Ever wonder how to start a healthy lifestyle but don’t know where to begin? Or do you feel weighed down by too much information? Confused by everyone’s conflicting opinions on what to eat and drink, when to sleep, how to exercise? These problems are very common and sometimes enough to turn people off from starting a healthy lifestyle. These small, simple changes can help you get started!
Through my experience of being a massage therapist, I noticed that most people simply don’t understand the significance or impact that making simple, healthy choices, no matter how minor they may seem, can affect your life. Below is a list of small, simple steps that anyone can start implementing in their lives to make lasting change.
1. Drinking Enough Water
One of the smallest steps that can make the most difference is simply drinking enough water. The vast majority of people are chronically dehydrated, even if they are unaware. Common symptoms of dehydration are: dry skin, headaches, dry mouth, sore, achy, stiff muscles, dizziness, and fatigue. According to experts, one should set a goal of drinking at least half their body weight in ounces each day. For example, someone who weighs 120 pounds should drink 60 ounces of water, which is just shy of 2 liters, in a day. If you find that difficult, try to increase the amount of water you drink gradually. Try adding an extra 5-10 ounces every day. There are a number of apps and water bottles that can help you track your water intake throughout the day.
2. Stretching
Stretching every day is one of the best things that you can do for your body. When I had my massage practice I came across many issues that could have been preventable if only the person had a regular stretching routine. Doing simple stretches, such as forward bends to stretch the hamstrings and lower back, can make a significant impact. When our bodies sit in front of a computer all day at work, our muscles become tight and stiff which can eventually lead to hardened fascia (connective tissue around the muscles), poor posture, tension headaches, general aches and pains, and can also lead to preventable injuries including muscle strains, or muscle tearing when working out.
Implementing a regular stretching routine is not difficult. Only a few minutes a day are needed to see results. There are many books out there that demonstrate simple stretches, even stretches that can be done while sitting in your office chair!
3. Meditation
Anyone can benefit from meditation, and it can be done anywhere, anytime, and can be incorporated into any lifestyle. There are many misconceptions around meditation. It is a facet of many different religions, however, it is not a “religious” practice in itself. Even though it may help if you’re just starting your practice, you don’t have to be in a dark, quiet room by yourself. You can do it anywhere! You don’t need to be spiritual or religious in order to do it. Meditation is the practice of quieting your mind, and becoming aware– of yourself, your surroundings, but most importantly, your thoughts. Start focusing on your breath and how it feels as it goes in through your nose, down into your lungs, and back out of your nose. Every time you have a thought go through your mind, come back to focusing on your breath. Over time you will start having increased periods of awareness between your thoughts. If you develop a regular practice, then it will also bring increased awareness into your everyday life, too.
4. Mindfulness
Dictionary.com defines mindfulness as- “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations”. This is the effect that a regular meditation practice will have on your day to day life. As stated before, if you develop a regular practice then you will experience increased amounts of awareness through your daily life. You will be less reactive and will respond to stress in a calmer, more relaxed way. This promotes health by decreasing the body’s stress response. It will lead to less muscle tension, and less tension headaches. Next time the body is faced with an increased amount of stress, be aware of how your body responds to it. Just by becoming aware of your response is the first step into breaking the cycle.
5. Eating Real Food
The standard American diet is full of poor quality fats and high amounts of sugar. This leads to poor nutrition, which can lead to a whole host of health problems. Cleaning your diet up and switching to a “real foods only” way of eating is one of the most important things you can do for your health. When you are used to eating poorly, it can be very difficult to make changes to your diet. The next time you go grocery shopping, take a look at the ingredient list (not the nutrition information) on that frozen pizza, or loaf of bread that you always buy. Most of the ingredients on frozen pizza, or a loaf of bread are not real food. Many are chemicals that are novel to the body. Our ancestors did not have high fructose corn syrup in their diet. They did not drink drinks that contain aspartame. If you must eat frozen pizza and bread then go to the natural food section of the grocery store and compare the ingredients of your conventional frozen pizza to an organic frozen pizza. Chances are, the organic/natural frozen pizza has real ingredients, and will be void of harmful chemicals and “food like substances”.
Also, trying to wean yourself off of eating frozen pizza, bread, and soda (even the “natural/organic” kind) is the best way to change your diet to a real foods only way of eating. If your diet isn’t where it should be, start by slowly incorporating more veggies, fruit and natural, whole grains. Maybe try eating one “real foods” meal a day. Increase this over time to two meals per day. Over time you will see that you feel better and think clearer.
Settling into a healthy lifestyle isn’t as hard as you think! The best piece of information is listen to your body. If it tells you that it’s thirty, drink more water; if it tells you it’s hungry eat a (real foods) meal. If it tells you that it requires more rest, try going to bed a few minutes early. Small changes are what creates big, lasting change.
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