5 Steps To A Healthier Lifestyle In 2021
Are you already struggling to stick to your new year’s resolution? Don’t beat yourself up over it. We all have a hard time making improvements in our lives.
But if you’re ready to re-commit and make some healthy lifestyle changes in 2021, then follow these five simple steps:
Step 1: Evaluate your current condition
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A lot of people start out on a new health adventure by setting goals. That seems like a good place to start… but they’re actually getting ahead of themselves.
In order to make positive changes in your life, you need to know where you want to go. But you’ve also got to be realistic about where you are right now.
One way to evaluate your current condition is to take a healthy lifestyle test. This will help you understand your current lifestyle and immediately identify some changes that need to be made.
If possible, you should also get a physical examination and check-up from your doctor and discuss with her how you can make some healthy lifestyle changes.
Step 2: Make a plan of action
Once you know where you are, healthwise, you can set some new goals and come up with plans to achieve them.
Be sure that your goals are specific and measurable, so that you can see objectively whether you’re making progress towards them – or not – as the weeks go by.
If you’re new to living a healthy lifestyle and want some ideas, try some of these 17 health goals.
Step 3: Get some accountability partners
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Having some support and encouragement from family and friends can make a difference in whether you stick with your plan or revert back to your old ways.
Start by letting your family and friends know that you’re starting some new healthy habits and could use their support.
Perhaps a spouse, sibling, roommate or friend will want to make some changes with you and will offer to be your workout buddy.
You could also join online groups for support on Facebook, and share your health and fitness journey on a blog or on YouTube.
Step 4: Focus on daily habits
Experts in human behaviour estimate that up to 95% of our daily activity is habitual. We just do the same activities over and over without really thinking about what we’re doing.
You don’t look in the mirror every morning and ask, “Should I brush my teeth and shower today?” No, you just do it without thinking. It’s a habit. It requires no motivation or decision.
Imagine how much easier it would be to reach your weight, health and fitness goals if you approached gym workouts and salad lunches the same way.
It will take discipline and effort to turn these activities into habits, but reaching your goals this way is much easier than relying on pure motivation, day in, day out.
Think about investing in a personal trainer, or using your accountability partners to help you to both exercise and maintain a healthy diet. This could be as simple as texting you to see if you went to the gym, or having them plan workouts, or even going to the gym with you. It could be meal-planning with you daily or simply reminding you of your food sensitivity.
Whichever way you choose, turning these actions into habits will help you live a healthier and happier lifestyle.
So if you can identify some unhealthy habits and replace them with healthier ones, then you can start moving closer to your goals – without having to think about it.
Step 5: Tweak your environment to support your health goals
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When trying to instil these new healthy habits, you should also set up your environment to make these transitions easier. Chances are that your environment reinforces unhealthy habits, so make some simple changes that fit with your new health goals.
Some examples:
- Keep a pair of dumbbells next to your sofa, so you can do a few quick sets of arm and shoulder exercises during commercials while watching TV after work.
- Instead of re-stocking your fridge with fizzy drinks, drink filtered water at home and only have sugary drinks when you eat out.
- Throw out that lumpy, old mattress and get one that helps you get more restful sleep every night.
Living a healthier lifestyle in 2020 doesn’t have to be difficult. By following these five simple steps, you can definitely make some real improvements in your health and experience a healthier, happier life.
