Everyone wants to stay healthy, especially in an age where remaining fit seems to become harder and harder as the years go by. Even though there’s a lot of health fads and gym addicts nowadays whose whole personality revolves around staying fit, the truth is we live in a time where 95% of the world’s population has health problems. The major reason for this is because living a healthy lifestyle seems like too much of a burden for most people. Capitalism has made it so that it seems easier to go to work, come home and relax as much as we can because we know we don’t have a lot of time to put our feet up. However, you don’t have to bend over backwards to be healthy. Sometimes the smallest decisions such as choosing to walk instead of hiring Blue Sky – Beaver Creek Airport Car Service makes the biggest difference in our lives.
Who said that you have to rearrange your entire lifestyle in order to lead a healthier life? We must always start small when beginning something new, not jump in headfirst. Doing this will inevitably lead to giving up as the endeavor becomes too much, too fast, much like our New Year’s resolutions. Here are some simple ways you can change your life for the better.
Eat Smaller Portions
How often have you heard people tell you to “stop eating sugar/fat/protein/carbohydrates” or another other food group? Feel free to throw that belief out of the window. Research has shown that cutting a food group from your diet completely is one of the unhealthiest things you can do. Our body requires nutrition and sustenance from all of the food within the food pyramid and yes, that includes food that is high in fat. Eliminating any of the food groups from your diet can actually harm your health more than help it.
Instead, what you can do is eat smaller portions of food during your meals. Doing this will help significantly more than removing red meat from your diet. One simple trick to help make your body feel full easier is by eating from a smaller plate or bowl. Studies have shown that the size of your plate can affect how much you eat. Ergo, when you choose a smaller dish to eat from, you can trick your body into feeling satisfied with less food in your system when the dish is empty.
Find Ways to Move Your Body
Sure, getting a gym membership is definitely a healthy decision to make. However, it’s just not doable for many people considering that it’s time consuming and also an expensive luxury. The same can be said for going to the swimming pool, beach or park every weekend. Have the people who suggested these things ever considered less privileged individuals who simply don’t have these amenities at hand? What about the people who would have to go out of their way and drive or commute for miles in order to get to a recreational location? What will they do then if they want to remain healthy?
The simplest thing everyone can do to ensure that their bodies don’t remain stagnant by sitting at their desks for hours on end is to take every opportunity you can to move your body. For example, take a walk during your break time at work. Instead of hiring an e-hailing service to get to wherever you’re going, choose to walk to the train or bus station instead. Make the decision to take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator. When you’re home alone, put on your favorite songs and dance your heart out. These small, everyday decisions you make might seem too slight to produce any real change in your health but when you do it every day, they pile up. Soon, we promise that you will definitely notice a change in your body and health when you take every chance you get to move your body.
Maintain a Healthy Sleep Schedule
One of the harder things to do on this list relates to your sleeping habits. It might not seem like such a big deal to have an erratic sleep schedule but the effects it has on your health are significant. According to a recent study, not having a regular bedtime and wake up routine might increase a person’s risk of obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension, high blood sugar and other metabolic problems. The same risks apply for people who get varying hours of sleep each night. Clearly, it is important to not only sleep at a healthy amount of 8 hours per day but to also wake up and go to bed at the same time every day and every night.
We know that it’s much easier said than done but try and maintain a healthy and consistent sleep schedule. Every day, including weekends, go to bed and get up at the same hour, ideally with 8 or more hours between these two times. Consistency strengthens your body’s sleep-wake cycle. If you haven’t fallen asleep after 20 minutes of lying about in bed, get out of bed and do something calming. Read a book or listen to relaxing music. When you’re exhausted, go back to bed and reattempt sleep. Repeat as required, but be sure to always keep your sleep and wake up schedules consistent.
There you have it! Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is actually much easier than the health fads will lead you to believe. Don’t try to move mountains at first but instead, conquer tiny hills first. Being healthy is less difficult than you believe. In truth, there are countless strategies to get healthy with no effort so implement them and watch your life change.