For many of us, remaining physically healthy isn’t as easy as everybody says it should be.
It’s a mental battle as much as it is a physical one and that’s why we’ll be discussing the importance of your mind as well as your body when it comes to creating a healthier lifestyle for yourself. The key is to get yourself to a stage at which healthy living no longer feels like a chore and simply becomes part of your daily routine. The goal is to barely have to think about the decisions you’re making with regards to your health; looking after your body should just come naturally to you.
Still, y’all may not be at that stage just yet and that’s FINE.
Simplifying the struggle for a healthier lifestyle is a gradual process but the key thing to remember is that you’re simplifying the struggle.
As soon as you’re brave enough to take the plunge into cutting out bad habits and living more healthily, you’ll find that it’s much easier than you thought. Your body wants to be healthier so it’s a natural course of action. If you’re not sure where to begin, then here are some points that might give you some guidance.
Staying physically fit
Exercise is a word that many of us hate. If you think you fall into that category then you’re probably trying the wrong kind of physical activity. It shouldn’t be a chore. If you don’t like running then don’t go running. If you’d rather hang out with your friends then you could perhaps find a sport that you might all enjoy (even playing Wii Tennis is better than sitting around doing nothing). You simply need to set yourself an objective of moving your body every single day. 10 minutes of brisk walking is better than being sedentary 24/7.
Of course, if you want to see better effects than simply “a healthier weight” then you need to put in a little bit more work.
Achieving stronger muscles should be a goal for everybody; it’s important to keep all parts of your body strong and healthy. That doesn’t mean you need to look like a bodybuilder, however. Still, you might want to do some online research into options such as legal steroids if you’re not achieving the gains you want.
The important thing to remember is that you can’t find substitutes to exercise; you can find ways of boosting your existing workout efforts but there’s no way to replace the hard work necessary to achieve a physically fit and healthy body. You need to put in the time if you want increased muscle mass and reduced fat. Still, it doesn’t have to be quite as time-consuming as you think.
If you opt for the “little-and-often” approach then you only need to dedicate a small portion of your time to exercise on a daily basis. It might be something as simple as a 15-minute jog on your lunch break at work but that could really start to show its effects after a few weeks.
Dieting well
Many people struggle with the correct definition of dieting.
A “diet” does not involve starving yourself of food for 10 days to slim down.
A diet is permanent, consistent, and balanced. You need to stick to it in the long-run and that means any starving techniques promoted by “crash diets” are not healthy solutions to your physical or mental health. Think about it: your brain and body both need certain nutrients and vitamins to keep them nourished. How is it going to keep you healthy if you’re denying yourself the right amount of food?
Being skinny does not always equate to being healthy. You need to focus on staying hydrated (both in terms of drinking more water and eating water-based foods) and replacing the junk food in your diet with healthier alternatives. Simply “cutting out” food isn’t enough.
You still need to eat but you need to eat the right things. Look to fruits and vegetables for answers. It doesn’t have to be as difficult as you think. Just find a diet you can stick to that includes a little bit of everything; moderation is important.
Sleeping properly
You might think you already know how important it is to sleep well.
Get 8 hours of sleep every night.
Simple, right? Perhaps you already get enough sleep or you get more than enough sleep. Still, even if you’re getting 8 or 10 hours, you might still feel cheated because you wake up feeling as if you’ve barely slept a wink. That’s why it’s important to also have a supportive mattress because your body needs to be allowed to relax and recover after a long day; even after 8 hours of sleep, you can wake up with aches, pains, and general fatigue if you don’t have a good bed.