Being as healthy as you can be isn’t always easy. The world is full of temptation and even when you’re trying hard, you might end up picking up unhealthy habits. The good news is that while it will take a bit of an effort to stay healthy, it’s not going to be rocket science – there are certain tricks that you can adopt to stay healthy.
A healthy lifestyle is all about the choices you make and the habits you develop. You don’t have to change your whole life around, especially in an instant. By adopting the following seven tips, you will make yourself healthier and happier.
1. Prioritise sleep
Sleep is the most important tool you have for staying healthy. A good rest will heal both your body and your mind. The science is getting loud and clear – if you want to be healthier, you have to start prioritising sleep.
Make sure you sleep at least eight hours a night. If you’re a lot below this, then try upping the hours you sleep. Do it even as a test – you might be surprised how good you feel simply by adding one more hour of sleep to your routine.
2. Fight off stress
Stress can cause havoc in your body. Stress hormones do help during an emergency and there is such a thing as a healthy amount of stress. However, if you’re constantly on high alert and you’re not even able to slow down, you might be harming your body.
The best way to fight off stress is to become better at handling a tough situation. This can mean becoming better at time management, for example. You might also find that simply by treating yourself to something fun every once in a while could help. It’s important to identify what causes you to stress and then find the ways the combat that.
3. Be more positive
A mind is a powerful tool in the fight against sickness. While you can’t just hope positivity is enough to keep you healthy, your outlook on things can influence your wellbeing. If you’re always negative in life, you’ll soon notice your mind and body struggling too.
Try to surround yourself with positivity and seek out things you enjoy. In a world full of disasters and drama, it can be important to nurturing good thoughts. Start doing random acts of kindness, take time to smile and laugh, and do something you really enjoy every day.
4. Get up regularly
While you might not feel like turning into a gym rat, you shouldn’t just stay on the couch either. Being healthy doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon – it can simply be about standing up for 15 minutes more than usual. So get up and start moving. It can be to go for a jog but it could simply be about checking your e-mail while standing or taking the stairs instead of the lift. It’s the small movements and activities that count the most.
5. Prepare for illness
It might sound counterproductive to think about the things that could go wrong and to prepare for illness and injury. But you can’t always be 100% fit and healthy. The key is to make sure getting sick doesn’t ruin you and that you’re able to bounce back. To do this, you have to sort out your health insurance and visit the doctor regularly to keep an eye on your health. Make sure to compare health insurance to find the best deal for your health needs.
6. Spend time with loved ones
Your health can also get a boost from the magic thing called love. Love and closeness actually boost the production of feel-good hormones which help our bodies heal and feel good. So, if you want to stay healthier, make sure to spend more time with your loved ones.
It’s also important to make sure your relationships are doing well. You don’t want to waste too much energy on fighting or worrying. If you feel like your relationships could be better, it might be a good time to talk to the person and see what you can do to move on. Fixing relationships and letting go of those that aren’t working can be a big step in terms of improving your physical and mental health.
7. Aim for the 80/20 principle
Overall, the best healthy secret hack you can do is to aim for the 80/20 principle with everything you do. This essentially means making the right, healthy choices for 80% of the time and not worrying too much about the rest. For example, if you eat healthy food for 80% of your week and indulge in treats for 20% of the time, you are still going to do well. In fact, allowing those little treats can help you feel happier in your life.