When you have been engaging in the same lifestyle habits for several years it may look easy to just change over to living a more positive lifestyle. The truth is that it’s not as easy as you think. Taking small steps towards changing your lifestyle habits is the only way to be successful, especially when you’re changing your eating habits at the same time.
Some of the most harmful lifestyle habits are ones you may not even realize you are engaging in. These habits may include the following:
• Drinking in excess
• Smoking
• Using recreational drugs
• Engaging in risky sexual behavior
• Allowing stress into your life
• Poor time management and balance between work, family and recreation
It is has been proven that living a healthier lifestyle promotes a strong immune system, a longer life expectancy, a decreased risk of getting life-threatening illnesses, and an overall sound body and mind. Here are some of the most important ways to start changing your poor lifestyle habits into positive lifestyle changes.
Exercise
Physical activity is a staple in living a healthier lifestyle. Many people have no desire to exercise or engage in any type of physical activity. Not only does exercising increase the production of endorphins which promotes happiness and satisfaction, it makes you feel better mentally and increases your confidence level. If this is true, why has every excuse in the book been used to get out of exercising? Some of the biggest complaints or concerns about not exercising include:
1. No time
2. No energy
3. Too much work to do
4. Too many family commitments
5. Too expensive to join a gym
6. Don’t feel comfortable exercising in front of people in better shape than them
7. Don’t feel comfortable using the equipment
Well, these may all be valid reasons but if lack of confidence or not having money to pay for a membership then there is no problem. There are many simple exercises that you do every day that can help you lose weight and battle fat. Exercising doesn’t have to be a full blow-out gym workout. Smaller activities can provide just as much of a benefit as busting your rear in the gym. Some examples include:
1. Taking a walk at a slower pace
2. Walking your pet or a neighbor’s pet
3. Riding your bike instead of driving
4. Doing chores around the house such as gardening, cleaning the house and mowing the lawn.
These are all a great start to jump starting your system and springing into action. Start off slow rather than going full force at a gym. If you are significantly overweight or considered obese it is best to start off slow and work yourself up to going to the gym. In order to maximize your results, you should engage in a gym workout 2 to 3 times a week or do some type of physical exercise for at least 30 minutes every day.
Keep yourself Active
An active lifestyle usually results in a healthy lifestyle. Regular physical activity is extremely important to maintain our fitness levels although it can easily be ignored. The great thing is that exercising doesn’t necessary mean joining a gym or hiring a personal trainer. Instead of hitting the gym think about other ways you can introduce more physical activity into your regular routine. Walk up the stairs instead of taking the escalator or an elevator. Instead of driving to work, walk to work. Even something as simple as keeping up on daily chores can give you enough exercise to help improve your overall health. It only takes 30 minutes a day to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Some easy tips for keeping active include:
• Joining sports teams
• Turning the television off and find more physical things that you enjoy doing such as gardening
• Take a walk during your lunch break
• Keep up on your daily chores such as cleaning and scrubbing the house
These small changes to your daily routine can make a world of difference towards a healthier and more fulfilling lifestyle. One very important thing to remember is to not make these changes all at once. Make a long term plan with short term goals that you know you can easily meet and introduce into your daily routine over time.
Take a Break from the Internet
Make a point of getting away from every type of technology you can several times a week. Sitting around browsing the Internet keeps you from getting up and moving around. Instead of chatting with people online, playing games or engaging in social media, change it up 2 to 3 times a week by going out and doing something fun with your family and/or friends. Take a walk, play games with your children, have a cookout, take a spa day, or do anything else that is enjoyable to you where you won’t be involved with using modern technology. This will not only keep you active but it will improve your social skills.
Change to a Healthier Lifestyle
The word “lifestyle” means way of life or routine. Living a healthier lifestyle doesn’t just end at changing your diet, exercising or adopting positive social skills. Your habits and hobbies should be healthy, too. Some of the ways you can do this include:
• Avoid drinking in excess
• Stop taking recreational drugs
• Quite smoking
• Get enough sleep
• Start thinking more positive
• Avoid stress and anything that will cause anxiety
Dieting and exercising are not the sole answer in living a healthier lifestyle. Avoid smoking cigarettes and avoid using drugs and alcohol. Stress levels differ from one person to another. These stressors can come from a variety of factors:
1. Family
2. Financial
3. Personal
4. Issues with peers
5. Work-related stress
The most important step in combating stress is identifying these stressors and then take steps to delete them from your life. Once you have identified these stressors you can begin to work on the underlying causes. One of the most beneficial ways to help you identify these stressors is by writing in a stress journal. The things to keep track of in your journal should include:
• What caused your stress
• How you felt emotionally and physically
• A detailed description of the environment you were in and who you were with
• Your personal reactions to the situation
• What you did to make yourself feel better
Once you have clearly identified the triggers to your stress you should attempt to change your situation by alteration or avoidance. Once you’ve done this, starting working on changing your reactions by accepting and adapting. Be sure to make time for fun and relaxation.
Sleep is one of the most crucial and most important things you can change to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Sleep is extremely crucial for many reasons.
1. Sleep regenerates, refuels and energizes your body and mind.
2. Sleep increases your ability to think more clearly and react in an appropriate manner when stressful situations arise.
3. Sleep helps give you the stamina and motivation to engage in the many aspects of your life that you enjoy.
