When you google ?how to be healthy?, millions of search results appear. Every result that you click on will give you a completely different answer. You may see a range of things, such as:
- Keto is the best way to be healthy.
- Give up refined sugar for good.
- Don?t eat meat.
- Eat meat every day.
- Why eating carbohydrates is deadly.
- Drink celery juice every morning.
- Etc.
Confusing right?
Unfortunately, the health industry is becoming absolutely smothered with false and misleading information. It feels like almost every day there?s a new ?breakthrough method to get healthy, lose weight and live longer?. It?s exhausting?
Whilst there might occasionally be a legitimate ?breakthrough?, a vast majority of new health trends that pop up are primarily designed to separate you from your hard-earned money.
So, today I want to share with you how you can start to incorporate some (proven!) healthy habits into your life?
And no, I am not going to tell you to restrict or remove anything from your diet or life. When it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, you want to be satisfied and content ? not deprived and frustrated.
The Golden Rule For Healthy Habits ? Where To Start
The first thing I want you to focus on is adding into your life, rather than removing. When you focus on positives like adding extra veggies, drinking more water and incorporating more movement into your days, you are more likely to stay consistent and enjoy the process.
However, if you focus on removing (e.g., telling yourself no more chocolate, limiting carbohydrates, no sitting on the couch etc.), you end up resenting the process and feeling like living a healthy lifestyle is a chore.
If you focus on the right things, living a healthy lifestyle should be easy and enjoyable.
4 Simple, Healthy Habits
1. Move Your Body Every Day In A Way That Feels Good
Find a way of movement that feels good for you. It is true that social media paints a picture that movement should look like ?running?, ?gym?, ?Pilates? etc. However, if you do not enjoy any of these, that is okay. Movement/exercise does not have to be mainstream. If you love activities like rollerblading, handstands, skateboarding, surfing etc., then do these! They?re all forms of movement and are just as good as running or going to the gym.
My main piece of advice is to find a form of movement that you get excited about. This is how you are going to be able to stay consistent with it.
Living a healthy lifestyle is not about forcing yourself to do exercise that you hate. Rather, it is about finding something that lights you up inside and brings you joy.
An easy way to find something that you love is to think about your childhood. What activity did you absolutely love doing? For some, it might be playing a team sport ? for others, it might be being adventurous and exploring outside. Whatever it is, find what you love and stick at it.
2. Eat Nourishing Foods That Satisfy You Both Physically And Mentally
I mentioned that I wasn?t going to tell you to restrict any foods, didn?t I?
When it comes to your nutrition and eating in a way that you can maintain, you want to ensure that you are both mentally and physically satisfied after every single meal.
An easy way to learn this is to practice ?gentle nutrition?.
In simple terms, to practice gentle nutrition, I want you to ask yourself the following questions as you?re preparing every single meal:
- Is this meal meeting my nutritional requirements?
- Is this meal going to mentally satisfy me?
If you are eating plain, unflavoured chicken and rice for a dinner, but often find that you?re still craving more to eat after, then that probably means that your meal wasn?t mentally satisfying.
Honestly, taking the approach of gentle nutrition was a game-changer for me when I was on my own health journey. When I stopped forcing myself to have chicken and vegetables for a meal, and instead, had flavoursome pastas, curries, noodles etc., my afternoon and late-night snacking subsided. I became mentally and physically satisfied after every meal and didn?t crave anything else.
So, when you plan out your next meals, make sure that they are meals that you know you are going to love eating.
3. Drink Water
Sounds cliché, I know. But ensuring that you are drinking enough water is incredibly important for your health. Signs of dehydration could include the following:
- Dry mouth.
- Dry eyes.
- Headaches.
- Light headedness.
Ensuring you?re properly hydrated will help your body?s tissues and organs function properly. This is integral.
If you struggle to drink enough water every day, try some of the following methods:
- Drink herbal teas.
- Add diet cordial to your water for flavour.
- Start every morning with a glass of water.
- Drink a glass of water before each meal.
- Carry a drink bottle around with you.
Find a method of drinking water that works for you and perform the action until it becomes a non-negotiable habit.
4. Practice A Form Of Mindfulness Every Day ? Fill Your Own Cup Back Up
Yes, your mind needs nourishment too. If you want to be able to be there for others, you first must learn to be there for yourself. You can never pour from an empty cup.
Through personal experience and working 1on1 with clients, I find that this is, by far, the most difficult area for a lot of people to master. It?s also one of the most important areas of health. If your mind is not in the right place, you cannot expect your nutrition and movement to be effective.
Some ways to practice mindfulness include the following:
- Journaling.
- Meditation.
- Yoga.
- Surround yourself with nature.
- Slow walking.
- Spending quality time with people.
- Self-love. (Everyone has a different way of practising self-love. For some, all it takes is a morning coffee. For others, it?s getting a facial or going on a holiday.)
Again, find a form of mindfulness that works for you personally, and complete the action until it becomes a habit.
Next Steps & Conclusion
When it comes to living a healthy lifestyle that you can maintain, it is important to take it back to basics. Don?t overcomplicate it or overwhelm yourself!
Start small and build up from there...
Little by little, a little becomes a lot.