5 Tips for Healthy Living
For most of my young adult life, I was always active and conscious about healthy habits. But then motherhood, career responsibilities, stressors, and the busyness of life led me to develop some less-than-ideal habits.
Too many fast food meals when I was on-the-go. Too many unhealthy snacks. Too many nights that I had to have a drink “to take the edge off.” Too many ice cream stops after summer ball games with the kids. Too many stressful moments.
Not enough protein or water to fuel my body. Not enough daily movement. Not enough planning for the week ahead. Not enough intention about how I wanted to feel. And “not enough time” to do anything other than just live day-to-day going through the motions. I fell into believing, “It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything is fine.”
I found myself approaching 40, with about a decade of unhealthy habits, a body that was exhausted and always stressed, and the realization that I needed to make some changes to improve my overall physical, mental, and emotional health.
With the help of an expert to guide my nutrition and fitness, I started with very small steps that would lead me to a healthier lifestyle. I wasn’t looking to make huge changes-- remember, I didn’t have time for that. I was a full-time professor working unsustainable work hours with three young kids at home and a farmer-husband who also works long hours. I knew that if I was going to accomplish anything at all, I needed to make smart, small changes that would be sustainable.
So that’s what I did.
Each week, I built new habits and routines that contributed to a transformation in body and mind right before I turned 40.
I have learned that smart, small changes over time have a compounding and lasting effect on one’ life. And I’m here to tell you that you can also take simple steps to improve your health one day at a time.
Below are 5 tips for healthy living that you can incorporate immediately into your life.
No matter if you are a professional working long hours, an individual looking to make healthy changes, or someone who wants to feel more energized and alive, you can start to incorporate the ideas below which can lead you to improved health and wellness.
Tips For a Heathy Life:
1. Start your day strong: Your day starts as soon as you wake up. If you are intentional about how you spend it, you can set yourself up for a successful day ahead (Kreth, 2023). Those initial moments in the morning can start you on an upward spiral, or send you right onto the hamster wheel of life. I know this too well. For most of my adult life, I woke up tired and did not look forward to my long to-do list. I went through my morning without intention or time for myself. I rolled out of bed, got ready for my work day, and went through the mental checklist of the day ahead. Then, I got my kids ready and out the door to their daycare or school. Usually, especially in moments of high stress or toddler emotions, there were episodes of yelling, crying, and me thinking, ‘I don’t know how I can keep doing this.’ I never built in time for me. I never set intentions. I woke up in a chaotic state, and therefore, my day felt chaotic and out of my control. When I started to incorporate what I call my “10-Minute Power Practice,” I became more mindful, set intentions for the day, and expressed moments of gratitude. This practice had a profound effect on my mindset and my day ahead. I was focused on completing my intentions and more aware of moments of gratitude versus being on autopilot all day long. This simple practice continues to set a positive tone for my day.
2. Fuel your body with nutritious food and water. Be aware of foods that energize you and foods that bring your energy down. Eat enough protein, carbohydrates, and fats that are needed to fuel you all day long. Don’t deprive your body of good food and water. Start to ask yourself these questions as you go about your day:
Are there parts of my day where I hit an energy low?
Do I rely too heavily on caffeine or other types of food that aren’t the most nutritious?
When am I most hungry and thirsty?
Do I have brain fog or are there moments when I can’t think clearly?
Are there parts of the day that I feel energized and I am able to work more efficiently?
Are there things, people, experiences, emotions, that cause me to grab certain foods or drinks?
The above questions will help you become mindful of how you function each day. Start to pay attention to your environment-- and the people and stressors in it-- and how that affects your behaviors with eating and drinking. You will learn some interesting things by becoming mindful about how and when you fuel your body. Then, start to make healthy changes and notice how those changes make you feel. Maybe you need to drink more water. Maybe it means you need to eat a breakfast packed with protein. Maybe you need to eat multiple snacks in between meal times to continue to fuel you. Maybe you need to substitute a healthy snack for the foods you normally grab. Every person is different. Try things out, see what works for you, and notice how it makes you feel. If you find something that works, awesome! Keep doing it!
3. Move your body every single day. Remember, a body in motion stays in motion. I wrote about my daily walks as my personal self-care practice that helps me to feel energized each day. Go check it out! Build in walks and make them a routine for your life. You will see multiple benefits of walking as you incorporate more movement into your life.
4. Find joy: notice what makes you feel good during the day and “lean into” those moments more often. Whether it’s a hobby or talent, spending time with a loved one, or doing something specific each day, notice the emotions it brings you and be intentional about doing it more often. Experiencing joy each day can improve your well-being (Goldberg). When I was in the depths of postpartum anxiety, everything was overwhelming. All I wanted to do was stay in my house, snuggle with my newborn, and watch Netflix all day. I stopped going on walks during my recovery from my c-section, but I knew that I loved to walk and get fresh air. So, that’s how I started to find moments of joy each day: I went on slow, short walks with my baby. My 5 minute walks turned into 10 minute walks, which turned into 20 minute walks, which then turned into 30 minute walks. The fresh air, the movement, and the sunshine was what brought me joy. So I did more walking every.single.day. A good friend-- who was working through her own challenges during the early years of motherhood-- told me to keep leaning into those moments of joy. So that’s what I did. You can too. No matter what you’re going through, find those moments and “lean into them.”
5. Manage your stress: every day, individuals encounter stressful moments. We can’t avoid them. But we can control how we react to them. Individuals encounter good stress and bad stress. It’s up to us to notice moments of stress, how they make us feel, and how we react to those stressors. Once we have that awareness, we can choose to react differently. You can ask yourself:
How do I want to react in this moment?
Am I reacting in alignment with who I want to be?
Is there a different way to react that is more appropriate for this occasion?
For example, my children’s temperament used to send me into a tornado of emotions. In those moments, their reactions made me reactive. Those stressful moments triggered my own reactions, tone of voice, and my inability to connect with them as their parent and someone who needed to guide them. Now, when my children react, I can take a moment to ask myself how I want to react and be the parent my child needs me to be. I am more in control of my emotions and I don’t let stress--or the actions, behaviors, and emotions of others-- affect me as much as it used to. This takes practice. Over time, you will realize that you do have the ability to manage the stressors in your life. You’ll be able to control how you react versus allowing different stressors to control your reactions. This is a powerful shift that will have profound impacts on your life. Practice it… I can tell you that it is worth it.
My best advice is to just start someplace. Take one idea from the list above and begin to incorporate it into your life. Then, take the next idea. As you start to see positive effects on your life, you’ll be encouraged to keep going and try the next one. Cheering you on, one step and one day at a time!
Photo credit Emma Simpson
