Only 12% of American adults are considered metabolically healthy.
It’s completely possible for a healthy lifestyle to become second nature. The problem is, in order for that to happen, you need to get started — and that’s the daunting part.
If you don’t feel particularly knowledgeable in how to get healthy, or just aren’t sure what first steps to take, you’re not alone. This is the part many people struggle with.
The good news is, it gets easier with time as you learn more about what works for you and your body.
You just have to give yourself that first push to starting a healthy lifestyle.
Table of Contents
1. Don’t Throw Yourself In at the Deep End
Creating a healthy lifestyle can initially be existing, making people want to go all in.
They meal-plan everything, with calories counted meticulously and every nutrient going into their body triple-checked. They set aside hours a day for exercise. They’re so excited for a brand new them!
While the initial motivation is exciting, if you try and change your lifestyle too quickly, it’ll be unsustainable. You simply can’t go from a sedentary lifestyle to exercising five days a week, for hours at a time.
Instead, it’s better to do things in increments.
Change out one meal a day for something far healthier. Walk for twenty minutes a day, and slowly increase the time spent outdoors.
You’re less likely to find it all too difficult to maintain.
2. Accept That You Will Fail at Points, and That’s Okay
No matter how detailed your healthy lifestyle plan is, it might fall to the wayside at some point. That ice-cream was too tempting to resist, or your bad day made it impossible to dredge up the motivation to work out.
It’s important not to be too hard on yourself. If you decide you’re a failure, you’ll scrap the whole idea and return to previous, less healthy ways.
Instead, try to avoid slip-ups but when they happen, accept them, and acknowledge all you can do is move on and do better.
3. Become a Planner
What will help you most is having a solid healthy living plan.
Again, it needs to be realistic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make sure you’re doing your best.
Plan your meals and exercise for the next couple of weeks and slowly draw out your exercise and swap your foods out for the more nutritious options.
Don’t wing it. Write it down in a planner, and refer to it every day.
Seeing your goals written down will help keep you motivated, and it means you always know what you have to do day-to-day.
4. Always Have Water With You
Water has more health benefits than almost anything else you could possibly consume, and it’s completely free.
It’s a good idea to always have water with you. You could even buy a bottle with measurements to make sure you’re drinking the recommended amount each day.
It increases the health of your skin, assists your blood pressure and nervous system, and even protects your kidneys.
If you’re someone who struggles with the taste of plain water, try squeezing some lemon in there, or adding a few berries to enhance the flavor.
5. Set a Limit on Your Electronics
The biggest distraction when trying to live a healthy lifestyle is electronics. It can be so tempting to order food on an app rather than cook, or watch Netflix rather than go outside for a brisk jog.
It’s important to set limits when it comes to electronics. Be strict with yourself.
You can even download software for your phone and computer that will stop you from being able to use certain apps such as social media after a set time. That way, when your time is up, you’ll be forced to stick to your plan.
If you trust yourself to know when it’s time to put your phone down though, you can rely on your mind. The important thing is to ensure electronics aren’t taking over your life.
It’s not only important for your physical health, but your mental health.
6. Stick to a Sleep Schedule
Lack of sleep, or bad quality sleep, is one of the worst culprits of poor health. Even if you have a healthy life in every other aspect, sleep can be the thing that gets you.
For this reason, a sleep schedule is essential.
Designate your bed for sleep only — no reading or checking Facebook. This way, your brain will associate bed with sleep and you’ll find it easier to drift off.
You’ll also feel much better day-to-day. Lack of sleep can cause horrendous stress and anxiety.
Make sure you don’t have high-calorie foods too close to bedtime either, as that’s another big cause of being restless at night.
7. Surround Yourself With Positivity
One of the most important aspects of living a healthy lifestyle is surrounding yourself with like-minded people, or at least supportive ones.
Join an exercise class, ask friends or family members to embark on the journey with you, or simply ask them to try some new foods you’re cooking. It’s motivational to see the results on someone else, in a way that you can’t see them on yourself.
At the very least, you should make sure that the people surrounding you on this journey are supportive of it. Friends might think they’re being nice by pressuring you into ordering a whole pizza with them, but it can be more of a hindrance than they realize.
Starting a Healthy Lifestyle Might Feel Hard, but You Got This!
You should accept that starting a healthy lifestyle might not come easy to you. Everyone is different, and some people find it more difficult than others.
But once you’ve pushed through the first couple of weeks of introducing exercise and healthier foods to your life, you’ll feel amazing.
It’s not just your physical health that will benefit from these awesome lifestyle changes, but your mental health too.
If you’re ready to start your journey, contact us for our services and support, or check out our blog for more health advice and tips.