Ready to live a healthier and more positive life? This is great news. Way too many of us neglect our overall health and wellbeing out of various reasons. Some of us are simply tired or worn out and feel we don’t have the energy to commit to following a healthy lifestyle. Some of us want to dedicate our efforts to other areas and find ourselves running short on free time when it comes to eating well or exercising. Then there are those of us that want to try but are drawn off track by all sorts of temptations, ranging from unhealthy foods to less active activities and hobbies and more. But the good news is that it’s possible for almost everyone to lead a healthy lifestyle. You just need to be committed to the venture. Here are a few areas you may want to take into consideration to get this journey to wellbeing on track!
Eat Well
Let’s start by considering the food that you put into your body. Most of us eat three meals a day simply out of habit. But there’s a reason for each meal and snack we consume and this is to ultimately give us energy to get by. Energy is measured in a unit that we call “calories”. The more calories any given food or meal has, the more energy it will provide your body with. This doesn’t necessarily mean that low calorie or high calorie foods are better or worse than each other though. The key is to make sure that you are consuming your recommended calorie count instead. This varies for people depending on defining characteristics that determine how many calories we need to maintain a healthy weight while providing our body with sufficient energy to get by. These characteristics include age, sex and activity levels. Talk to your doctor about how many calories you should be eating on a daily basis. Once you know how much you should be eating, it’s time to consider what you’re eating. It’s recommended that everyone eats as healthy and balanced a diet as possible. This means providing your body with all of the recommended food groups in moderation. You shouldn’t be cutting any food group out completely. Instead, you simply need to make sure that you’re planning plenty of varied meals with all of the protein, carbohydrates, calcium, fruit, vegetables and nutrients you need for your body to thrive. If you’re struggling with this – perhaps you don’t know where to start or have specific dietary requirements, creating a more limited diet for yourself – you can always reach out to a nutritionist. This professional will be able to help guide you in the right direction.
Exercise
We all need to exercise too. As an adult, you should be getting roughly one hundred and fifty minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week. If you’re falling short of this, ask yourself why. There are countless reasons for low activity levels, ranging from static work to lack of energy or simply not knowing where to start. Try reading A Lean Life for fitness tips and recommendations. When it comes to exercise, you need to make sure to ease yourself into it. All too many of us go from nothing to full blown and full on workout plans within a matter of weeks and find this hard to sustain. Instead, consider more reasonable and manageable amounts of exercise that can be maintained on a long term basis. For advice on where to get started, you can always reach out to a personal trainer. This professional will be able to listen to your health goals and come up with a workout plan that will meet your needs and get you on your way. This is also a good way to avoid anxiety that can be induced from heading into a gym or other fitness space and not really knowing how to use the equipment. They’ll show you how everything is done! Another option is fitness classes, where you will follow a guided workout under the direction and supervision of a coach and as part of a group.
Unwind
A lot of us are pretty tense nowadays. We have busy work schedules, busy social schedules and all sorts of things on our to do lists that we need to tick off. But you should do what you can to unwind when you can too. Remember that your mental wellbeing is just as important as your bodily health. You need to listen to your body and mind together to ensure that you are as well off as you can be. Different people like to unwind in different ways. Some of us will like to meet up with family and friends for a catch up. Some of us like to take a nap. Some of us will sit back with a book or watch a favourite TV show or film. The list goes on. What’s important is that you take time to yourself and help yourself to avoid stress and burnout. If you find that you’re struggling with your mental health, there is support out there. Professionals such as doctors, therapists and counselors can work with you to get to the bottom of your concerns and provide you with healthy coping mechanisms to feel better. There are also support groups and helplines you can contact to talk to others who have been in a similar situation. Make sure to understand that you are never alone and that there is always a way to resolve any provlems that you may have or may have experienced.
These are three pillars of wellbeing that you really should focus on when it comes to getting on top of your overall health and wellbeing. Sure, some of the advice may seem pretty straightforward – that’s because it is. But all too many people still neglect these areas of their lives. Hopefully, some of the advice outlined above will help you on your own journey and will benefit you in the long run!