I was listening to a really interesting podcast over the Christmas/New Year break by Gretchen Ruben, author of The Happiness Project. The podcast talked about the ‘Argument of the Growing Heap’:
“If ten coins are not enough to make a man rich, what if you add one coin? What if you add another? Finally, you will have to say that no one can be rich unless one coin can make him so.”
The idea of this little parable is this: While one action on it’s own might not appear to achieve much, repeated actions, even small ones, grow and accumulate to help you reach a goal. This is the reason why a daily ritual or habit can impact your health. A daily ritual works by accumulating marginal gains!
I have put together a little list of some daily rituals that have helped me or that I want to practice. These rituals will not make you healthier in a day, a week or even a month. But they are small and easy habits that can become part of life and will accumulate to promote good health. .
A word of caution: Don’t apply all of them, all at once – you’ll only set yourself up to fail. I don’t get them right everyday and expecting to do so would only leave me frustrated. Start with one ritual. Something small that you can easily fit into your day. Once that ritual becomes a natural part of your routine, you can build on it.
Ritual 1. Plan a satisfying breakfast
In nutrition, we love to talk about breakfast and for good reason. Starting your day with something substantial sets you up to make healthier choices for the rest of the day. Plan a breakfast that you can wake up and feel excited about while including something fresh. This morning I was pretty excited for a slice of buttered fruit toast, an apple and a flat white.
Ritual 2. Pack your lunch AND snacks
This is the single best daily ritual I can recommend. It has saved me so much money and is one of the simplest ways to eat healthy during the week. Pack foods that you are going to look forward to eating. I am never enthused by lettuce, tomato and cucumber. But I do look forward to lunchtime if I know I have Nachos with a Twist or Herbed Chicken and Chickpea Salad packed. The same goes with snacks. If you know you get hungry in the afternoon, pack something that you can look forward to enjoying and will fill you up. Try a piece of fruit and a Quinoa and Linseed Ball or Crackers with Delicious Toppings.
Ritual 3. Take your lunch break
Give yourself the time and space to eat mindfully. Many of us shovel our lunch down while we are responding to emails or searching the net, without registering what we’re eating. There are very few things worse than thinking you have another half of your sandwich, only to look down and realise you have already eaten it. Step away from your desk, take a break from your work and enjoy the lunch you have in front of you.
Ritual 4. Get some fresh air
I can easily spend a whole day inside, even during the summer. Home – car – work – car – gym – car – home – REPEAT. It can be hours and hours with minimal fresh air and sunshine. So a little ritual I am trying to employ is getting outside for a solid 20-30 minutes every day. Even if it’s just to sit outside and have my lunch or go for a walk when I get home. The outdoors can do wonders for your mood, concentration and health.
Ritual 5. Track your water intake
This is a really simple little ritual to build. I have a little green drink bottle (400mL) and I aim to get through 5 bottles a day by sipping away at my desk, during consultations, in the car and while I’m cooking dinner. Even if I only make it to 3 bottles, that’s so much better than not drinking at all and feeling drained by the end of the day. Buy a bottle that you like to drink out of – I much prefer something I can take some decent gulps out of, rather than a pop-top bottle. For an interesting way to drink water try this Infused Water Jug for your home or workspace.
Ritual 6. Put your knife and fork down between bites
This is something I really want to improve. Slowing down the eating process will help you enjoy your meal, feel satisfied and full without over eating. This is a surprisingly hard ritual to remember to do. Give it a try at your next meal and see how it makes your feel.
Ritual 7. Turn off the TV
A similar principle to Ritual 3, turning off the TV while you’re eating dinner increases your ability to eat mindfully and prevent overeating. I have also found that setting a time to switch off the TV frees up some mental space to think about Ritual 8.
Ritual 8. Be kind to your future self
Have a think about what you can do to make tomorrow easier. What will future-you need? What are you going to look forward to for breakfast tomorrow? Do you need to prep that now? Can you pack your lunch now and make tomorrow morning easier? Will you need to get meat for tomorrow’s dinner out of the freezer? This little bit of forward thinking will pay off! Trust me, you with thank yesterday-you.
Ritual 9. Say thank you!
Writing down a few things that you are grateful for about the day is a great way to put life into perspective. When you get to the end of a long, frustrating day, thinking of something to be thankful for can be hard, but the more you pay attention to positive things the more you train your brain to notice them.
Ritual 10. Bedtime routine
Going to bed at a similar time each night and having a wind down routine before bed can help to improve the quality of your sleep. Also, avoiding screens like the TV, tablet, and phone before bed can help prepare your body for sleep. Pick an activity for before bed that you know will help you relax. It might be a bit of yoga, a bath, colouring or reading (goodness knows I regularly fall asleep on top of my book).
Again, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Just pick one easy ritual to practice and the more you practice, the easier it will become.
We really love helping people figure out their own daily rituals. If you are struggling to get a daily ritual going, or you not sure what it should look like, we can help!
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