Taking Baby Steps Towards Improved Health
Changing your lifestyle around for the better isn’t as easy as you might imagine. You may very well know what adjustments need to be made to evolve physically and mentally, but knowing and doing are two separate things. Letting go of bad habits and incorporating new routines is a process that doesn’t happen overnight.
Rather than becoming discouraged with turning your health around, take smaller steps. Essentially, don’t try to consume an entire pie at once, instead eat it slice by slice. Breaking larger goals of dieting, exercising, reducing stress, and other health factors, into smaller ones, makes it easier to accomplish. Below, you’ll find a few examples:
Switch to Vaping
Trying to put those cigarettes down? Giving up smoking cold turkey can prove challenging. On top of strong cravings, there are also nicotine withdrawal symptoms that can be hard to cope with. Instead of giving it up altogether, consider switching to vaping. Though they still contain nicotine, the effects of vaping are fewer than smoking cigarettes. Not to mention, they have liquids with varying levels of nicotine so you can reduce the dosage over time until you’re ready to quit.
Find One Healthy Alternative Each Month
You know you shouldn’t be eating fast food, sweet treats, and other processed foods, but they taste so good. So, the idea of chucking everything in the cabinets in the garbage and eating nothing but fruits and veggies can seem impossible. Don’t go overboard just yet. Instead, pick a snack or fast food you love and find a healthy alternative. For instance, if you love potatoes, swap them out for sweet potatoes. They make great chips and fries. Stick to this regimen for at least 30 days then, pick another food and continue until you’re eating more healthy foods.
Unplug for 1 hour Every Day
Technology has become so intertwined in everyday life that going without a screen or device of some kind for more than a few minutes seems crippling. Too much screen time is not only bad for you physically, but it can also result in mental health problems. If you can’t imagine unplugging for a full day or several hours of the day, start with an hour. As you get comfortable with this freedom, increase the time by 30 minutes to an hour.
Drink a Glass of Water with Every Meal
Most of the nation’s population is dehydrated. Dehydration, however, can lead to a multitude of physical and mental health problems. That’s why it is recommended that the average adult drink at least half of their body weight in ounces of water each day. That may seem like a lot of water. Don’t start gulping down a gallon a day or more. Try drinking water with every meal. Then add a glass of water every morning when you wake up and an hour before bed. Then, continue to increase with time. If you hate water, adding fruit or flavoring to it can help you get it down easier.
Take a 5 Minute Walk After Dinner
Fitting exercise into your hectic schedule might be impossible. There’s also the fact that finding the motivation to stick to a routine is challenging. You need to get active to improve your well-being, but don’t splurge on that gym membership or commit yourself to an hour a day just yet. Start with a walk after dinner for at least 5 minutes. Keep this up every day for at least 2 weeks then increase it by 5 minutes until you’re active at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
Spend 5 Minutes Alone in the Morning
The days can be long, hectic, and stressful. This all wreaks havoc on your physical and mental well-being. To keep stress at bay, it is recommended that you find ways to do things you enjoy, meditate, and relax. Finding the time to do this, however, is another story. Start with just 5 minutes every morning to yourself. You can pray, meditate, listen to music, read, or just sit in silence. As you find the peace that comes with dedicating the first few minutes of your day to self-care, increase the time.
Everyone wants to be healthy and live long, happy, lives. Yet, to accomplish this often comes with great sacrifice and discipline. If you’ve been struggling to adopt healthy lifestyle habits, perhaps you’re simply biting off more than you can chew. Reconsider your efforts and goals and break them down into smaller ones that you can easily master. Though setbacks are bound to still happen, if you keep at it and only add to the list once you’ve accomplished one goal, you will see success.
