic. But that’s what works. Don’t make things harder than they have to be.
Optimizing your health and fitness is crucial to your quality of life. It’s one of the most important things you can ever do. Follow these daily tasks. Let them be your guide. You’ll soon realize how much benefit you can receive from the act of completing a simple checklist.
Photo Credit:
1. www.onlinetaxaustralia.com.au
