8 Ways to Jumpstart Your Healthy Lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle starts with knowing what you should and shouldn’t do to keep yourself happy and fit. Here are 8 ways to jumpstart your healthy lifestyle.
1) Start Exercising
Moving your body for at least 30 minutes a day is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your health. In fact, some of our risk factors for heart disease and stroke (including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity) are reduced by as much as half with regular physical activity. Start slowly if you’re not used to exercising; walking is a great way to get moving.
2) Begin Eating Healthy
Eating healthy isn’t about cutting out all carbs, fats, and sugars. Eating healthy is about moderation. It’s possible to stay healthy and feel great while enjoying your favorite foods—just do so in moderation. Start by cutting out added sugar from your diet. This means eliminating soda, juice drinks, candy bars, and other sweets. Instead of eating these empty calories, reach for a healthier snack like an apple or carrot stick.
3) Change Your Mindset
If you’re looking for a real, sustainable lifestyle change, it’s important to come at it from all angles. The first, and perhaps most important step, is adopting a mindset that will set you up for success. Because what you think about—whether it’s love or fitness—shows up in your reality. So if you want to get fit, don’t just tell yourself that you’re going to exercise more; actually make plans on how you’ll do it. And as much as we can try to control our thoughts and actions, research suggests that people who believe they have free will are ultimately happier than those who don’t. So make sure you believe it!
4) Practice Gratitude
People who cultivate an attitude of gratitude have a greater sense of well-being, as well as better relationships. At night, before you go to bed, think about three things that went right in your day. Make it a habit and you’ll train your brain to be more positive. It can also help combat stress, depression, and anxiety.
5) Adopt Self-Care Habits
An essential part of a healthy lifestyle is taking care of yourself. Investing in your own well-being enables you to live healthier, feel better, and function at your best throughout your life. Start incorporating these self-care habits into your daily routine and see how they positively impact your quality of life. Get more rest, exercise regularly, connect with others, eat well and take time for relaxation.
6) Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is essential for a healthy lifestyle. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body and mind are not as sharp as they could be and it can take longer to perform even routine tasks. Getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night allows your body and mind time to rest, repair damage from everyday wear-and-tear, and recharge for another day.
7) Find an Accountability Partner
Our social relationships affect how we live. But if you’re trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, your friends might not understand what you’re doing. One way around that is finding an accountability partner—someone who understands your goals and will help hold you accountable for achieving them. No one else has as much of a vested interest in helping you stay healthy as they do! They can also share their expertise about starting and maintaining a lifestyle that supports your goals.
8) Make Healthy Living Fun!
Too often, we fall into a repetitive routine with our health—eat, sleep, work. Maybe a little TV or movie-watching sprinkled in for good measure. The problem is when we fall into these ruts, we get bored. This boredom can lead us down some not-so-healthy paths (i.e., extra desserts here and there). Whether you’re taking up running or volunteering at a soup kitchen—or something else entirely—there are lots of ways to make healthy living fun! You just have to think outside of your regular routine.
Plus, being more active will help you feel better about yourself as well as boost your energy levels so that you’ll be able to tackle all those other things on your plate! If a full-on lifestyle change isn't for you right now, try starting small by swapping out one unhealthy habit with a healthier one. If a soda has been a staple in your diet lately, replace it with water or add fruit slices to spice it up. Over time, do what works best for you and watch how much better you feel!