There are so many parts and ebb and flows to living a healthy lifestyle. First things first, though, you have to get started. This can be a hard step. We like the way things are and we know how to stay the same…it is our comfort zone. We have to want to change. And change cannot be wished for or created in a place that is our comfort zone of sameness. We have to shake things up, do things differently, and unseat the destructive, unhealthy sameness that has caused us to need and want to change.
Making changes does not mean you have to upend your life, quit your job, move to a different city, walk away from family, or start over again. Sometimes those dramatic moments are when we do make big life altering changes but it is not the norm. For most of us it is about doing some things differently and adding new health-minded activities to the way we go about living our lives.
It is about figuring out how to be in control of our food environment and more in charge of our lives. It is hard for a lot of us, but when it comes to our health, we need to be the first priority. What do you think needs to change first in your life to help you get started on the road to more health and happiness?
Some ideas:
Eat less
Eat healthier
Exercise
Sleep more
Eliminate some stress
Drink more water
Drink less alcohol
Find time for fun
Work less
All these ideas can contribute to living a healthy lifestyle. All are possible to achieve. They hold different levels of priority for each of us depending on our own lives. Hands down, however, eating healthy can contribute to your success in all other priorities. If we can get a handle on what we eat and how much we eat we can improve the quality of our overall lives profoundly.
Creating a healthy food environment in your home can make a world of difference for you and the ones you love. Start by replacing packaged food with fresh, whole foods. Buy oranges or bananas or grapes, whatever is cheapest and in season and make it available on your kitchen table. New to cooking or planning meals? Scan the internet and foodie blogs, like Live Vibrant, Bariatric Foodie and Diabetic Foodie to find recipes and make-it-a-meal ideas. Start with planning a few meals a week and build up to a weeks worth of menus. Find a way to be mindful of portions from the recipes you choose to the way you serve up (Livliga can really help in this area!).
Start with a few easy changes, commit to them, and then add on additional changes that are on your priority list. Before you know it, or even realize it, you are living a happier and healthier life. Remember, you can be in control and you are in charge of living life as your healthiest you!
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