We all know that we should, and can, live a healthy lifestyle. The benefits of living well are numerous and include feeling great, sleeping better, and reducing our risk of severe disease and illness. And with so many benefits of healthy lifestyle changes, it’s baffling why we make unhealthy choices.
How To Make Successful Lifestyle Changes?
Making massive lifestyle changes can be challenging, and some choices can be even harder to stick with when faced with day-to-day living. Pressures from friends and family, the convenience of fast foods, and bad habits all influence your ability to be well.
Making it even harder to live well is our impatience. We want results, and we want them fast. Many of us can easily adjust to making healthier choices some of the time, such as passing on a delicious dessert or saying no to that second glass of wine. However, giving something up entirely proves to be more difficult to make lifestyle changes for better health.
"The key to a healthier lifestyle takes commitment and entrenching wellness habits into our daily life. While thinking long-term is excellent, it takes a day-to-day approach to stay the course as you can envision aging well."
This seven-day challenge to have successful lifestyle changes is meant to shift your habits toward a healthier lifestyle. The point is to demonstrate your own power to make better choices. But, even more importantly, the challenge may reveal severe dependencies, for example, if you find it impossible to go a day without alcohol.
At the end of the seven days, you will likely notice that you feel better, have more energy, and sleep better! You may even see that you have more money in your bank account, as alcohol and fast food are hard on the pocketbook.
Tips On 7-Day Successful Lifestyle Changes Challenge
• No Alcohol
I, too, love a glass of prosecco or red wine. But, there are many delicious ‘mocktails’ that can be enjoyed. When you consider that too much alcohol increases your risk of illness and disease, giving it up is a no-brainer.
Further, alcohol is high in calories and does not offer any health benefits. Instead, alcohol can contribute to weight gain and may increase symptoms of depression and anxiety. What’s more, alcohol messes with our memory, learning, sleep, and speeds up our aging. Completely no alcohol is one of the lifestyle changes for better mental health.
• No Plain White Bread
White bread is low in nutrients, high in sugars, and as a simple carbohydrate, it can lead to weight gain and many lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes. Instead, choose an occasional nutrient-dense, whole, or sprouted grain bread for your diet as one of the healthy lifestyle changes to lose weight.
• Reduce Saturated and Trans Fats
Foods typically high in saturated fats include pies, processed meats, butter, and some oils, including coconut and palm, cheese, and high-fat dairy foods such as sour cream, ice cream, and whole milk. Foods high in trans fats include fried foods, microwave popcorn, and baked goods. It is time to reduce saturated and trans fats to make positive benefits of lifestyle changes.
Saturated fats typically come from animal sources. A diet too high in saturated fats may increase your cholesterol, leading to heart disease and stroke. Trans fats come from natural and artificial sources and can also raise your risk of heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes.
• One New Fruit and Vegetable Each Day
How to make a lifestyle change with food? Sure, apples, bananas, and oranges offer numerous health benefits and are fantastic choices. However, variety keeps things exciting and provides more nutrients! Consider adding pomegranate, blackberries, grapefruits, lemons, pineapples, pitaya, and lychee to your diet! Vegetables should include all the rainbow colors, dark green leafy choices, squashes, peppers, the list goes on!
• Five Minutes of Meditation
By taking at least five minutes each day for meditation, quiet reflection, or mindfulness, you may reduce your stress, depression, and anxiety. In addition, a continued practice may improve your focus, memory, and cognitive function.
• 60 Minutes of Physical Activity Each Day
You may think that this will be the most formidable lifestyle changes challenge, but it doesn’t have to be when you consider that activity can be hiking, dancing, cycling, swimming, playing soccer, or hitting the gym. The options are endless, and you will never run out of choices. The benefits of lifestyle changes are just as endless: improved body composition, reduced risk of disease, improved aging, strength and endurance, and a sounder night’s sleep!