7 Transformative Steps To A Healthy Lifestyle

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Did you know that 43% of Americans find it challenging to maintain a healthy lifestyle in modern times? It's no surprise with all the technology, hustle culture, and fast food everywhere. You might think staying healthy is impossible, but there's still hope! In this article, you’ll discover seven transformative steps to discover a healthier and happier self. Here’s what you need to know about a healthy lifestyle and how to make it a reality!

What is a healthy lifestyle?

Before you can learn how to make a healthy lifestyle, it’s important to understand what it is. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to live as a dedicated athlete or a dietary monk. A healthy lifestyle is about having a consistent set of habits and decisions that improve your well-being. This includes dieting, being active, and focusing on your body’s needs.

As you might imagine, a healthy lifestyle offers plenty of benefits to your mental and physical shape. Firstly, it helps you stay energized and active. It also nourishes your body by clearing out toxins and increasing its performance. A healthy lifestyle can also give you a better confidence boost, especially when you see how much happier you can be. Lastly, maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle can help reduce the risk of severe illness and chronic diseases. With all those advantages, it’s clear that being healthy and safe is a win-win situation for your mind and your body!

Now, you might still argue that maintaining a healthy lifestyle is impossible nowadays. However, it depends on how you choose to live your life. You don’t need to reside in the woods or rely on veggie smoothies until the end of time. Instead, the trick to a healthy lifestyle is to make serious and dedicated changes in your normal routine.

For example, why settle for a plate of cookies when you can enjoy some apples or cashews? Why not go for a nice walk around the block instead of lying in bed, browsing your phone? Even choosing to stand up for five minutes each hour can do wonders for your body. Remember, it’s not about making drastic changes; a healthy lifestyle is about changing habits and choosing to protect your body every day!

Why is it hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle?

Having a healthy lifestyle offers plenty of advantages, but it’s no walk in the park. As mentioned earlier, 43% of Americans struggle to maintain it. Even the most dedicated and determined can struggle to make that happen. To help you understand why, here are three big challenges that can disrupt or prevent your healthy lifestyle.

Time mismanagement

One of the biggest reasons for unhealthy habits can all boil down to time. Meal prepping and cooking may be healthier options, but people might worry more about the minutes required to make it happen. It seems easier to buy some takeout food from the nearest restaurant than to try and make a salad.

It’s not just for food, either. The Department of Health advises getting at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. However, when taking into account the hours needed for work, travel, and other activities, exercise seems problematic. If you want to live healthily, you need to organize your schedule and find time for these wholesome habits. If you can squeeze in at least one hour of health-centric tasks, like cooking whole foods or stretching your body every day, then you can adjust your schedule to stay fit and right.

All-or-nothing mentality

Another reason why people struggle to commit to healthy lifestyles is the all-or-nothing mentality. Imagine that you’ve been able to keep to a strict vegetarian diet for over a month. It’s tough, but you managed to live with it on a daily basis. Then, one evening, you get invited to a party with a nice buffet. At the urging of your friends and family, you give in and enjoy yourself. However, a part of you worries that you’ve wrecked your entire diet because you ate some meat or a cake slice. You feel that you’ve violated your diet, so what do you do? You throw your hands up and decide to get a lot more cake and fatty foods.

Now, this is not uncommon when talking about dieting or exercise. There are plenty of people who feel that if they can’t enjoy one diet trend or one exercise routine, then they’d rather give up. However, not giving 100% doesn’t mean you’ve done nothing. All healthy lifestyle choices, from the food you eat to the workouts you do, should always be in moderation. If you’re addicted to sugar, you shouldn’t expect to suddenly drop it all in one day. The trick is to move slowly and reduce the bad as you add the good. Eating fewer snacks and being more active can lead to better results than trying one day of complete fasting or intense weightlifting.

Costs and expenses

There’s no denying the truth: a healthy lifestyle can be expensive. Buying whole foods and non-fatty ingredients or snacks can cost a pretty penny. Plus, things like gym memberships or meal prep plans are not easy to maintain every month. You’ll likely find that there is a hefty price tag for each of these options. Because of this, you might not be looking to live healthier when you need to protect your finances.

However, what you might not realize is that there are plenty of cost-effective options for a wholesome lifestyle. There are plenty of YouTube channels, instructional videos, and online articles that can help your diet and exercise regime. You can learn how to cook your favorite meals while using healthier, more affordable ingredients. You can also practice exercises or workout plans that come in multiple playlists and classes. Plus, the simple act of refusing snacks or sticking to water can save you plenty of cash while improving your health over time. You don’t need a hefty price tag to make better, healthier decisions!

What steps can I take to build a healthy lifestyle?

Now that you know what makes a healthy lifestyle tough to maintain, you can start tackling the issue. There are many ways to work around the limitations mentioned above. Here are seven different steps you can take to shape your life toward a healthier path. Keep in mind that while these tips can help you, the key to success is always consistency!

1. Regulate your glycemic levels.

Glycemic levels measure the amount of sugar in your blood. With the help of a glycemic index (GI), you can measure how fast carbs turn into blood sugar. The higher the GI, the faster your blood sugar will rise. By eating lots of carbs or sugary foods, your blood sugar will spike and can lead to complications, like diabetes.

If you want to transform your life to be healthier, start by regulating what kind of food you eat. Controlling your glycemic level doesn’t necessarily mean giving up on carbs. Instead, think of it as moderating how much you eat at a time. If you’re a fan of donuts or candies, swap them out for healthier alternatives. For example, you can explore fruits and vegetables to keep yourself full throughout the day. Plus, you won’t suffer from those dreaded sugar crashes!

In addition to a better diet, exercise can help you lower your glycemic levels. A study by the Sports Medicine journal found that walking after meals can do the trick. In fact, dedicating as little as five minutes of walking will be more than enough to help your digestion. With a little bit of effort and focus, you can protect your body from serious long-term problems.

2. Use healthier ingredients.

A common myth that people have about diets is that they can’t be fun or tasty. You might think that cutting out sugar means completely eliminating all snacks or treats from your life. After all, it’s not easy to simply give up tasty food, especially if it’s been part of your lifestyle for years. More importantly, it’s not fair to assume that you should turn cold turkey in a day.

To help ease the transition from an unhealthy diet to a healthier one, consider using alternative ingredients. There are plenty of safer options for baking and cooking your favorite foods. For example, try using almond flour for making your cupcakes or cookies. This option is free of both wheat and gluten, rich in magnesium, and packed with lots of Vitamin E. It’ll keep you feeling satisfied for longer and it’ll help you cut down refined sugar from your diet!

3. Drink water and tea to curb cravings.

Did you know that drinking two cups of water before a meal can help you feel full? A 2015 study found this practice to be more effective in maintaining a diet than those who tried to imagine having full stomachs. One reason why is that many people mistake hunger for thirst; without proper hydration, your body will want more calories and crave more nutrients. Sometimes, the simplest way to control your sugar demand is to drink a glass of water.

If water doesn’t quench your craving, there are other ways to tackle it. For instance, you can drink tea with monk fruit or other types of fruit. Both are healthy ingredients and keep your calorie count low while providing a much-needed energy boost. Plus, the caffeine levels in tea are milder than those found in coffee. In other words, you’ll satisfy your sweet tooth and get a nice boost of power!

4. Eat earlier for better sleep

When was the last time that you ate dinner? Specifically, think of the exact hour that you ate dinner. If you eat around 7 PM, it might lead to more issues than you think. You see, eating dinner late can cause discomfort when you sleep. Nighttime is when the body needs to rest, so if it’s busy digesting, it won’t get enough time to recharge. Plus, you run the risk of waking up in the middle of the night to clean your system. Furthermore, poor sleep can cause your body to feel hungrier over time. This can cause an increased appetite and weight gain. In short, better sleep can help you lose weight and live healthily!

To sleep better, aim for your last meal to be at least two hours before bedtime. The sooner you digest your meal, the less likely your sleep will be disrupted. Plus, it can help you lose weight. Studies show that individuals who practiced good sleeping habits managed to get an extra hour of sleep, compared to their previous routine. It also showed that they ate 270 calories less per day and lost nearly a pound of weight. So if you sleep better, you can help your body shed those calories and enjoy more rest over time!

5. Limit water intake at night

Restrict water consumption to daytime hours to reduce nighttime bathroom trips and improve sleep quality.

Food isn’t the only thing you should avoid taking before you sleep. This might sound ridiculous, but drinking water late at night can also be an issue. While it’s essential to stay hydrated, doing so at night can lead to unwanted trips to the bathroom. Imagine how tiring it is to wake up at 2 AM to do your business.

That said, don’t neglect your body’s need to stay hydrated. Aim to drink water throughout the day. Then, slow down your intake by nighttime. To be safe, have both your last meal and cup of water at least two hours before bed. That way, you can enjoy an extended, uninterrupted rest.

6. Break the TV-snacking cycle

A study on TV viewing and eating habits showed that over 51% of respondents snacked while channel surfing. They ate much more and for longer periods of time than those who did not snack while watching TV. If you have this habit, you might also be overeating as you watch your favorite shows. This can lead to added calories and cause more complications to your health in the long run.

To avoid these issues, you have to reel back your snacking habits while watching. You can start by having a different habit or hobby while your show is on. For instance, you can practice walking around or stretching during every commercial break. If you want to snack, consider going for another glass of water instead. By switching your responses to something healthier, you’ll soon shed those calories and keep your body fit and ready.

7. Add healthy fats to your diet.

The best way to control your diet is to eat the right kinds of food. One of the most important sources of nutrients is healthy fats. That’s right, there is such a thin as healthy fats. These can boost your body in several ways, from energizing your brain to reducing cholesterol. Look for foods rich in healthy fats, such as avocados and olive oil. If you eat this during your last meal for the day, you’re less likely to crave or feel hungry. Not only are these options delicious, but they can keep you feeling satisfied for a long time.

Takeaways:

A healthy lifestyle is about consistent habits and decisions that improve your well-being, including diet, physical activity, and focus on body's needs.
The benefits of a healthy lifestyle include more energy, better body performance, improved confidence, and reduced risk of serious illness.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle isn't about drastic changes but altering habits gradually for your body's benefit.
Many people find it hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle due to the following reasons:

Time mismanagement: Preparing healthy meals and doing regular exercise can be time-consuming, so some find it too stressful to deal with.
All-or-nothing mentality: Many people feel that if they can't adhere 100% to a diet or exercise routine, they've failed. This causes them to abandon their healthy habits.
Costs and expenses: Maintaining healthy lifestyle can be expensive, which can discourage people from trying it. It's important to remember that small, consistent changes to your lifestyle can have a significant impact on your health over time.

There are seven transformative steps you can take to build a healthier lifestyle:

Regulate your glycemic levels: Control your sugar intake and exercise regularly to manage your blood sugar levels.
Use healthier ingredients: Swap out unhealthy ingredients in your recipes for healthier alternatives, like almond flour in place of regular flour.
Drink water and tea: Stay hydrated and curb cravings with water or tea, which can also help you feel full.
Eat earlier for better sleep: Try to have your last meal at least two hours before bedtime for better sleep and weight management.
Limit water intake at night: Avoid drinking large amounts of water close to bedtime to minimize nighttime bathroom trips and enhance sleep quality.
Break the TV-snacking cycle: Avoid excessive snacking while watching TV by engaging in other activities or opting for healthier snack options.
Add healthy fats to your diet: Include foods rich in healthy fats, like avocados and olive oil, to your diet to boost your energy and reduce cholesterol levels.

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