Are you looking to become a healthier, fitter and more productive version of yourself?
You do not need to wait until New Years to start making a change in your lifestyle.
It’s easy to put off starting a new extreme fitness regime such as going to the gym three times a week, cutting off sodas and fast foods, and eating brown rice, chicken breast and broccoli — even a gym junkie like me finds it daunting.
That said, opting for a healthy lifestyle has its fair share of benefits — stronger immune system, higher energy levels, and improved mood — just to name a few.
It is never too late to reevaluate and make improvements to your lifestyle!
Here are three simple ways you can take to take your first step towards a healthier you!
Eat more fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are the basic building blocks of a well-balanced diet.
In today’s takeout culture, fruits and vegetables are often lacking in our diet — so what better way to kickstart your healthy lifestyle by eating some fruits and vegetables?
Fruits and vegetables contain all the essential vitamins and minerals that are required for a healthy, well-functioning body. These essential micronutrients ensure that your immune system remains strong to fend off harmful diseases and improve health markers.
Research has shown that consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables can help decrease blood pressure, aid digestion, and promote weight loss. More importantly, they help lower the risks of heart diseases, stroke, diabetes and even certain forms of cancer (1).
Try your best to hit the daily requirement of five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables. Consider including different types of fruits and vegetables so that you get a good mix of vitamins and your daily meals remain new and refreshing.
Drink more water
60 percent of the human adult body is made up of water.
So naturally, if you want to improve your health, drinking plenty of water should be one of your top priorities.
Often, the health benefits are overlooked — well that’s to be expected, who knew this clear tasteless liquid would be so essential?
Water helps lubricate the joints. Joint and spine cartilage are about 80 percent water. Long-term dehydration can reduce the mass of the cartilages, leading to the knee and back pains which we are all too familiar with. Perhaps drinking water could alleviate some of these cartilage degenerative issues!
Water also has major positive effects on brain functions. Research has found that fluid loss of as little as 1-3 percent of body weight can lead to a decrease in the ability to concentrate, impaired memory, and increased frequencies of headaches, anxiety, and fatigue (2).
Additionally, water also helps relieve constipation, weight loss, and prevent kidney stones.
In short, water is important. Aim to drink the recommended amount of 8 glasses of water a day — more if possible.
Exercise
Exercise is another must-add into your routine — especially if you are currently leading an extremely sedentary lifestyle.
Studies have shown that exercise has many health benefits, both physically and mentally. It may even play a role in improving longevity.
For example, exercise helps with weight loss. Inactivity is one of the key factors that cause weight gain and obesity.
For those looking to lose some weight or get into shape, a combination of aerobic exercise, resistance training, and proper dieting will increase your metabolic rate, allowing to burn more calories, lose fat, and gain muscle mass (3).
Not only does exercise make you look good, but it also makes you feel good as well.
When you exercise, your brain produces endorphins which help produce feelings of positivity. Research has also found that regardless of the intensity of the physical activity, feelings of anxiety and depression would still be reduced.
150 minutes of exercise weekly — that is the amount of time the American Heart Association recommends.
Don’t be intimidated by the need to clock in 150 minutes of exercise — no one is asking you to go run a marathon immediately.
Workouts should be fun. If you absolutely hate running, then pick some other activity that interests you. It is important that you like your workout and not feel like it’s a chore, this ensures that you would be more likely to stick to your workout routine.
Here are some examples of physical activities you can consider doing:
- Hiking
- Swimming
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Cycling
- Dancing
- Callisthenics
The bottom line is to get that body moving! Even my 70-year-old grandmother goes for a 20-minute walk around the neighborhood daily — what’s your excuse now?
How to ensure long-term sustainable change
The key to ensuring that you stick to your new healthier lifestyle is to make it convenient for yourself.
This is why small changes to lifestyle works — you would not feel that your existing lifestyle is majorly disrupted.
For example, if you are struggling to get your daily recommended amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables, consider frozen fruits and vegetables to make a smoothie instead.
If your job requires you to work 16 hours a day and you barely have any time or energy to get your greens in, this is where you can look towards dietary supplementation to aid you in your cause.
SuperGreens Tonik is a dietary supplementation made from 15 organic vegetables, fruits, and other natural herbs.
It is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to ensure that you get all your micronutrients — without the need to shop, chop and blend the veggies.
Everything is prepared and blended for your into powder form. Just mix it with water or juice and you’ve got a highly concentrated boost of micronutrients delivered to you in a glass.
Drinking a greens powder supplement has other benefits too, check out why you should think about consuming super greens supplement.
Ultimately, the best way to maintain a healthy lifestyle is to make small but sustainable changes. Personally, I find that switching up my morning coffee for a glass of super greens allows me to get both my micronutrients and rehydration together — talk about killing two birds with one stone.
At the end of the day, a healthy lifestyle is a journey, and you need to experiment and discover what works best for you!
References +
- https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vegetables-and-fruits/
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-of-water#section2
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-benefits-of-exercise#section2