Healthy Living: A Guide to Getting Started

The world of wellness can often seem like an exclusive one with many barriers for the average person attempting to embrace a healthier way of life. However, the simple truth is that anyone can make positive changes to the way in which they live their life, and work towards becoming their healthiest self!

 

Today we are going to present some of our top tips on getting started with your ambitions to be healthier and live better!

Fruit and Veg

Eating more fruits and vegetables is often thought to be the cornerstone of healthy eating, and doing so can actually make a huge difference to your wellness.

 

As you likely already know, there exists a huge variety of different fruits and vegetables. It is more than likely that there are several that you actually haven’t tried yet. Why not make an afternoon of taking a trip to your local supermarket to pick up some new choices to try? You can then prepare them at home and give each one a try. You are almost certainly going to discover some fantastic new flavours that you will then want to eat more of!

 

When your kitchen cupboards are full of healthy foods – such as various fruits and vegetables – then you are much more likely to make healthier choices throughout the day. So, remember to stock up so that you always have something delicious and healthy to hand to eat.

 

Consuming more fruits and vegetables will mean that you will naturally be consuming more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. This helps to protect you to some extent against certain health issues, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Meal Planning

Making a weekly meal plan might seem like more effort then it is worth, but scheduling your meals in this way can not only help you to get healthier but can also save you money too!

 

Once you have chosen which meals you are going to eat throughout the week – for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – then you can make a shopping list of all of the ingredients that you will need. This makes food waste much less likely.

 

Your meal planning will largely consist of meals that you are going to prepare at home, but should also extend to any food that you will be eating outside of the home. For example, if your job means that you have to eat lunch out, then add a packed lunch option to each day so you can avoid having to buy food for lunch from cafes and restaurants.

Avoid Temptation

If you have unhealthy foods in your home, then it of course becomes all the more likely that you are going to eat them! Keeping your resolve whilst shopping and only choosing healthy foods that are neither packaged or processed will go a long way to helping you stick to a good diet. 

 

If you find it difficult to get through the supermarkets without adding tempting treats into your basket, then you might find it easier to do a larger food shop on the internet once or twice a month. You can simply go to the website of your chosen supermarket and choose what you would like them to deliver. You may also find the option to repeat your order and have it delivered to you on the same day each month, taking literally all of the work out of doing your grocery shopping!

 

When you shop in this way, you will have all of the basics that you need, and will probably find it much easier to stick to your actual shopping list when you buy in this way – good for your health and good for your budget!

 

When you are eating out and not preparing the food yourself, then it can again be easy to give into temptation and order food that is high in calories and those high in fat. Our informative guide on how to eat well when eating out can give you a helping hand when it comes to avoiding this common problem. 

Exercise Often

Living a more active life is one of the best ways to protect your body as you age and to be the healthiest version of yourself that you can be. 

 

If you do not currently exercise then it would certainly be advantageous to begin doing so once or twice a week, and then to slowly increase the amount of exercise that you are doing. It will also be helpful to begin varying the type of exercise that you do, so that you are enjoying the different benefits of various activities.

 

If you find it quite hard to motivate yourself to get going when it comes to exercise, then you may find that scheduling it into your routine by physically writing it in your diary is a good idea. You will then have this time blocked out so that you will not schedule anything else during this time. Seeing your intentions with exercise written down on paper can also help to motivate you, and make it more likely that you’ll stick to your plans. 

 

The time of day at which you prefer to exercise may vary. Some people find it much easier to go to the gym or to get out for a run first thing in the morning, whereas others prefer to do so at some point during the day, or late at night. You might find that your preference changes depending on your energy levels at the time. Figuring out which activities you can do best at different times of the day can be helpful for ensuring you regularly exercise – regardless of how your mood and energy fluctuate. 

 

It has often been suggested that just over two hours of moderate intensity exercise each week is an ample amount to protect your health and help to keep you fit. You can achieve this in two or three separate sessions, or you could stretch it out over several shorter sessions. However, you wish to do it, this is a fantastic amount of time to aim for and shouldn’t be overly difficult to make the time for. You could also opt for more a more vigorous type of exercising for a shorter amount of time. 

Be Adventurous

There are so many different fun and interesting ways to get fit that you need never let your exercise regime get stale or boring. Try to research and get involved with one new activity every couple of weeks. You might find that you only do this new activity just this one time, or you might surprise yourself and find that this new activity becomes a regular part of your life!

 

When you make the extra effort to be adventurous, both with your exercise efforts and with your life in general, then your opportunities to learn more about yourself will also grow, and you will continue to seek new adventures as you go.

Get Started!

If you have just read this article then the chances are that you are ready to start making positive changes to your life so that you can enhance your health and happiness. So the next step is of course to actually get started and to commit to not putting off your good intentions for any longer. 

 

The healthy life that you want to live is surely within your grasp when you figure out what it is you need to change and then make those changes!