The Ultimate Guide To A Healthier Lifestyle

Everyone wants to be healthier, especially in this day and age. Like a lot of people, you might have had a shot at improving your lifestyle and found it extremely hard. There are all kinds of reasons why this can happen. A lot of the time, the stresses of everyday life can totally screw up our health regimes. I’ve found that a lot of the times I’ve copped out of healthy living is down to not having a proper plan of action. Making a significant change in our lives takes some preparation and a well thought-out approach. Here’s a guide to changing your lifestyle for the better. I hope it helps!

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Before you so much as look at gym memberships, you’ll need to pay attention to your own mind set. In a surprising amount of cases, the main thing holding people back from the life they want is their attitude. Although it may not always feel this way, your life is completely up to you. All of us have the power to change the paths we’re on, push ourselves closer to our goals and create the lives we want. This, believe it or not, is the easiest part. The hard part is believing you have that power. A great way to start off your healthier lifestyle is by being mindful of your thoughts and attitude. Pay attention to the way all your thoughts and emotions are affecting your lifestyle. It’s easy to stick with bad habits, I know. Once you get used to checking your own thoughts and feelings, it will be easier for you to form a good attitude. This will keep you away from fats and out doing runs! Keeping a journal, positive visualisations, and generally encouraging yourself are great ways to keep yourself on track.

Once you’ve got the right attitude, it’s time to set yourself some attainable goals. Sit down and take some time to think. Pin down what’s made you want to be healthier. There are probably things about your life which you’re not happy about. Break down everything you want to change, and write those attributes down. This will help you create a more organised plan of action. Whether it’s pimples, excess weight, or anything else, write it all down. Then, figure out both short-term and long-term goals for tackling those things you’re not happy about. Long-term goals are great, but much easier to slack off from. This is mainly because you’re not measuring often enough. If you want to be (x) weight two weeks from now, you’ll be under a little more pressure to meet your goal. Although you should expect the best from yourself, make your goals realistic. It’s going to be tough to kick coffee, ice cream and cocktails all within a month. Feeling like you’ve failed to meet your goals can really be a blow to our self-esteem and overall progress, so don’t ask too much of yourself.

So, you’ve got your attainable goals and you know how you’re going to reach them. Next, I advise you to find someone to support you through your work. I know, I already went on about how you’re responsible for your own success. However, there’s nothing wrong with finding a few friends or relatives who you can count on for support. After you’ve got a plan in place, make a point to mention it to your entire family and all of your friends. Let them know about your workout schedule, the kinds of food you’re eating, and the kinds you’re not eating. This will bring on a little healthy pressure to stick to your plan. The best thing you can do is find someone who will carry out your plan with you. It’s a lot easier to get up and go to the gym when you’ve got a friend who will meet you there. By the same token, when you’re both facing the temptation of unhealthy foods you’ll be more inclined to keep to your diet. Neither of you will want to let the other person down. If you don’t have a health buddy ready, then join a class and start talking. I’m sure you’ll find someone facing the same difficulties as you.

Next, make some changes around the house. Go through your average shopping list, and cross out anything which doesn’t coincide with your new health regime. This can feel horrible, I know. However, once you’ve weaned yourself off of various treats, you’ll be looking back and thanking yourself! You don’t have to do this all right away. As I’ve said before, if you expect too much of yourself, you could just be setting yourself up to fail. One good way of improving your eating habits is by swapping things out gradually. Like so many of us, you probably go through several cups of coffee a day. I love a good mocha as much as the next girl, but unfortunately they don’t love us back! You can find a pretty good substitute here at Kiss Me Organics. Chocolate’s another big sin most of us are guilty of. I find the best alternative for this is healthier snacks. On your next big shop, get some mixed nuts and dried fruit. Keep these in good supply, and you’ll know where to look the next time you feel like a bag of minstrels. Weaning yourself off of everything can be gradual, but don’t be too soft on yourself either. It’s much easier to avoid binge eating when there isn’t much to binge on!

Next, the real work begins. Get moving. They say that if exercise could be given in a pill, it would be the most effective pharmaceutical on earth. When you’re getting enough exercise, you’ll be burning calories and fat faster than ever, and also doing a lot to help your mood. The method of exercise you choose is entirely down to you. One of the most popular exercises for people looking to improve their health is circuit training. This involves moving from one place to another within a gym, and doing a few given exercises in a sequence. For many people, this is a miracle cure-all. Circuit training improves strength, mobility and stamina at the same time. Although highly effective, you may not have the time or mettle for circuit training just yet. There’s nothing wrong with starting off small, provided you’re getting closer to your goals! At the end of your work day, go for one little walk around the block before you slump into the sofa. The next time you do it, go a little further, or maybe run a minute of it. Do whatever kind of exercise works for you, but make sure you get some in. When you first start, you might be reminded of why you’ve been neglecting your health! The first couple of times in the gym can be agony, true. However, once you get more use to it all, finishing your workout will start feeling fantastic!

Finally, plan some rewards for hitting your short-term goals. A healthier, happier lifestyle is the overarching reward here. That may be a little way off though, so find other ways you can motivate yourself. You may not think that you can offer yourself much, but remember that you haven’t started your regime yet! One of the added benefits of a healthier lifestyle is the sheer amount of money you’ll save. After a fortnight of cutting down on takeaways and deserts, you should have built up quite a bit of money for yourself. Use this to see a show you’ve always dreamed about, go for a spa day, or simply go on a massive shopping spree. When the going gets tough, think of the reward you’ve got in store for yourself, and draw some motivation from the thought. Obviously, you can’t go completely crazy here. Steer away from any rewards which would hinder your progress towards a healthier lifestyle. Fatty treats every now and then won’t hurt, true. However, if you sample some of these too early on, it could totally wreck your fragile self-discipline. If you have a fitness buddy, it’s probably good to set yourselves some ground rules before starting anything! Whatever your reward is, enjoy it with the right attitude. When you’re fawning over a dress you’re going to buy, remember all the work you put in which earned it. This will help you to stick to your routines, and ensure that you don’t become lost in the treats you’re trying to wean yourself off of.

I hope this guide has made the road ahead of you seem less daunting. My final tip may sound a little harsh, but it’s certainly relevant; stop making excuses! There’s almost certainly someone in a worse situation than yourself. Whether you’ve got problems with your boss, relationships, or you just feel like you can’t put in the work, chase it out of your mind. No one has the power to make you as healthy as you want to be, and nothing has the power to keep you unhealthy. It’s all down to you!