Let’s start from scratch.
I won’t assume that you know what a healthy lifestyle is or anything related to living a healthy lifestyle. Since this is a beginner’s guide, I’ll share with you the healthy lifestyle tips I feel will be most helpful for you as a beginner.
In this blog post, you’ll learn what healthy lifestyle habits are important and how they can improve your life.
What Is a Healthy Lifestyle?
A healthy lifestyle is a way of living that promotes optimal physical, emotional, and mental health. Healthy living includes healthy eating habits, exercise, stress management, as well as healthy sleeping patterns.
Why Does It Matter?
The poor choices of food available nowadays make it very easy to develop poor health habits. From 24/7 available fast foods to sugary treats that seem to be in every store, healthy eating habits are now a rarity.
If the foods you eat every day aren’t beneficial to your overall health, you are at a greater risk of developing chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease!
What Is Important?
Maintaining healthy lifestyle habits will help regulate your blood sugar levels, reduce your weight gain, and increase your lifespan.
The health benefits of healthy living are numerous!
You’ll also be less likely to develop diseases and illnesses while maintaining amazing levels of energy, both physically and mentally.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not easy, but it will reap benefits in the long term so that you can live life with vigor.
So, let’s get started on these healthy habits for beginners …
Healthy Lifestyle Tips for Beginners
Tip No. 1. Drink Plenty of Water
Water is essential in maintaining healthy levels of hydration, and it can help with weight loss as well. The majority of your body consists of water, so drinking the right amount will keep you feeling healthy.
Not drinking enough water can lead to dehydration, which causes headaches, dizziness, constipation, dry skin, and many more health problems. Drink at least half your body weight in ounces daily to maintain healthy levels of hydration.
For instance, if you weigh 150 pounds, then drink at least 75 ounces or 9–10 cups each day to stay healthy and energized!
Tip No. 2. Eat a Balanced Diet
Eating healthy is vital to healthy living, so it’s important that you have a balanced diet.
Food filled with nutrition should be your go-to option. Natural foods in their original form, nothing overly processed and filled with fat.
A good way to start your day is with an energizing breakfast. Try including foods like oatmeal, fruit, and raw vegetables, which are low in sugar and high in fiber!
Eat healthy snacks by choosing granola bars or cut fruits instead of chips and anything filled with sugar, salt, fried to a crisp, and smothered in fat.
Consume more foods rich in whole grains, low fat, healthy fats, and healthy proteins.
Avoid processed foods, junk food, freezer meals, or anything with a long list of ingredients you can’t pronounce!
Food is not complicated, so if you’re confused, something is wrong.
Tip No. 3. Exercise Regularly
The moment you stop moving is the moment you start having health problems.
Exercise is an essential healthy habit. It helps regulate your blood pressure, reduce weight gain, and increase metabolism levels.
By simply including physical activity in your routine every day, you’ll boost your wellness levels, reduce stress and anxiety, increase your energy levels, and improve sleep quality.
For easy physical activities, shoot for 30 minutes every day, and for something more rigorous, try an hour of movement four to five times per week.
The best part is you can achieve all this movement for free. You don’t need any fancy equipment or a gym membership to have optimal fitness. You can simply walk.
Walking is one of the easiest ways to get fit and stay healthy.
Tip No. 4. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep, sleep some more and then sleep even more.
You need adequate rest to function properly. You can’t function at optimal levels if you’re always tired. Lack of sleep affects your mental health, your physical health, and your daily life.
So how much shut-eye do you need?
Adults need about eight hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep per night to stay healthy.
So turn off your electronic devices, block out all light or turn on your red light bulbs, and get a good night’s rest.
Tip No. 5. Limit Your Alcohol Intake or Abstain From It Completely
Alcohol is the devil!
I get it. It’s a very social thing to do when hanging out with friends and family but if you want to be healthier, you need to avoid alcohol consumption.
It’s literally poison!
Alcohol is a depressant, meaning it slows down your brain, so you can’t think as fast or react quickly to what’s happening around you.
It alters your thinking and your coordination, and it is likely to create fatigue. The headaches, dehydration, and empty calories are not worth your health.
Drinks can be enjoyed without alcohol, and you do not need to be drunk to have fun. Don’t believe all the myths society tries to fill your head with, alcohol damages your organs and can cause death.
Bottom line, if you want to live a long healthy life, don’t drink alcohol!
Tip No. 6. Keep Tabs on How Much Sugar You Consume
Sugar is one of the most addictive substances to consume. It is also the number one reason for obesity, tooth decay, and many more health problems.
By eliminating processed foods from your diet, you’ll better your chances of eliminating the amount of sugar you consume per day.
Cut back on the sodas, drinks with added sugar, and sweetened coffee.
Limit desserts to healthy ones made from natural ingredients, or skip dessert altogether!
Baked goods like most sweetbreads are filled with sugar and coated in more sugar. Brownies, cookies, and cakes are also high in sugar.
If you’re craving sugar, eat fruits like pineapples, strawberries, grapes, and apples.
Choosing to eat the healthy version of foods will make maintaining your overall health easier to achieve.
Tip No. 7. Don’t Smoke
Smoking is another habit that will hurt your body and lead to many health conditions.
Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or hookahs are all harmful when it comes to the human body, so don’t indulge in any of them.
Not even moderate smoking will do you any good.
If you want healthy lungs that don’t hurt or give out every time you take in a breath of fresh air, stop smoking!
Tip No. 8. Keep Great People Around
The people around you have a big impact on your mindset and lifestyle.
If you are surrounded by people who drink, smoke, and eat unhealthy foods all the time, then it is likely that those habits will rub off on you to some degree.
By surrounding yourself with positive influences, healthy living becomes much easier!
Positive energy thrives where positive energy lives. Give yourself the upper hand in every opportunity in life by choosing the right people to surround yourself with.
Tip No. 9. Avoid News Overdose
Being educated about what’s going on in the world is important, but if CNN is the only channel that’s on the TV all day and night, you’re doing yourself more harm than good.
The media has a way of making us feel inadequate, powerless, and overwhelmed. News is also known for inducing panic attacks in viewers as they watch the horrific events unfold on their screens every day.
Greatly minimize the amount of news you watch and follow on social media.
Tip No. 10. Do Something Meaningful and Fun Every Day
Healthy living isn’t healthy if you’re not having fun.
Yes, there seem to be a lot of rules to follow but nothing that’s good for you will ever come easily. From eating right to the medical advice diagnosis given to you by your doctor, healthy living requires education, patience, time, and dedication.
But, it doesn’t have to be boring or bland!
Start by getting a journal, then make a list of all the things that make you happy and do them every day. Write about your experiences and the reasons why you enjoyed that activity.
Whether it’s going for walks in the park or reading books on your porch with a glass of lemonade at sunset, reward yourself for choosing the healthy way of life every time it becomes challenging.
If healthy eating feels like too much work, then try changing your mindset first. If you approach this way of life reluctantly, I’m afraid you won’t gain any benefits from it because you’ll find an excuse to go back to being unhealthy.
Challenge Your Mind
The journey to optimal health is not one without challenges. You will fail many times over, but the key is to brush yourself off and try again.
Your health should be your number one concern in this life. Nothing else should be above it. Not money, family, friends, spouses, lovers, or kids, nothing should be more important than your health.
Healthy living is a journey that requires patience, understanding, and hard work. It can be challenging to maintain healthy habits when everyone around you seems unhealthy, or the media bombards you with negative messages daily. However, it’s not impossible.
The healthy lifestyle tips covered in this article should help get you started on the right track towards optimal health!
You can do this. Just believe you can, and you’re halfway there.
Share this article with anyone you know who needs a little help with changing their lifestyle. If you have any other tips that weren’t included please share them in the comment section below.
Such great tips!!! All things we know but sometimes don’t do!! I love all the tips and especially the one about being around great people!
Thanks for reading Pat! I appreciate your feedback, it’s time to turn that sometimes into all the time!
These are some great tips. Especially avoiding the news and keeping the right people around you.
Thanks for reading Tamera!
Thank you for these tips. I definitely agree about minimizing news intake!
As a Nutritionist, I agree with all your healthy lifestyle tips: testing healthy and exercising daily should be the norm for everyone. I have been doing a great job not watching the news too much, especially in the mornings; it’s too depressing. Surrounding ourselves with positive people goes a long way in contributing to one’s good mental health.
Love this, whole-person approach to mental and physical health. Sometimes we have to go back to basics <3
I’m glad that you said about how drinking plenty of water could help provide proper hydration your body needs. Last night, my sister told me she was planning to start her healthy lifestyle journey. She asked if I had any thoughts on what would be the best option for a healthier process. I appreciate this helpful healthcare guide article for the best planning approach. I’ll tell her that consulting trusted healthy lifestyle programs can help her achieve a healthy body and food program.