It’s all too easy to fall off the wellness wagon, but small shifts and seemingly inconsequential choices can build up to the healthy, active lifestyle you’re looking for. Renewing your commitment to health doesn’t have to be a major overhaul. Daily decisions and a little structure form the foundation for big-picture wellness.
1. Own your Food and Fitness goals
There is no getting around the importance of diet and exercise. If you’re having a tough time eating foods that serve you and getting your heart rate up every day, try a fitness tracker. If your friends and loved ones aren’t on the same page with their own lifestyle goals, that’s on them, but YOU are ready to feel your best. There is no shame in choosing foods and activities that make you feel awesome. In fact, it’s a no-brainer! Treat everyday as an opportunity to improve your wellbeing by a small step; pretty soon you will look back and be amazed by the strides you have made. Chart your growth over time, and you’ll look back and realize just how far those seemingly small food and fitness choices have taken you.
2. Drink up
Ready for a cure all? Drink up! The benefits of getting enough water are pretty much endless - better skin, hair, nails, digestion, energy, etc. Oh, and if you live in a place with clean and safe drinking water, it’s free! If not, consider taking it up with your local elected officials, but also invest in a good filtration system. Buy yourself a BPA free water bottle and make it your new favorite accessory. Many cafés and coffee shops will happily refill your bottle for you, and you’ll be shocked at how easy it really is to get that 75-150 ounces of water per day. Cheers!
3. Get your Zzzzzz’s
If you are one of the
40.6 million Americans who don’t get the recommended amount of shut eye every night, your situation isn’t unique, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to address it. Study after study has found a link between insufficient sleep and some serious health problems, such as heart disease, heart attacks, diabetes, and obesity. Yep, it’s ready to renew your commitment to not only getting enough sleep, but getting quality sleep. There are
lots of tricks you can try to improve your zzzs, like monitoring your caffeine intake and properly winding down before bed (turn off your smartphone!).
4. Skip the commute
Leave your car keys at home and bike or walk to work. Compared with driving or taking public transit, bicycling to work is associated with a substantially lower risk of heart disease and cancer - and even premature death from all causes. If you don’t live relatively close to work and need a car to commute, consider taking your bike to run errands or just out for a joy ride. While you won’t be able to do a big grocery shopping trip on two wheels, you can easily pick up a few items and courier them home in a backpack or saddle bags. And always, always wear your helmet!
5. Put your phone down
If you find yourself brainlessly scrolling through your phone throughout the day, an app like Moment might help you be more mindful of your time. Moment tracks the amount of time each day you used your device and categorizes the time, so you can learn which apps are dominating your day. Remember, less time on your phone means more time for exercising and connecting with people, places, and your own wellbeing. There are a ton of apps and features that improve our daily lives, but considering which those are and ditching the others just might free up more of your time than you think.
Bonus:
Snacking is a great way to get additional nutrition into your diet. Skip the vending machine and keep grab-and-go snacks handy (we love
Orgain Organic Protein bars!) for a tasty and healthy between-meal boost. While some of these changes may not be the most convenient, remember that convenience shouldn’t always be the first priority - your wellbeing is. By making small choices throughout the day, you’ll soon find that what started as a goal has become a lifestyle.
