5 Simple Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle

It’s World Health Day so I wanted to share 5 simple tips for a healthy lifestyle for you. These 5 simple tips are micro actions that I’ve implemented in my own life over the last year and have helped me feel so much better overall!

5 Simple Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle

Over the last year, I have been working on getting back to the healthier lifestyle that I had prior to babies. Prior to pregnancy, I was very active and ate healthier choices 80% of the time. After having two babies back-to-back, it derailed me for a while from what I would say was a huge part of who I was/am. It has been hard at times, but by implementing small changes to my every day habits, it’s gotten easier and has become second nature to my day.

Here is my list of 5 simple tips for a healthy lifestyle…

Get Moving

Get moving, sister! Are you exercising or getting in enough steps in the day? Not only is exercise good for the overall health of our body, but it releases endorphins that help with stress and overall mood, and helps improve sleep. So why do we not move more? Time. I feel like the answer is always, time.

5 Simple Tips for a healthy Lifestyle

Determine the best time for you to exercise. When I started back working out, I first sat down (with my husband, too) and looked at our day to determine the best times that I could commit to 30 minutes of exercise. We determined that the only place it could happen was at 5:00 am every morning. Ugh. I knew from past efforts that if I didn’t do it first thing, there was a 99% chance that it was not going to happen that day. I am way less motivated once I get home from work because it is dinner prep, bath time, and bed time with the kids. Once the kids are down, I’m cleaning up the kitchen, doing a little lunch prep and then we like to sit down and have some time together to watch a show. So, that left 5:00 am. I know, I know…tell me about it. But really, once I got in the habit of getting up, it’s not so bad and I feel very productive with a little boost of energy for the day before 6:00 am. What time works best for you?

Commit to a certain number of days to exercise each week. How many days a week is feasible for you? You may only be able to commit to 3x a week. That is okay! Do what is best for you and once you feel good about your consistency with 3x a week, you can always increase if you’d like. Start somewhere and go! Also, each non-exercise day, try to stay moving of some sort. Go for a leisurely walk or do something out side. Doesn’t have to be strenuous or take a lot of time, but don’t stay stagnant all day. Which leads me to my next point…

Increase your daily steps. After consistently working out for a year, I was feeling stagnant in my body changes. I evaluated my day to see where I could improve. It was my step count. It was the first time I evaluated how much I was moving outside of exercise. My step count was between 3,000 – 4,000. I have a desk job and it is easy to sit at my desk all day, getting up just a handful of times. This was hurting my progress. I set a goal to increase my steps to 8,000 – 10,000 every day. Since doing that, I’ve seen progress in a positive direction. It’s also forcing me to get up from my desk more frequently and get outside to enjoy the spring weather which can boost my mood! How do you increase your steps without adding a ton of “time” to your plate?

  • Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
  • Take a 20 – 25 minute walk outside.
  • Take a few 10 minute walks throughout the day if that is what your time allows.
  • Walk and move more around your house.
  • Walk the stairs in your house.
  • Work outside
  • Take the dog for a walk.
  • Push a stroller, or walk with the kids while they ride their bikes.
  • Push them on a riding toy!

These are just a few ideas to help you get started, but find more ways that you can moving in your day. I read something one time that the majority of our burned calories come from the non-exercise activity we do each day. That’s such a large part of the day and if we are stagnant for most of it, then we’re really hurting the healthy lifestyle we are wanting to lead.

Drink Water!

Take a look at how much water you are drinking in a day. Are you drinking at least half your body weight in ounces? If not, make that a first step or goal. I get it is hard to drink a lot of water throughout the day, especially if you get busy at work or at home, but water is so good for our body! We need it and feel so much better when we are drinking plenty of water in a day. Yeah, it may mean more bathroom breaks in a day, but that’s a small price to pay to feel better overall. Plus, trips to the bathroom force us to get up from our desks, the couch, or wherever and get a few steps in! It’s a win-win.

5 Simple tips for a healthy lifestyle

Prior to being more conscious of my water intake, I drank water throughout the day, but not nearly enough. I may have drank 2 large 32 ounce cups full…maybe.So, a month ago I set out to increasing that to half my body weight in ounces. It’s hard as I feel like I have to constantly be sipping, but it’s getting easier. Here are a few ways you can try to fit in more water:

  • Add fruit/veggies. Plain water can get boring. I get it! If it’s hard for you to drink plain water or you get bored with it, add lemon, lime, watermelon, strawberries, mint, cucumber, etc. Whatever you’d like and make it a fun drink! There are a lot of ideas on Pinterest, too!
  • Get a fun jug or cup that helps keep you accountable. There are some cute water bottles out there to make drinking water more fun. You can also get one that keeps your accountable with cute sayings on the side that help you stay mindful of where you are at in your goal for the day.
  • Determine your drinking habits and use them to your advantage. When do you tend to drink most of your water? Morning? When your at your desk at work? With meals? When do you feel like drinking water? If you can determine when you tend to fit in most of your water, work with those moments to get the bulk of your water in for the day. For me, I find early in the morning and while I’m sitting at my desk working is when I am able to get water down. Once I get home for the evening, my water intake decreases significantly so I know that I need to have most of my water goal completed by the time I get home in the evening.
  • Start your morning with a glass…before coffee! This has been a game changer for me. I can have several ounces knocked out first thing before I do much else. Plus, it helps me get good hydration in before I consume coffee that somewhat offsets that.

Set a morning/bedtime routine

Setting a routine is a game changer! A morning or bedtime routine can really make a big difference in your day. Since getting up at 5:00 am to workout, I’ve established a morning routine I look forward to. I wake up, workout, get dressed for work, and making coffee by 6:15am. While that is happening, I’m finishing any last minute lunch prep, and then I sit in the chair in our living room, sip my coffee and read or pray…in peace. Most of the time I read my devotional, but sometimes it’s a regular book. Depends on my mood, but man, it is nice! I keep the lights off except for a lamp next to the chair, and it is so calm and peaceful. It really a good way to “wake up” more slowly (especially if you are not a morning person) than feeling like you have to hit the ground running and rushing everywhere to get out the door on time. It is this time to myself that has made me become more of a morning person, and actually enjoy the process of getting up so early. I feel very productive before I leave for work at 7:00am and sets my mood for the day.

You can also try reflection, meditation, prayer, gratitude as mood boosters to start your day. Make your routine your own. Find what works for you and make it something enjoy and look forward to! Just try it and see!

If you’re not a morning person, a bed time routine is also great to incorporate into your day to help promote good sleep. Like babies recognizing and thriving on a good bedtime routine, I think we as adults do too. If we establish a routine, our bodies will recognize that it time to start winding down, prepare for sleep, and in turn, sleep better. A bedtime routine can include a hot shower, washing your face and putting on all your serums, reading, reflecting on the day and giving gratitude before you close your eyes. Simple things to help you turn your brain off and prepare for sleep. Try to limit screen time in the last hour before bed to help promote good sleep.

Take time for yourself

We hear this so often, right? But it’s so true! As spouses, moms, girlfriends, sisters, care givers, and friends, we give so much and yet rarely take time for ourselves to refill our cup. When I take time to reset and recharge my batteries, I am better at all the roles that I play daily, especially as wife and mom. Plan out some time for yourself every so often and refill that cup! It’s so good for your mental health which if vital for a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Here are some ideas:

5 Simple Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle
  • Light a candle and take a bubble bath.
  • Go to dinner with girlfriends.
  • Sign up for a fun class: cooking class, cookie or cake decorating, painting class, yoga class, pottery class, wine tasting, or something you’ve been wanting to learn.
  • Ask for a couple hours alone in your room without kids/spouse to just do whatever.
  • Rent a hotel room for a night away by yourself.
  • Take a weekend getaway by yourself, with girlfriends, or alone with your significant other.
  • Go for a walk/hike.
  • Visit a park or somewhere you’ve been wanting to go.
  • Go to a restaurant by yourself and enjoy a peaceful dinner.
  • Go to the library and read a book.
  • Ask significant other to take over dinner duties 1-2x a week.
  • Get a massage, facial, manicure, pedicure, etc.
  • Get coffee and hang out at a coffee shop.

Be consistent, not perfect!

At the end of the day, it’s really all about being consistent. That is the key to a healthier lifestyle. If you’re not consistent, you’re probably not going to see the results you’d like. You do not have to be perfect, either. I repeat, you DO NOT have to be perfect. Am I perfect with every single one of these, 365 days a year? Nope. And I never will be! Life happens. I’m tired. I don’t really feel like it today. My body needs rest. All of those things will happen, guaranteed, and that’s okay too! But, I committed to being more consistent than I’m not and that has been what has paid off the most and helped me see the most progress of getting back to a healthier lifestyle and feeling more “me”.

You can do this! Start with a small goal(s) and be consistent with that first. Once you feel solid in your consistency, you can add in another 1-2 actions that you want to do. Determine a plan first to accomplishing the small goals, and then just start. Over time, you will notice a difference in your day, your mood, and you’ll be living a healthy lifestyle majority of the time. I have found 5 simple tips for a healthy lifestyle to be easy for me to implement without taking a lot of extra time in my day to do. Most of this i can fit in small sections of the day, and they’ve added up to big changes over time. I hope this is helpful for you to get ideas. Let me know what you think below! Do you have a morning or bedtime routine? I love hearing what other’s do.

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