Beyond popular belief, you do not need to do anything extreme or crazy to improve your overall health. In order to live a healthy lifestyle you only need to implement a few small changes and strategies.
We all know that you need to have the basic concepts of eating healthy foods and exercising consistently. However, there are a few other things you can also do to improve your health with a few simple changes to your daily routine.
These simple habits for a healthy lifestyle will take your health and overall well-being to a higher level. Not only will they help your physical well being, but they will also uplift your spirits and improve your mental health as well.
5 Simple Habits To A Healthy Lifestyle
1. Improve Your Health by Drinking More Water
One of the easiest ways to improve your health is to drink more water. This healthy lifestyle hack will help you feel energized and improve the overall way that you feel.
Approximately 60% of the human body is made up of water. In order to sustain life and improve your physical well being, drinking more water is paramount.
Dehydration often causes headaches, muscle cramps and hunger. Instead of reaching for that bottle of ibuprofen or reaching in the refrigerator for a snack, drink water.
A good rule of thumb is to shoot for 1 gallon of water a day. This is an attainable goal and something that works for most people.
Use a gallon jug or a large water bottle and record how much you drink. This can easily be done by making a tally mark, or a notation in your phone’s notes folder, every time you empty your water bottle.
Or have a timer set to go off every hour as a reminder to drink your glass of water. Do whatever works for you, but the important thing is to make sure you consume at least 1 gallon of water every day.
Once you get used to the increased frequency of visiting the restroom, you will quickly notice how much better you feel. That is because most people walk around chronically dehydrated without even knowing it.
Furthermore, the lack of water negatively impacts energy levels, physical performance, and overall health.
However, this is a simple fix. Implement the 1 gallon a day water rule, and you will drastically improve your health.
2. Limit Caffeine
In order to improve your health you need to focus on different aspects of your life. From dehydration to putting excess stress on your body, it all adds up.
One of the ways we are constantly stressing our bodies is through consuming too much caffeine.
With over 85% of Americans consuming some form of caffeine a day, it can be difficult to turn this into a healthy lifestyle habit.
While there is nothing wrong with consuming a little bit of caffeine, some people chronically drink coffee or energy drinks all day.
They wake up and drink a few cups of coffee, then when the after lunch tiredness hits, they have an energy drink. And those that work out may even add in a caffeinated pre-work out drink as well.
This overstimulation causes our heart rate to be elevated and our bodies to constantly be in a state of alertness.
Although there are studies that will support the benefits of drinking no caffeine, and others that say that drinking coffee will extend the length of your life, there has to be a healthy balance. However, if you want to improve your overall health, try to limit your caffeine intake to only one cup of coffee a day.
For some this might seem extreme. For others this is common practice already. Fortunately, if you make this change you will be sure to be working towards a healthier lifestyle.
3. Get Enough Sleep
While eating healthy foods and working out will definitely help improve your health, there is another area that is also equally as important.
The amount of sleep you get can make or break a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, it is the single factor that can set the stage for the start of your day.
In today’s culture, many people see it as a badge of honor for getting very little sleep. From kids in college who pull all-nighters to study, to those who spend too much time binge watching their favorite shows, lack of sleep is happening all around us. However, this is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle.
During sleep so many good things happen to your body. Sleep is when your body repairs itself and rejuvenates your energy so you can get up feeling refreshed for the day ahead of you.
For most adults it can be difficult to get to sleep needed. Kids, work, and obligations tend to take up a lot of time. Although it can seem impossible to get the amount of sleep needed, it will drastically improve your health if you can do it.
Sleep 7-9 Hours
It is recommended that adults sleep around 7 to 9 hours a day. This is the time that your body needs to rest so that the next day you feel the most productive.
The best way to get more sleep is to implement a couple of strategies. First. go to bed at a consistent hour. Our bodies thrive on routine.
Additionally, limit devices in the bedroom and make your room dark and cool. Stop watching television 30-60 minutes before bed time. And place your phone on a setting where you get emergency phone calls only during your designated sleep time.
These small steps will make a huge difference to improve your life and help you get the required amount of sleep.
4. Walk More to Improve Your Health
When you increase the amount of steps that you take in a day your health will improve. By staying active and constantly moving around both your mind and body will begin to feel better.
It may seem simple, but this is an easy trick to lose weight and to live a healthy lifestyle. The goal for average adult is to walk 10,000 steps a day.
While on the surface this might seem difficult, it doesn’t have to be. It is actually very easy to increase your step count by implementing a few simple changes in your day.
Instead of sitting on the couch when you talk to someone on the phone, stand up and walk around. Skip the elevator next time and take a flight of stairs instead. And next time that you go to the grocery store, park further away so you get in extra steps walking to and from the entrance.
These simple tricks will allow you to live a healthier lifestyle by walking more. The steps will add up, your breathing will improve, and you may even find that you are beginning to lose weight.
Be as consistent as possible with hitting your step count and you will be amazed how fast your health improves.
5. Take a Multivitamin
One of the easiest ways to improve your health is to take a multivitamin every day. Although, before doing so check with your Physician to pick out the right multivitamin for you.
A multivitamin is like an insurance policy for your health. Although the value added from it may not be visible, it is important to keep your nutrients at a healthy balance.
There are a ton of different multivitamins available. In fact, you can find multivitamins for men, women, and ones that are sure to cover all your nutrients.
Packed with vitamin C, B12, iron, and a multitude of other vitamins, multivitamins can help you get everything you need.
If you are worried about forgetting to take a multivitamin every day, put the bottle in a place where it is easy to remember. If you drink that 1 cup of coffee a day, put the bottle next to your coffee pot. Or put it next to your toothbrush or near your cell phone charger.
Pair taking a multivitamin with the other tips in this article and you will be sure to be on your way to a healthy lifestyle!
Live Simple Now is a lifestyle website dedicated to helping those looking to Live Their Best Life! Feel free to email us at livesimple@livesimplenow.com with comments, questions, article topics or submissions. We publish two articles each week, 52 weeks a year. Sign up today to follow via email, or follow along on Facebook.