Getting healthy should be a priority for everyone. The best way to get healthy is different for everyone but there are some basic rules everyone can follow to find the best way to get healthy for them.
The best way to get healthy and stay healthy is to approach your transformation slow and steady. Small changes are a great way to get started and will also ensure that the changes become permanent. You do not have to make all your changes in a week. Give yourself time and learn more about the best way to get healthy.
Why Getting Healthy Should be a Priority
Good health is very valuable. When you are struggling with health issues like breathing difficulties it can make life a whole lot less enjoyable. It can also be a lot more expensive to be unhealthy. People that struggle with health issues that they can control by making lifestyle changes, incur expenses that they can avoid.
Even with the best health insurance plan, you likely pay out of pocket expenses like cost-shares, co-pays, and deductibles. Other costs from not being healthy include prescription costs and co-pays. Getting healthy can mean putting those extra expenses to rest. You can experience real savings once you get healthy.
Getting healthy can mean a fuller social life. When you feel good you are far more likely to engage other people, and look for ways to have fun. Of course, there is nothing better than feeling great.
Get Support
If you are lucky your health insurance plan will offer support to help you reach your goals. Some health insurance plans will pay for workout classes, gym memberships, even yoga classes to help you get healthy.
Call your health insurance plan and ask about any programs they offer to help you to get on the path to good health. Understanding more about your coverage can help you to make decisions about which is the best way to get healthy for you.
Once you have discussed your options with your insurance carrier, talk to trusted friends and family members that can get on board with your goals and provide support during your journey to a healthier you. It is important that you set up a support network. Studies have shown that feelings of accountability can be a great motivator in making lifestyle changes.
Share your plans and your hopes with your support network and ask them to help keep you on track. When you have a team behind you pushing you to do well it is easier to stick to your commitments.
Healthy Living Tips
A lot of people want to know the best way to get healthy but they have no idea where to start. Many of the best ways to get healthy are very personal and exclusive to your situation. For example, for some people getting healthy can mean they start with weight loss surgery, for others they do not need to take extreme measures they just need to shed a few pounds.
Where you start your journey depends on what you are hoping to achieve. Some people just want to feel better and get their health problems under control, other people want to get healthy so they can enjoy life more. Whatever your motivation is, these tips can help you to achieve your goal:
- Create a space where you can exercise, adding exercise to your lifestyle is vital to good health
- Use food as medicine
- Create and/or nurture relationships
According to a recent poll, about 45% of people exercise regularly, the rest of us just are not keeping up. By far the best way to get healthy is to start an exercise plan. Having a space to exercise in if you do not feel comfortable going to a local gym can encourage you to stick to your plan. A lot of people do a little basement remodeling to make the space for some basic exercise equipment.
Of course, if you are not big on using gym equipment that is okay too. You can get exercise in other ways. If you have access to a community pool swimming is great exercise. Your local YMCA may have a pool if you do not have a community pool in your area.
If swimming in a pool is not your thing walking is a great way to get exercise. You can stroll at your own pace until you get healthier than you can pick up some speed to really burn those calories. Take care of your feet by making sure that you have comfortable walking shoes on.
It is recommended that for good health you get in about 10,000 steps every day. Getting in those steps can be easy if you think strategically about ways to move a bit more. Park further from the entrance to your workplace or when you go shopping. Take the stairs when you can. Walk places that you normally would not walk to. Actionable healthy living tips can be just that easy.
Food as Medicine
We all must eat and we all have the ability to choose what we eat. Making smart food choices can help you to get healthy and actually heal your ailments. Nutrition is incredibly important. Changing what you eat and how you view food an be the best way to get healthy.
It can be hard to figure out what you should and should not be eating on your own. There are tons of fad diets that show up every year. Well-meaning friends and family members also will share advice. Advice is okay but it is far better when it comes from a reliable source like a nutritionist.
Arranging to see a nutritionist is especially important if you are diabetic but it is a really good idea for anyone that wants fact-based nutrition information. A nutritionist will review your health goals and be able to supply you with the information that you need to make smart food choices.
Food has been used for centuries to help restore good health and improve health. Nutrition through food can be a powerful source of good health. Choosing whole foods, eating less processed foods, avoiding foods that are dense is sugars, all can help you to achieve your health goals.
A diet that is rich in plant-based foods like leafy green vegetables, legumes, berries, and other good for you foods can transform your health. Proteins that come from lean meats, fish, and beans feed your body with the right type of energy.
We cannot have a conversation about foods without including beverages. Water should be your main beverage. Sugary drinks and juices should be treated like a treat not a staple part of your diet. One of the worst things you can do is load up on useless calories which is exactly what drinking sugary beverages do.
Staying well hydrated by drinking only water (most of the time) can help your orangs to work at their optimum. It can also help you keep food cravings at bay. Studies have indicated that often when we feel hungry it is actually water that our body needs.
Making sure you are getting the right nutrition starts with learning to read nutrition labels. Food companies put all the bright fun inviting pictures on the front of the packaging to suck you in. Ignore what is on the front of the packaging and learn to look at the back where nutrition labels are located.
Once you start reading nutrition labels and realizing exactly what is packed into packaged foods you will change your mind about what you eat. Avoiding sugars, bad fats, and other ingredients that are detrimental to your health can easily help you to improve your health.
Make Friends
Good health is not just about physical health. People that have friends and a vibrant social life typically enjoy good mental health as well. It is nice to be surrounded by positive people that care about you.
Of course, you have to nurture relationships for them to grow and stay stable in your life. That means making time for fun. Nurturing healthy relationships is part of good health. You will feel mentally well when you have things to look forward to.
Making friends or nurturing relationships with the friends that you have should be a priority. Friendship can mean the support that you need to get healthy. Of course, friendship gives and take so you have to be willing to support others.
Positive Thinking
The best way to get healthy is to take the bull by the horns. Instead of planning to start executing. Take baby steps to make the lifestyle changes that you need to make to get healthy. One of the worst things we do to ourselves makes excuses and procrastinate when changes have to be made.
The fact is no one can force you to get healthy and no one can do the work for you. You have to commit yourself to it, and then you must get up and make those changes. Every day is a new opportunity to start again on your path to a healthy life.
Procrastination is the enemy. Time goes by a lot faster than we like and putting off the changes another day, then another day, turns into a year of putting off changes. Each day that you’re waiting to get on that path is a day lost.
One of the truest things about the best way to get healthy is if you believe you can then you will. You just have to get into the right mindset to avoid old bad habits. Believing that you will succeed on this journey will help you to succeed.
Say Good-Bye to Nay-Sayers
Sadly some people will not get behind your lifestyle changes and not cheer you on. If you have any of these types in your life right now, it is time to put up that wall and lock them out on the other side. You do not need anyone in your life that makes negative comments. You can do this. You can use the best way to get healthy for you, and in a few months look better, feel better, and be ready for your next chapter. Anyone that cannot get on board with that idea or tries to bring you down, just need to go.
The best way to get healthy for you is going to be a unique process. You want to be sure that you keep positive people in your corner to help you manifest the changes that you want.
Slow And Steady Wins the Race
One of the biggest hurdles you will have to overcome is the feeling like you are not making progress. Progress can be slow at times, but if you hang in there you will make it to the finish line. Pace yourself.
Start out slow and look to make one change per week. The best way to get healthy is at a slow and steady pace. For example, if you are a big soda drinker, it may be hard putting it down cold turkey and never look back. Limit yourself to one soft drink a day and drink water with the rest of your meals. In a couple of weeks, you can completely eliminate it.
Getting healthy is more about trading one habit for another. The experts say if you can do anything consecutively for 3 weeks that it can become a habit. You just have to choose the good habits as part of your regular routine to see the changes that you want.
Give yourself time to make all the lifestyle changes that you need to and don’t be hard on yourself if you slip up. Just get right back on track if you relapse into bad habits. You got this. Healthier days are coming.
