Establishing A Healthy Lifestyle Doesn’t Need To Be Hard

Establishing a healthy lifestyle doesn’t need to be hard. One thing I have no doubts you’ve learned is that quick fixes or diets don’t work. You’ll stick to them for a while but before too long you will revert back to your old ways. For you to bring about long lasting change you need to be committed, think about what you do, and create new, good habits. That’s because we are creatures of habit and it is our habits that will enable us to be successful in establishing a healthy lifestyle.

What is a habit?

A habit is a routine of behaviour that is repeated regularly and tends to occur unconsciously. In the American Journal of Psychology it is defined in this way: “A habit, from the standpoint of psychology, is a more or less fixed way of thinking, willing, or feeling acquired through previous repetition of a mental experience.” Wikipedia

The process by which new behaviours become automatic is habit formation. As behaviours are repeated on a consistent basis they will become habits. The reason for this is that any behavioural pattern repeated on a regular basis will become imprinted in our minds neural pathways

If you are going to be successful in establishing a healthy lifestyle you just need to create better, healthier habits. This generally takes about thirty days. If you repeat an action every day for 30 days you will establish this action as a habit.

Knowing this means that establishing a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be hard or overwhelming, but infact quite possible. So let me suggest some really simple, but vitally important changes if you want to begin establishing a healthy lifestyle.

Drink Healthily

Maybe I should title this step as cut out coffee, canned pops and alcohol. The next time you pick up a drink I want you to ask yourself – is this good for me? Sugary beverages are of no benefit to you in the slightest containing no essential nutrients and worse still regular consumption may lead to weight gain, obesity, reduced bone strength and tooth decay.

Our bodies need water to function properly and because we can’t store water we need to drink it every day. Water is needed for most of our body functions and the general consensus is that the average adult should be drinking at least two litres of water each day. Green Tea has a whole host of health benefits. It is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients that have powerful effects on the body.

Drinking water is like washing out your insides. The water will cleanse the system, fill you up, decrease your caloric load and improve the function of all your tissues. Kevin R. Stone

Eat Healthily

Think before you eat. How often have you just grabbed a sandwich from a petrol station shop, consumed a take away meal or grabbed a bar of chocolate to stave of hunger. Before doing this, if you asked yourself ‘will this bring any health benefits’ you wouldn’t eat them particular if you are committed to establishing a healthy lifestyle. By paying attention to what you are actually putting in your mouth is going to benefit you enormously. Consuming the right nutrition is necessary to live a healthy lifestyle. You need to be making the right choices. It’s going to take thought, thinking about what is good for me to eat. Adopting this way of being into your life will bring incredible benefits.

“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.”  La Rochefoucauld

Exercise Healthily

You will need to include fitness as part of your life. Physical fitness keeps your weight in check, helps you sleep better at night, prevents heart attacks and strokes and other health problems, and generally prolongs your life. Basically there are so many benefits of exercising that you really can’t live a full life without it. You need to do at least 30 minutes every single day. You could choose to play a sport, go to a gym, swim or just simply walk. Just choose something that you’d enjoy and you could keep doing day after day.

“Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness” Edward Stanley

Rest Healthily

You need to ensure you get the right amount of sleep. Research suggests that the ideal amount of sleep may be eight hours a night although some people may need more others less. Again, it’s about listening to your body and making note of the amount of sleep that makes you feel at your best. You also need to rest your mind at intervals during the day. Just closing your eyes and concentrating on your breathing will give you both rest and relaxation.

Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together. Thomas Dekker

So my suggestion to you today is think before you act.

Drink water. Cut out the sodas, alcohol and reduce coffee. If you want a hot beverage choose Green Tea.

When it comes to eating you know already I’m sure the types of things you have to resist. The packet of crisps, bar of chocolate or tub of ice-cream. I get it; it’s delicious, but it does you absolutely no good! Before you consume anything ask yourself am I making a healthy choice.

Sitting at a desk all day, then the couch does you no good at all. Your body needs to be exercised. So establish a routine that can be as simple as a nice brisk walk for 30 minutes every day.
Turn that television off, or walk away from your computer before you get into whatever is on or you start doing something else. Take yourself to bed at a time that will allow you to sleep for 8 hours.

There you have 4 simple thinks you need to do if you’re going to start establishing a healthy lifestyle.

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