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You can make a commitment to adopting healthy habits at any time of year – and at any moment, including right now.
The challenge is, how do you take healthy lifestyle tips and make them stick?
Here are some strategies on how to get healthy.
Readiness to Change
Interestingly, researchers looked at people who made New Year’s resolutions and found that those who were ready to take action and commit to effecting change with a resolution were 10 times more likely to succeed than those who were not yet ready to commit to a plan of action.
Readiness is key!
One way to ready yourself for a change involves looking at any unhealthy behaviors and honestly assessing what they’re costing you. After looking closely at an unhealthy habit, you may find yourself ready to try something new.
The American Psychological Association provides the following recommendations for making lasting changes in life:
Let’s start by addressing the low hanging fruit. That is four of the major lifestyle factors that drive illness: poor diet, inactivity, tobacco smoking, and overconsumption of alcohol.
Too often, people look at diet in terms of losing weight. Don’t! Instead, look at diet in terms of fueling your brain and body. Achieving a healthy weight often results when you eat for your brain and body health.
Try eating brain-healthy foods – quality, lean hormone-free proteins eaten throughout the day in smart portions; colorful fruits and vegetables that contain loads of brain-protective antioxidants, nutrients, and vitamins; low-glycemic, high-fiber carbohydrates that don’t spike blood sugar; and brain-fueling and heart-healthy fats that come from olive oil, fish and nuts.
Tip: A simple, manageable start could be eating more vegetables with each meal.
Physical exercise can boost blood flow, which benefits your brain and entire body. Even moderate exercise can help increase energy. Oh, and it can reduce food cravings, too!
Tip: You don’t need to join a gym or run a marathon. Start by simply walking outside a few times a week. Build from there.
Most of us know that smoking tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption are risk factors for a host of illnesses. They simply aren’t consistent with a healthy lifestyle. If you quit smoking and limit your alcohol consumption, you’ll have boosted your health significantly.
Tip: If you’re a smoker, the good news is that plenty before you have quit. In fact, more than three out of five adults who have ever smoked successfully quit, the CDC reports. You can do it!
Did you know that roughly 70 million Americans struggle with sleep? Sleep affects mood, immune function, memory, and the ability to concentrate. The Sleep Foundation recommends 7 to 9 hours of sleep for adults.
Tip: Start small by making your bedtime 15 minutes earlier each night for a week.
