If I asked 10 different people what they do to be healthy, I’d probably get 10 different answers. I am here to give you the basics and easy ways to improve your quality of life right now.
Be Healthy Be Happy
Being healthy is a very personal perspective. And because we’re all different, we might set up various routines, not like the same things. And most of the time, when we haven’t been our best self, we don’t know where to start. I’m here to give you some basic ways you can improve your life.
When you focus on your health, you start living better just a little, every single day. You slowly build up your energy again, you’re probably losing some weight (or a lot, depending on how much extra weight you have), you sleep better, you have more ambition for your career and relationships, you want more out of life really.
This is typically a virtuous cycle, and this is what I want for everyone I know and work with. For more info on what I do, head over to this page.
Now the seven ways I’m going to list are things you will have heard of before. It’s nothing new, but sometimes we need to read about it *one more time* for the penny to drop and to take action.
- Sleep between 7 and 8h a day. For real. Did you know that if you don’t get enough sleep, you’re more likely to put on weight because your body craves junk food? It didn’t have time to repair properly during the night so it needs quick fuel, fat and sugar. Your hormones are not satisfied so you want to eat, and it’s VERY hard to resist.
Also when you’re sleep-deprived for long periods of time, you’re more prone to heart disease, depression and cancer. Maybe worth starting a sleep journal if you struggle?
- Drink water. Again, you know that. However, do you know how many glasses of water you drink per day? What if you exercise, do you increase your water intake? Sometimes when we have a headache or cramps, it’s a sign of dehydration. Many inflammatory symptoms are due to a lack of water. Limit your coffee intake (it doesn’t count into the water intake). Waiting to feel thirsty is a bad strategy I’m afraid, because that means you’re dehydrated, that’s a very late signal from the body.
So if you’re a woman who is of average height and exercises regularly, you need 10 glasses of water per day, or 2.5L minimum. If you’re a man, or taller (or both), or bigger, you will need more water. See what feel right for you and force yourself to drink water if you’re not used to it (yet). Having a big bottle of water next to you is the best tip to keep your intake on the up side.
- Eat more vegetables. Grandma was right, you need to eat your vegetables to be healthy. I say it all the time, but this is because veggies are a gift from nature. Honestly, each plant was put in the earth to have a benefit for your body. We know the slogan “eat your 5 a day”, but the truth is we should be aiming for 30 plants a week. Variety is key to reap the benefit of the plants.
If you eat the same broccoli and apple at every meal, not only will you be done with broccoli in a week, but you will not cover your nutrient needs. Plants bring us vitamins and minerals but it’s a combination of all of them which is good for us. So force yourself to up your intake of vegetables. Try new things, look recipes up, be creative and open. And feel better ! I always aim for 2 or 3 vegetables per meal, so having a wide choice in my fridge helps a lot.
- Declutter your space. Do you ever feel disorganised, messy, like you have a lot on your mind? Try and clear out the space on your desk or working area. Put the forks with the forks in the drawer, and the spoons with the spoons. Donate the old clothes that don’t fit you anymore. Clean your pantry. Delete the apps on your phone that you don’t need anymore. When you organise your space you feel better.
And the same goes for your mind. If you want to calm the thoughts in your head, you can try meditation. This will help you stop for a second, focus on your breathing, and let the thoughts be fewer and fewer. Or at least more tamed. Stop the chaos, and invite calmness in.
- Move your body. This is for sweating out toxins and reaping all the benefits of movement. For more information, read out my post on Why You Should Exercise (And It’s Not To Lose Weight).
- Reduce your sugar consumption. We sort of know that sugar is bad for us, but we don’t necessarily know which one, or just a little bit own’t kill us. A little bit won’t kill you, no. But it’s a little bit every day that starts being harmful to us. Sugar is in ever processed food, packaged meals, anything that was made in a lab. If you suffer from chronic inflammation, or depression, or type 2 diabetes, and even cancer, sugar is the number one inflammation factor.
If you bake occasionally, maple syrup is a good source of sugar, or fruit and sweet vegetables (like carrots and pumpkin). White sugar is what you want to steer clear of, as well as alcohol.
- Get sun daily. This is the last action I’d recommend to strive to be healthy. There are lots more actions but exposing yourself to daylight is a great way to improve your sleep, activate your immune system by producing vitamin D, being outside for fresh air.
Be Consistent
Now this is nothing you haven’t heard before. I know it, you know it. Yet somehow, we easily forget the basics.
So I want you to pick two of these actions – that you don’t already do regularly, and commit to include them in your routine daily. Use a tracker, tell your partner or someone to keep you accountable.
I promise you, when you do these daily, for 30 days straight, you will feel so much better, more vibrant, more energetic, full of life. You will feel happy.
So be healthy, be happy. Do yourself some good.
