A healthy lifestyle is one of the fundamentals of personal development. Without first putting your health first, you have little chance of improving your life.
Even if you have the best resources in the world, you won’t be able to take advantage of them if you’re not healthy. Of course, a lot of individuals, including myself, struggle with various illnesses on a daily basis. To live your best life, however, we must work toward achieving optimal health despite the illnesses.
You need to think about a variety of factors to start living a healthy lifestyle, such as getting enough sleep each night, eating wholesome foods, and exercising. So simple to say! I am aware of how challenging it is to put into practice. But, there are those busier than you who manage to do all of this, so you can too.
It all depends on your personal priorities when it comes to your health. There is nothing in life that is simple. The people who frequently share photos of their smoothie bowls and six-pack bodies on Instagram put in a lot of time and effort to make it happen. It’s because they’ve prioritized it.
1. Change your eating habits
When it comes to food, there is no life without eating your favorite chocolate cake or pizza loaded with cheese. But save those for occasional treats.
I do not believe in following trendy diets or any diet which helps you lose weight fast only to gain back double of it later. I believe in cleaning out your existing diet without compromising much on the foods you love.
WHAT IS HEALTHY EATING?
Healthy eating is, becoming more conscious of what you put into your body rather than just following your craving for instant gratification from sugary and processed foods. Healthy eating is, being mindful of what you eat and taking a decision to stop torturing your body with junk food.
To make sure you get all the nutrition you need, it’s good to plan your meals in advance. Make sure you include a different variety of fruits, vegetables, and protein in your weekly menu so that your diet is balanced.
Foods to avoid/ reduce in your diet:
Junk foods that do not provide any nutritional value, like
Processed foods
Sugary drinks
Foods that contain trans fat (donuts, cakes, fried salty snacks etc.)
Fast food
Soda and carbonated drinks
Packaged ready-to-eat food items
Foods containing artificial flavors
Make changes slowly
Since your aim is to start a healthy lifestyle and not a diet, make gradual changes over time.
If you are used to drinking 10 cups of coffee a day, don’t reduce it to 3 cups at once. As I said, do simple swaps and reduce the intake of junk food slowly and gradually. After a while, you will crave for healthy meals more than junk.
2. Be more active
Starting a healthy lifestyle definitely includes taking care of your fitness by being more active and doing exercise.
The human body is designed to move constantly. Therefore, try to be more active by doing what you love. It could be dancing, doing yoga, walking, or lifting weights.
3. Improve your mental health
There is no health without mental health.
If you are physically fit, but your mind struggles with issues like anxiety, emotional outbursts, depression, eating disorders etc, you need to cure it.
We all waste no time to get to a physician if our body gets sick. But due to the stigma surrounding mental health issues, many people suffer silently. But thanks to the new awareness many people now understand that having a mental illness is normal and it is absolutely okay to seek treatment.
