Looking to improve your overall wellbeing? Here are some key tips to help you lead a healthier lifestyle that can jumpstart your journey to improved health and happiness.
Staying healthy in the modern day with smartphones, fast food, and other forms of distraction can be increasingly difficult. In fact, life expectancy in the United States has fallen to its lowest level since 1996 for a variety of reasons. Learning how to lead a healthier lifestyle can help anyone find ways to bolster their lifespan while also feeling happier and more fulfilled on a day-to-day basis.
What is a Healthy Lifestyle?
Given that what is defined as “health” is so broad, understanding what exactly a healthy lifestyle is can be challenging. The best way to go about this is to start by outlining exactly what a lifestyle is. Defined simply, a lifestyle is simply the way in which a person lives their life, utilizing the habits that they have built for day-to-day life. Lifestyle can vary dramatically based on a person’s work, personal life, social life, and other factors.
To that end, a healthy lifestyle can look different from person-to-person. However, defined generally, a healthy lifestyle is simply one that places a priority on bolstering physical, mental, and emotional health through the use of positive habits on a daily basis integrated with a person’s normal life.
10 Habits for Leading a Healthier Lifestyle
While there is no single right answer to what a healthy lifestyle actually looks like, the following ten tips are among the most important for anybody to start using in their daily life:
- Protect yourself physically and emotionally
First and foremost, it’s important to always protect yourself on both a physical and emotional level. These factors have a major impact on your mental health, which, in turn, also impacts your overall health. For example, rather than ignoring a potential injury from a slip and fall accident, visit a doctor. Likewise, if you experience a large amount of stress or anxiety in your life, consider reaching out to a therapist or mental health professional.
- Drink more water on a daily basis
Water is the fuel the body needs to keep functioning at its highest level. It is recommended that adult males drink at least 15.5 cups of water per day and that adult females drink at least 11.5 cups per day. Even if you cannot get to this level, try to get at least eight cups of water per day at a minimum to keep your body hydrated.
- Work on constantly improving your nutrition
A common misconception people have is that a person always needs to be on a diet in order to bolster their nutrition. The truth is, however, that all it takes to improve nutrition is to simply adjust how you eat, rather than what you eat. Keep an eye out for portion sizes, and don’t forget to swap out fast food for home cooked meals.
- Avoid sitting in front of a screen with no breaks
One major problem people often run into is an inability to sleep due to being on computers for the entire day. In addition to this, people often have stiffer joints due to sitting all day without much movement. Always aim to take at least a ten-minute break per hour you are sitting in front of a screen. On top of this, consider investing in a standing desk to get out of your chair.
- Cut back on alcohol intake
It should go without saying that alcohol is not healthy for the body in large quantities, which is why it’s important to cut back. For those who are accustomed to alcohol intake during the week and would perhaps have an issue cutting it out cold turkey, try to start with one day at a time.
- Make a pointed effort to exercise more
Generally, it is advised that an adult get at least 150-minutes of physical activity on a weekly basis. While this can seem like a lot on the surface, it can be spaced out however a person wishes, though aiming for around 20 minutes a day at a minimum is the best choice.
- Consider taking multivitamin supplements
Many foods nowadays are processed, which is why taking multivitamins is so important. While it’s not a guarantee that a person is deficient in their vitamins, a doctor’s test can tell you which vitamins you may need to get more of in your system.
- Get more sleep nightly
Getting six to seven hours of sleep at a minimum is recommended for adults, but children should be getting at least eight to nine hours on a nightly basis. For those who aren’t getting as much sleep as they should be, focus on taking steps to get to bed earlier.
- Prioritize developing your social connections
Social health is an extremely important aspect of a person’s overall health. If you feel that you aren’t satisfied with the friends you currently have or the people you have surrounded yourself with, consider taking some time to evaluate your current circumstances.
- Find a hobby you enjoy
Finally, everybody should have a hobby that they enjoy taking part in on a daily basis. Whether it’s stargazing, writing, singing, dancing, or anything else, it’s crucial to find something that you enjoy. This will serve as the way you pass your free time and should not be related to the work you do on a daily basis in any way. While many people love what they do for work, it’s still important to develop hobbies outside of a day job.
Start living a healthier life today
Anyone can start building healthier habits with a few simple steps, but sometimes those initial small steps can be the hardest part. Rather than overloading yourself by building a massive action plan that requires a large amount of effort to implement, consider starting with just one habit at a time. Whether that be going to bed earlier, starting to drink more water, or just eating a little bit healthier, the first step forward is the most important.
