You have decided to make some changes in your lifestyle. First, congratulations! That is absolutely wonderful. The first step to changing something in your life is by exploring your options and finding everything you can on the given topic. Hopefully, this post will bring you a step closer to leading a healthier lifestyle!
Exercise Regularly
Exercise is the key to longevity, health and overall happiness. There are so many different physical activities out there that there is absolutely no excuse for not participating in at least one of them. Even if you are afraid for your knees or ankles you can always invest in a knee brace from Your Best Brace and forget about your worries.
If you don’t know where to start the easiest way is to make small changes. So instead of the elevator, use the stairs, instead of driving go for a walk. Gradually this will become normal and eventually you will want to push your limits further. You can try running which has been shown to do wonders for decreasing blood pressure, increasing mental stability and productivity.
You can go swimming, which is probably one of the more fun activities. You can trick your brain into thinking you are just having fun with dancing. Even around the house, why not? Basketball, football, baseball, tennis – these are all great sports. Have someone come with you the beginning and soon after sport will become a part of your life.
Cut out Processed Food
Processed food has a bad reputation and there is a good reason behind that. It has been linked to obesity, high blood pressure and the rise of Type 2 diabetes. So why do we still eat processed food? Well, it’s convenient, fast and usually quite tasty. But so can be healthy food, if prepared in a good way.
When someone says processed food the first thing that comes to mind are burgers, french fries or pizza. But processed food is everything that has been “processed” somehow. So everything that has been cooked, frozen, canned or packaged. When we cook food we are processing it. But what processed food should we absolutely cut out?
Everything that has added sweeteners, spices, oils, colors and preservatives. Then all those ready to eat products like crackers, granola, chips… And the most processed foods of them all are prepackaged meals like frozen pizza and microwave dinners. All of that food has a lot of sugar and salt which aren’t doing any good for your heart, blood pressure, and waistline. These should definitely stay out of your shopping list.
Practice Mindfulness
With all of the social media, movies, endless shows on Netflix, we tend to get easily distracted. We can spend hours and hours watching TV without actually getting anything done. As a result, that bring us negative feelings like anxiety, irritability, and depression.
Nowadays everyone is competing for your attention and the only real attention you should be having is for the present moment. Mindfulness is a form of psychological practice which trains your brain to become aware of its surroundings, feelings, and thoughts.
How many times have you caught yourself standing in a room now knowing why you came there in the first place? That’s because we are distracted by everything surrounding us. We don’t pay enough attention to our thoughts and get easily lost in them.
Mindfulness has been proven to increase one’s overall quality of life. We focus on the present moment and realize that everything is fine and is exactly where it needs to be. You become calmer and your past and future don’t have any control of you any more. It has also been shown that it can increase your creativity because your flow of thought becomes free from any judgement or a feeling of anxiety.
Spend Your Time in Nature
The concrete jungle we live in can get the best of us sometimes. Busy streets, masses of people and the constant noise can really be overwhelming. Not to mention that a lot of people spend their days in workplaces with fluorescent light or in front of computers. This can really have a negative influence on your mental health.
Spending time in nature has been proven to do wonders for our mind, body, and soul. People who go out to camp regularly have said that they feel more connected to nature, to their thoughts and have learned to appreciate the beauty of life.
You can go out hiking, fishing, camping, walking through the forest whatever you choose. It will have a therapeutic effect on you. Studies have shown that people who spend their weekend in nature are less likely to become anxious, depressed, are more creative and can focus better.
Walking through a forest clears your mind as nothing can. The calm and serene atmosphere gives you another perspective and that’s why people tend to think more creatively. Any kind of change of scenery can boost your imagination. Not to mention all the fresh oxygen you will get.
Replace TV with Books
Not just TV, but your phone, tablet, and computer. Although there are some great TV shows, documentaries and phenomenal movies out there, spending too much time in front of the screen can become really bad for you. Your eyes, your spine and attention span are all are in big danger.
There were numerous studies that show that spending too much time in front of the screen can permanently damage your eyesight. Furthermore sitting is also not good for you. It hurts your spine and promotes laziness. As for the attention span, it has been shown that being in front of the TV can really damage your cognitive performance.
People who read books tend to be more empathetic, eloquent speakers and more knowledgeable on various topics. While reading people tend to immerse themselves in the lives of the characters. As though the thing that they’re reading is happening to a close friend or a relative. It’s also been shown that people who read before going to bed, tend to rest better and have sweet dreams.
Conclusion
Hopefully, these tips will help you to start your changes towards a healthier lifestyle. You can incorporate these good habits one by one, from one you find the hardest to the one you find the easiest. As soon as you break the first barrier everything else will be much simpler and come with ease.
