Wanting to live a healthy lifestyle and actually living one are two different things. Most realize the importance of taking care of themselves, but often clam up or fall short when it comes to taking the proper steps towards better living. There are many factors into why this occurs, but biting off more than you can chew is at the top of the list.
Think about it. You’ve become accustomed to leading a certain lifestyle where you’ve developed bad health habits like smoking, eating junk food, or lounging around all day. Trying to instantly go cold turkey on cigarettes, remove sugar, salt, processed foods, and unhealthy fats from your diet, or starting a 5 day a week 2 hour a day workout regimen is a bit extreme.
You end up psyching yourself out mentally or taking too big a leap and failing. Ultimately, if you want to start improving your health, it may be necessary for you to take it slow. Start with small things that are easy to change and work in more changes as you get comfortable. Below, are a few little things to get you started.
Switch to Vaping
If you can’t fathom breaking away from your smoking habit just yet, you don’t have to. For some smokers, going cold turkey can lead to some uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. You could instead take a little step towards kicking your habit and improving your health by vaping instead. Though still worth researching as it pertains to your health, e liquid which is used for vape doesn’t have tobacco in it. Eliminating this harmful substance from your daily routine is a step in the right direction.
Drink Water with Your Meals
Water is crucial for your mental and physical well-being. As the body is comprised of mostly water, going too long without it can cause serious issues. It’s recommended that you drink approximately half your body weight in ounces of water each day. Depending on your size, that might be a lot of water to just start chugging instantly. So, take a small step and start drinking a glass of water with every meal.
Go Outside
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient the body needs to absorb calcium and build strong bones. There are a lot of food sources that contain vitamin D. The best source comes from the sun. While most people’s lifestyles call for them to be indoors for a better part of the day, you can do your body some good by going outside for at least 15 minutes a day. If you don’t have that to spare, start with 5 minutes and work your way up.
Make Monday Meatless
The quality of meat has deteriorated and much of what is found in grocery stores has been overly processed and jammed with hormones. As more people become aware of this, they start eliminating meat and animal products from their diets altogether. There are some amazing health benefits to this, but let’s face it; if you’re used to eating burgers and ribs on the regular, eating nothing but fruit, vegetables, and beans might be a big leap. So, why not try having a meatless Monday? Every Monday you can find vegan or vegetarian recipes online to eat for the day. No one wants to live in poor health. It’s simply about learning how to kick some bad habits and make changes that are better for you. While some may be able to set their minds to it and be successful, others have a hard time getting on board. If you’re in the latter group, taking smaller steps towards improving your health may be a better solution for you.