What Is a Healthy Lifestyle?

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We all lead busy lives. Work, school, supporting family and friends, and volunteering in the community take up time. It’s easy to put our health on the back burner. Living a healthy lifestyle should be a priority, and with a little discipline and guidance, it can happen easier than you think.

Here are some tips on fitting healthy behaviors into your daily schedule, and still have time to check off your to-do list:

Get a thorough medical evaluation.

Before beginning any exercise or nutritional plan, it’s important to have a physical to make sure it is safe to begin the journey. Your doctor can go over your medications, allergies, food intolerances, and even lab work. You should do this regularly to maintain good health and catch any problems before they occur. In addition, work with your primary care provider for guidance on proper health and referrals to other experts who can help you meet your goals.

Set goals.

It’s important to make a plan of action prior to starting your health journey. With the help of a medical professional, a trainer, or even those that support you each day, it helps to create a list of goals for yourself and how you plan on achieving them. Keep your goals realistic with baby steps or mini-goals along the way.

Eat a healthy, balanced diet.

Eat a diet that contains the right balance of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein (ex, poultry, tofu and seafood) and healthy oils. Avoid processed foods. Choose a variety of foods from each group over time to get all the nutrients your body needs. A plant-based diet or Mediterranean diet are recommended by most health care providers for their many health benefits.

Get plenty of exercise.

Add physical activities to your daily routine. Work, studies and personal tasks can make life busy and often require extended periods of sitting. In addition to taking frequent standing breaks, put small exercise breaks into your schedule to help keep your body healthy. Ask friends and family to join you on a walk, a bike ride or some time at the gym. The general recommendation is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week for health maintenance. That equals 30 minutes 5 days a week. Ask your provider how much you need and what kinds of exercise they recommend. Here are 9 ways to fit exercise into your life.

Reduce the stress in your life.

Stress can cause both physical and emotional problems over time. It is important to keep stress and anxiety to a minimum. There are numerous ways to do this, including meditation, mindfulness training and physical activity. Talking to friends, family and co-workers can also help relieve stress. If you can identify the factors in your life that are creating the stress, try to eliminate them or learn how to cope. A mental health professional can help with this.

Get enough sleep.

Getting enough good-quality sleep is important for both physical and mental health, improving productivity and overall quality of life. Using good sleep hygiene, such as sleeping in a dark, cool room and going to bed at the same time every night, can help. Get more tips for better sleep.

Avoid or limit alcohol and tobacco use.

Both alcohol and tobacco can be harmful to your health. Adults should keep alcohol to a maximum of one drink a night for a woman and two drinks per night for a man. If you smoke, quit.

Keep a diary of your progress.

Keeping a diary of your progress will keep you on task and show you how much you are achieving over time and where more work needs to be put in. There are a variety of phone apps to help with this, but a pen and paper work just fine.

Everyone’s journey is different. Don’t try to make all the changes at once. Start with a trusted primary care provider who can tailor the approach that will work for you.

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