Looking for tips on maintaining a healthy and balanced life? You’re in the right place! Keep reading for the best 10 tips for a healthy lifestyle!
Over the past five years, I have found myself on a path toward leading a healthier lifestyle. While it hasn’t always been easy, I wanted to share with you my favorite 10 tips for a healthy lifestyle because I know that many of you are also looking to make some positive changes in your life. The most important part is making the decision that you are ready to commit to making small changes that will drastically change your life in the long run. These tips are NOT difficult. Anyone can do them! If you are up for the challenge of incorporating new habits into your life, keep reading!
This post will show you the BEST 10 tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle!
10 Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle
1. Drink Water & Stay Hydrated
This one might sound like a no-brainer, but sometimes we just need a little extra push to remember to drink water! I use a water bottle that shows the measurement for 20 ounces of water. I aim to drink the entire water bottle every three hours while I’m at work. Did you know that you should aim to drink half of your body weight in ounces each day! For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, try to drink 75 ounces of water each day! Aside from water, drinking electrolytes is a great way to replenish your body, especially if you’ve been sweating in the sun all day or worked out hard. Instead of reaching for your afternoon coffee, grab a Gatorade or my favorite powdered electrolytes- Hydrate by Isagenix, to mix with some water. Replenishing your minerals will help keep you focused and feeling energized!
2. Move Your Body Daily
If you haven’t been able to tell yet, I am a lover of all things exercise! While I do enjoy working out 3-4 times a week, I also enjoy my rest days! Nobody says that moving your body each day means working out hard! You can do a yoga class or go for a 20-minute walk. The goal is to get moving! Many people don’t even do a high-intensity workout throughout the week, but they make an effort to walk and move their bodies each day. I hope you choose to exercise as a way to feel good or to feel strong and proud. I hope you enjoy walking to clear your mind or to dream up some big ideas. Whether your life running, walking, riding your bike, surfing, playing football, or skateboarding, just get out there and do it!
3. Limit Screen Time
This one sounds like something your mom might say, am I right? The truth is, that by limiting your screen time, you are opening up more time for you to do something that is more productive. You could learn a new skill, grab dinner with friends, build your own business, spend time with your family, or take a nice long bath to unwind after work. We are so engrossed in our phones, computers, and TVs – it’s important that we all step back and give our eyes a break. By limiting your screen time, especially before bed, you are setting yourself up for a better night’s sleep!
4. Choose to Eat Nutritious Foods
One of the greatest things about living in the 21st century is that you can drive down the road and find a variety of great food to eat. In fact, you can walk into almost any grocery store and find hot food served there as well if you don’t feel like cooking! While there are SO MANY FOOD OPTIONS out there, it’s important to find the balance between eating the yummy or the quick and convenient food and eating foods that actually serves your body. I always recommend filling two of your meals with veggies, proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats so that your body is actually feeling fueled every time you eat. Be selective about your snacks so that you are putting mostly nutrient-dense foods into your body. It’s important to note how you feel after eating anything – Do you feel sluggish or energized? Does your stomach ache or do you feel good to go about your day? The goal isn’t perfection, it’s balance! Aim to eat healthy 80% of the time while indulging in your favorite goodies 20% of the time. Don’t dive headfirst, make small changes to what you eat and see if you notice any changes in the way your body feels!
5. Supplement with Vitamins
Did you know that most food that we eat isn’t as nutritiously dense as we thought? I know what you are thinking – this contradicts the whole eating healthy thing from the point above. Not exactly! Most of our fruits and veggies don’t carry the same nutrients that they did even 50 years ago because our soil gets turned over SO QUICKLY to produce more crops. In order to ensure you’re getting in all of the vitamins and minerals our bodies need, it’s important to supplement with vitamins. Remember, not all vitamins are created equally! Be sure to do your research to make sure your vitamins will actually support your body in the way that you hope! My favorite vitamins are the daily packs by Isagenix. It is SO EASY because all of the vitamins are already sorted out, you just grab your AM or PM pack and take them with food. Whatever vitamins you choose to take, make sure you take them with food! Your body cannot absorb vitamins without the minerals you get from eating food.
6. Get Quality Sleep
Getting 8 hours of sleep has been drilled in our heads for years and years. But why is 8 the magic number and why does it really matter? The funny thing is people now are debating how many hours of sleep we actually need. My personal opinion is that everyone is different! The goal is just not to wake up during REM sleep or you are in for a hard day. A REM sleep cycle is 90 minutes long, so I find that 7-1/2 hours of sleep to be my sweet spot. It allows me to wake up feeling energized and ready to take on the day! Aside from mastering your sleep schedule, quality sleep comes from relaxing before bed with limited screen time, minimizing how much alcohol you have before bed, and getting to bed at the same time each day. Our bodies love consistency!
7. Minimize Alcohol Intake
While it is totally fine to drink on occasion, it is important to note that alcohol and our bodies don’t totally go hand-in-hand. Often we see disrupted sleep patterns with more than 2 drinks of alcohol, leaving us completely drained the next day. Alcohol also inhibits our ability to burn fat easily as our bodies must burn off any alcohol before they can burn off fat.
8. Take Time for yourself
I don’t know why, but for some reason, it always seems harder to find the time for ourselves than it does to make time for everyone else. It’s important to schedule yourself into your own calendar each day so that you have the time to relax and unwind. Work can be stressful. Families- kids, partners, parents, can all be stressful. Heck, the world right now feels stressful. Take time to prioritize yourself! Build morning and evening routines that allow you to have some time alone. Maybe these routines involve going for a walk, writing out your gratitudes, reading a book, or practicing yoga. Whatever you chose to do, make sure to make it non-negotiable. Write it on your calendar and don’t change your schedule for anyone!
Related Article: 30 Ways to Practice Self-Care
9. Wear Your Sunscreen
If you’re looking to round out your healthy lifestyle, be sure to include sunscreen in your daily routine! When I was in my early 20s, I met a girl who was ten years older than me. She always looked like a 28-year-old, not a 35-year-old! She always said her secret to a wrinkle-free and youthful-looking face was sunscreen! Aside from the benefits of not looking older, there is the whole sun damage thing. By wearing sunscreen, you are protecting your skin from daily sun damage and potentially even preventing skin cancer.
10. Manage your Stress
There are SO MANY ways to practice self-care to help manage your stress levels each day. Whether you enjoy reading a book to relax, practicing yoga, or just taking some time at the end of the day all to yourself, take the time to relax! Relaxation isn’t just for vacation! It’s important to find the time to do something to relax each day to help prevent high blood pressure, heart attacks, and anxiety. It’s OK to say “NO” to everyone else so that you can prioritize your own health! Mental health is equally as important as physical health.
This post was all about showing you my favorite 10 tips for a healthy lifestyle!
To be healthy across every aspect of your life, you need to find balance between your physical and mental states. I hope you take away at least one of these 10 tips for a healthy lifestyle as you go forward. Even if you can only incorporate one or two of these changes into your daily activity, you are already setting yourself up to feel better. Let me know what your favorite tips for a healthy lifestyle are in the comments below!
