How to Start a Healthy Lifestyle and Stick with it

Health is everything.

For anyone that tells you they live a happy, productive, capable lifestyle with bad health is lying. There is simply no way to live your best life in poor health. A healthy lifestyle enables us to do the things we want and need to do on a consistent basis. What are the outcomes of this? Well, it means we can participate in fun activities, excel in our careers or missions and foster meaningful relationships.

What does a healthy lifestyle look like?

Healthy eating habits. Specifically without too much compromise. Healthy eating is being more conscious on what you are consuming and minimizing instant gratification with processed, sugary foods/drinks. It is making decisions and planning in advance in order to incorporate more vegetables and fruit. 

Daily physical activity. 

Coping mechanisms. 

Restful sleep every night.

Fulfilling relationships. 

Mindset of gratitude and growth. 

How can you stick with a healthy lifestyle?

It all comes down to what you prioritize. What do you spend your time and energy doing? There are people who are busier than you and are able live a healthy lifestyle. I know that is tough to swallow, but I promise you it is true. 

I’ll say it again. 

There are people who are busier than you, that are living a healthy lifestyle. Time isn’t a valid excuse. 

To stick with a healthy lifestyle, especially one that is newly evolving, we have to start small. There is no reason to make drastic changes to your habits and routines right out the gate. It is a process. If it isn’t a conscious, gradual process then odds are it isn’t going to stick. 

Here are some steps you can take:

1. Figure out what areas you can improve in. Make a list. This could be sleep, stress, communication, diet, exercise, etc. 
2. Pick ONE thing to work on for the next 4-6 weeks. ONE thing. Don’t try and show off and pick two at once. 
3. Now, with your ONE chosen lifestyle area, make a list of things you can do on a daily basis to improve.

Example: Lifestyle Area: Sleep

• Put phone away at 8pm every night
• Plan the following morning/day the night before
• Do a relaxing activity before bed (read, bath, tv show with partner)
• Purchase new black out shades for the bedroom
• Allow for 8 hours of undisturbed sleep
• Don’t eat after 7pm, or 2-3 hours before bed

Step 4: Pick TWO things off of this list and start incorporate.

Step 5: Stay consistent. You have to stay consistent. You are breaking down old habits and installing new and improved habits. Your mind and body will take time to eventually come around to this new way of doing things.

These are small steps that will compound on one another to make a HUGE difference. 

Step 6: After you get through your list of action items, you can restart the process with a new lifestyle area.

 

What will you do today to improve your lifestyle?