8 tips 20-year-olds should consider

During your 20s you’re given a whole lot of freedom you never really had before, but simultaneously you’re introduced to the real world and just how harsh it can be.  This is your chance to get a grip on the more important things.

Business Insider shared the below eight things twenty-somethings should do:

1. Form a healthy relationship with alcohol.

Excess booze consumption over time can lead to liver disease, up your risk for several cancers and heart problems, and tank your immune system. If you are inclined to drink, do it moderately: That’s no more than one drink a day for women and two for men.

 

2. Steer clear of opioids and tobacco.

Making wise choices about recreational exposures to potentially toxic substances is absolutely at the top of the list.

Sometimes exposure to drugs isn’t recreational: A lot of people get prescriptions for painkillers after surgeries or injuries. If that happens, make sure you’re aware of the dangerous potential for addiction.

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3. Start taking mental health seriously.

Your mental health is one of the biggest parts of your life, it deserves respect. Whatever is bothering you, there’s treatment if you need it. It begins with you respecting it so you should seek help and not be ashamed.

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4. Limit your screen time.

Twenty-somethings spend hours a day looking at digital devices — and it’s messing with their sleep in a major way. The blue light emitted by screens tricks the brain into staying alert by suppressing melatonin, the hormone that regulates our sleep cycle. Too much screen time, especially at night, saps sleep quality.

This isn’t only about falling asleep and getting enough of it. Studies show that sleep patterns play a major role in appetite. Many eating related disorders stem from unhealthy sleeping patterns.

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5. Eat for your heart.

“A lot of times, when people start having cardiac issues, a lot of effects happen in your 30s and 40s but they’re caused by what you did decades before,” explained dietitian Andy Bellatti. “Your 20s are a really good time to start lowering your risk.”

You can start by getting more leafy greens and fiber and making sure you’re eating omega-3 fatty acids. They’re found in seafood, sea vegetables, flax seed, walnuts, and chia seeds and they’re known to protect heart health in several ways.

Next, try to start limiting excess sodium and sugar.

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6. Exercise more (not harder).

Everyone knows exercise can help keep your heart healthy and your weight down. But fewer people know that exercise doesn’t have to be intense to be beneficial.

Move about whenever you can. Can you have a standing or walking meeting? Great. You parked further away? Yes, it counts. If you can find stairs, embrace them. You’re on the 20th floor? You don’t have to take all 20 floors, but make a habit to get off on the 17th floor and build up from there.

 

7. Tweak your environment.

Your environment has a powerful influence on your ability to stick to healthy habits. Take research done by Dr. Brian Wansink at Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab: He and his team studied people’s kitchens and found that women who kept a bottle of soda on the counter weighed 24 to 26 pounds more than those who didn’t. But women who had a fruit bowl on the counter weighed 13 pounds less than those who didn’t.

The bottom line: Don’t keep indulgences in your home and expect that you’ll be able to resist them using willpower alone.

Make the default choice the healthy choice. Of course, have the occasional indulgence here and there as you happen to run across it or crave it. But don’t have it actually sitting there in front of you all the time.

 

8. Hold yourself accountable.

We’ve all quietly abandoned even our most fervent health resolutions. That’s because forming new habits is hard work. Try to be accountable in some way that you find friendly, whether that’s doing your weekly run with a buddy or utilising a personal trainer.

Soon, you’ll learn to start relying less on these external aids, and with time, you’ll be able to hold yourself accountable all on your own.

For the original article and more great content, check out Business Insider.