Easy ways to boost your health and wellbeing during your day

What a difference a day makes, and with a few simple additions to your daily routine you could well be singing the same tune, enjoying improvements to your mental and physical health. 

Dr Michael Mosley guides you through many different ways to achieve healthier and happier living. Here’s a selection of his tips which you might like to incorporate into your day… 

Go for an early morning walk 

Even on the dullest of days, going for a brisk walk before starting your day, it will give you a burst of morning light that will stop the production of the sleep hormone melatonin and signal to the body that the day has begun. The jump-starting of your body clock with a morning walk will help you sleep better in the evening. 

Have a cold shower 

If you start the day with a shower, think about turning down the temperature. Even just a 30-second cold shower every morning can be beneficial. 

Drink water 

Water makes up 60% of our bodies and 90% of our brains, and even a loss of 1-2% body water can affect mental capacity so it’s vital to stay hydrated. Taking regular sips from a water bottle could make reaching the target of two litres a of water a day that much easier. Watching over your water intake means that you maintain kidney function, keep your skin hydrated and improve short-term memory. 

Read a novel 

At the end of the day, it’s very tempting to flop on the sofa and binge the latest box set. However, reading a novel for 15-30 minutes instead staying up late to finish a TV series could have a significant impact on your readiness for the next day. This is because reading fiction increases connectivity in the brain and create new neural pathways. If you’re still not convinced to pick up a book, a study suggests that people who read for 30 minutes a day live nearly two years longer than those that don’t!