Getting healthier shouldn’t seem as daunting as it’s made out to be. If we break it down into smaller steps, it makes it easier to attain our targets. Creating a plan of action and a checklist can help. And we can hold ourselves accountable by using tracking apps or having friends by our side. Once we hit one of our goals, we should reward ourselves, then continue our journey toward a healthier lifestyle.

Healthy Lifestyle Habits

1. Try to avoid smoking. There are programs available to assist and items like gums, patches, and medications. A practitioner can help find the best fit for success. Also, keep alcohol in moderation, meaning one drink per day for women and one to two per day for men. (1 drink = 12 oz beer, 4 oz wine, 1 oz liquor)
2. Remember the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away?” There’s truth to this. Nourishing our body properly is crucial to our overall health. Choose healthy proteins, fruits, veggies, fermented foods, complex carbs, beneficial fats, and limited amounts of caffeine, sugar, fast food, and salty food. Prepping foods ahead, batch cooking, and keeping healthy snack options available helps, and moderation is key. Have a treat on occasion and eat a healthy snack before a party to avoid overindulging. Some find it helpful to keep a food log for accountability.
3. Keeping hydrated is important for thinking, skin health, eye moisture, controlling hunger, decreasing headaches, and more. Make sure to drink enough water during hotter weather to prevent dehydration. If you don’t like water alone, infuse it or add natural flavoring such as lemon, lime, strawberry, cucumber, or mint. If you’re trying to increase water consumption, track it with your food log or app.
4. Along with healthy food choices, we should supplement additional vitamins and minerals. A high-quality daily multivitamin / mineral, plus additional vitamin D3, omega-3s, and probiotics is a great start. If you need help remembering to take them, use an a.m. / p.m. pill box placed near your bedside or bathroom sink, put the bottles on your kitchen counter, or set reminder alarms on your phone.
5. Maintaining activity and a healthy weight and stretching regularly is important. The American Heart Association (AHA) has noted that sitting for long periods of time could shorten one’s lifespan, so we should get up and move around as often as we can. Selecting an activity we enjoy is helpful, and we should aim for 30-60 minutes daily.
6. Keeping stress levels in check is crucial for healthy living. We should break throughout the day (listen to music, go for a walk) and unplug from technology. Meditation and breathing exercises can also assist with relaxation and focus. Try starting out with meditating 5 minutes per day. Writing a gratitude list with three things we’re thankful for daily can also lift spirits.
7. Lighten up! Laughter is really some of the best medicine that we should incorporate into our life daily because life can be stressful and chaotic at times. According to the American Heart Association, research suggests laughing can lower stress hormones and provide many other health benefits.
8. Being outdoors and connecting with nature can decrease stress levels and help balance the hormones that regulate mood. Ever try grounding? It’s walking on grass barefoot and feeling the overall benefits from it. If we can exercise outside, we’re getting a 2-for-1!
9. Sleep is such an important time for the body and mind to rest and repair. When we sleep well, we wake up feeling refreshed and alert. According to the NIH (National Institutes of Health), adults need at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night to be well rested, but the average adult sleeps for less than 7 hours a night. Consistency is the key to good sleep. Try these tips:
   1. A warm bath 1 hour before bed
   2. Keep the room as cool and as dark as possible
   3. Wind down with a relaxing book or magazine
   4. Turn off the TV or computer 30 minutes to 1 hour before bed
   5. Go to bed earlier and rise earlier, at the same time each day
   6. Avoid caffeine or sugar close to bed
   7. Avoid alcohol within 4 hours of bedtime
   8. Have “white noise” such as a fan to drown out little sounds
   9. Drink chamomile tea or use lavender essential oil in a diffuser
10. Routine check-ups for vision, dental, skin, general, and gynecological (for women) are a MUST to know baseline labs and where your health lies. Keep on top of your levels, as the results will determine if you need to increase consumption of certain nutrients, change a stressor, increase activity, or alter a habit. Set reminders in your phone or write the appointments in your organizer, so you don’t forget to schedule or go to them.

For your journey toward becoming healthier, be sure to be gentle and patient with yourself and the entire process. You may vacillate in and out of hitting your goals and following through with everything, and that’s ok. Change can be difficult, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Be sure to choose the options that work best for your lifestyle and schedule, so you are able to maintain them.