Where to Start If You Want to Improve Your Health
You could be forever contemplating exactly how to live a healthy life – the Internet is full of gimmicks designed to help you optimize every little thing. But honestly, most of the benefits of sleep, exercise, and diet are simply following the basics. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, here’s where to start.
Any exercise
You can run, lift weights, do yoga, attend classes – there are a lot of options. Any exercise is better than nothing, and if you feel out of shape, try doing a little more than what you are doing right now.
A healthy week of exercise should include:
- Some cardio
- Some strength training
You can be a runner who does some quick strength workouts, or an athlete who jumps onto a rower once or twice a week for a little cardio. Or maybe you play a sport that gives you a good mix of both in every workout.
If you are new to everything, research until you find what you like. Then find a program, team, coach, or long-term goal to structure the rest of your training.
Enough sleep
There are entire industries that sell things to people who don’t have enough “energy.” You can buy them vitamins, gadgets or give them motivational advice … or you can just get some sleep .
If you usually get six hours or less, fixing it will likely solve a myriad of problems that might otherwise appear to be health or “energy” issues. Most people take six to nine hours. Usually the way to get enough sleep is to simply change your morning and evening schedule so you have plenty of time in the bag.
Don’t eat a shitty diet
There are many healthy ways to eat, so don’t worry if you’ve found the optimal one. All healthy diets include a lot of fruits and vegetables and not too much sugar.
If you are trying to lose weight, know that all existing diets and fasting regimens work the same: they lead to a decrease in calorie intake. Plus, they each have their pros and cons: you may feel fuller and more satisfied due to the high fat content of the keto diet , or you may prefer the ease of intermittent fasting, or maybe you will enjoy a lot of foods. which you can eat on an old, low-fat diet.
Anything you like is fine, but if you rely on a diet to manage calories, pick one and stick to it. And remember that when it comes to weight control, your diet matters more than exercise .
Reduce stress
It’s a little more hazy, but if you’re feeling stressed all the time, it can be difficult to stick to any of the above changes.
Techniques like meditation can help, but often stress arises from everything else in your life: Do you work hard? Afraid to make ends meet? Are you dealing with a newborn or sick parent?
You may not be able to get rid of stress, but you can look at your life and find ways to better cope with what is happening and plan for the stress you cannot change. Real therapy will help solve mental health problems more than any meditation or life hacking.
Don’t change everything at once
You’re just setting yourself up for failure if you’re trying to get a ton of exercise and completely change your diet and get a whole new evening of routine all at once. (If you tried all of this in January and fell off the cart, you know what I mean.)
Even in each of these domains, choose one. Add cycling lessons once or twice a week and see how you feel. Find some healthy meals next week and get in the habit of packing them. Take stock of each change after you make it – has it changed for the better? How would I like to do more? What problems stand in my way? – and soon you will begin to lead a healthier lifestyle.