Staying healthy doesn’t need to be complicated. There are plenty of small changes you can make to make it easier to lead a healthier lifestyle. You don’t need to spend a lot of money or do anything difficult. There are plenty of changes that you can make alone or as a family.
- Walk more. Walking is one of the easiest forms of exercise you can do, and it’s very easy to fit more of it into your daily life. Park further away from the supermarket. Get off the bus a stop earlier than usual. Take a walk on your lunch break. Go for a walk around the neighborhood in the evenings. Find ways to add more steps to your day. We’ve all heard the rule that we should try to get in 10,000 steps a day, but many of us aren’t reaching this. Most phones have a step counter built-in, so you can find out many steps you’re managing without buying anything. Why not make it a competition with the family? Maybe whoever has the most steps at the end of the week gets a prize, like ducking out of chores, or getting to choose a takeaway for dinner?
- Give up smoking. Smoking puts you at a higher risk of a lot of different health conditions, including lung cancer. It also impacts the health of those around you. There are lots of options to help you give up smoking, including classic options like nicotine patches and gum, to more unusual options like hypnosis. Some people find switching to e-cigarettes makes it easier to ditch the cigarettes. Vaping delivers the nicotine without the nasties of traditional cigarettes. Find out more at an online smoke shop.
- Cook at home. If you love to eat out, you’re probably eating a lot of extra calories without really thinking about it. The reason restaurant food tastes so good is that chefs cook with a lot of butter, cream, and other tasty ingredients that aren’t great for your health. Cooking at home gives you more control over what you eat. Avoid processed foods and cook with fresh ingredients as much as you can to cut out suspicious ingredients. When you cook yourself, you can have total control over the amount of things like salt and fat, so you can make healthier choices really easy for you and your family. Get the kids involved too, so they can learn to cook fresh, tasty, healthy meals for themselves too.
- Get more sleep. Sleep is important for physical and mental health. You’re only going to feel worse if you aren’t getting enough sleep. The best way to get enough sleep is to get into a routine. Try to go to bed and wake up at about the same time every day, even at weekends. This helps your body to feel ready for sleep when you head to bed, and ready to wake up when it’s time to start the day. A bedtime routine to unwind can help too. Avoid screens for about an hour before bed, as the blue light produced by things like your phone stimulates your brain and encourages it to stay awake. Instead, have a warm, caffeine-free, drink, do some relaxing stretches, or read a book.
- Drink more water. Being properly hydrated is great for your health. Water is good for your skin, your brain, and your organs. With enough hydration, your skin will look plumper, your organs and brain function better, and you will better levels of concentration. If you struggle to drink enough water, there are few simple tricks to up your intake. Have a big glass of water before a meal. Not only is this good for hydration, but it also helps you to feel full. Try adding fruits or veggies to your water if you don’t like it plain. Get in the habit of carrying around a water bottle to make it easier to sip water throughout the day.
- Find an exercise you enjoy. Just because something is great exercise doesn’t mean you should force yourself to do it if you don’t enjoy it. If you find something do that’s active and that you enjoy, you’re more likely to stick with it than you will if you’re dragging yourself to the gym or to the latest trendy class. Remember that things like dancing in your living room counts too! Whatever you enjoy, whether it’s swimming, a dance class, yoga, or jogging, get moving.
- Rearrange your fridge. Put fruits and vegetables into clear containers. Put these and other ingredients to make salads with, and healthy snacks like yogurt where they will be at eye level when you open the fridge. This means that when you open the fridge, these items will be the first ones you see and grab your attention, making you more likely to actually eat them.
- Improve your posture. Poor posture can lead to back pain, shoulder pain, and a host of problems. Good posture also makes you look taller and slimmer as an added bonus! While standing, imagine that there is a string attached to the top of your head, and someone is pulling it upward. If you spend a lot of your day sitting at a desk, make your desk setup as ergonomic as you can, and invest in a supportive desk chair. This will make you much more comfortable and protect you from a range of aches and pains caused by too much sitting.
- Stretch. This can help ease any aches and pains, especially for those with desk jobs. Always stretch after a workout to avoid any injuries. Even a few minutes spent on some gentle stretches can be enough to help.
- Cut back on alcohol. Don’t drink to get drunk on a regular basis, and instead save it for really special occasions. You can still have a casual drink on a Friday to celebrate the weekend, but limit yourself to just one or two alcoholic beverages in order to feel healthier and consume fewer calories.