50 Tips To Start A Healthy Lifestyle
Ready to start a healthy lifestyle but don’t know where to start? I suggest starting small! Here are 50 tips to start a healthy lifestyle.
Hey there friend! My name is Chantal. Welcome to my site!
To give you a little perspective, I am a twenty-something mom of two out of the Pacific Northwest. I’m also a certified personal trainer who is also working on my nutrition coaching certification.
Needless to say, health and fitness is a big part of my life.
But that doesn’t mean that I have always had it easy when it comes to proper nutrition, exercise, and making healthy choices.
I didn’t grow up playing sports, and my parents didn’t place a high value on exercise or nutrition.
When I got older, I had to learn to make my own choices – healthy or not.
I struggled through my first several years as a new mom.
Postpartum depression dominated my first two years as a mom, and I struggled to find a way to come out of it naturally.
Now that I’m on the other side of it, I feel that I’m truly making strides towards living a healthy lifestyle.
But I believe that living a healthy life takes years of hard work. A healthy lifestyle is the culmination of thousands of healthy decisions made over time.
Psst! Need help with nutrition? Check out my self-paced nutrition course for weight loss!
Just as you shouldn’t expect results overnight, you shouldn’t expect yourself to break all of your unhealthy habits overnight, either.
I know firsthand that trying to overhaul your life in a week almost always backfires.
The best thing to do is choose to make a few healthy changes at a time, and compound upon them year over year.
So, if you want my advice, here is what to do.
If you want to start living a healthy lifestyle, choose a few things from this list that you can actually accomplish. You don’t want to pick things that you’re unlikely to do (keep it realistic).
Then, once you have developed these things into a solid habit, pick one or to more to work on.
Science says that most habits take at least 21 days of consistency to stick, so make sure that you repeat your choice of healthy habits for at least a month before adding more.
The key is to find a balance between consistency, accountability, and forward motion. You will make mistakes, but a healthy life is worth living!
50 Tips To Start A Healthy Lifestyle
- Start drinking a glass of water first thing every morning.
- Learn about weight lifting and start adding it to your exercise routine.
- Increase your daily vegetable intake to 3-5 servings.
- Replace processed foods with fresh food more often.
- Reduce your screen time by 50%.
- Start going for daily walks after dinner or lunch.
- Spend more time outside.
- Swap out white refined grains for whole grains / whole wheat.
- Start taking a multivitamin.
- Stop drinking energy drinks.
- Limit caffeine intake to 400-500 mg daily maximum.
- Pay attention to your posture and learn to sit and stand properly to avoid injury.
- Practice more gratitude in everything.
- Start keeping a journal or diary.
- Set a daily step goal and increase it over time.
- Keep meal times screen-free. Studies show that you eat more when distracted!
- Get rid of social media accounts you don’t absolutely need.
- Learn about yoga and other restorative exercise types.
- Buy organic foods when you can afford it.
- Track your food intake for a few days to see if you’re overeating. (Here’s how to count calories if you choose to do this.)
- Increase your daily fiber intake.
- Find a trusted friend to help you stay accountable for your goals.
- Spend a little time in the sun / outdoors each day.
- Take a new class or try a new hobby just for fun.
- Start going to bed earlier.
- Reduce your sugar intake by cutting out extra sweets. (Here’s how to eliminate hidden sugars in your diet.)
- Find a healthy way to release anger and frustration.
- Sit less often.
- Start taking better care of your oral health (brush your teeth).
- Schedule that doctor’s appointment you’ve been avoiding (dentist, eye doctor, etc.)!
- Start buying (and eating) more salad!
- Learn how to grow some of your favorite foods.
- Swap your heavy detergents and cleaners out for plant-based versions.
- Plan some fun, active family outings each quarter.
- Try to find a healthy new drink to enjoy (kombucha, green tea, etc.).
- Make a goal to go out to eat less.
- Swap out canola or vegetable oil for a healthier alternative, like olive oil.
- Learn your limits with food and when to say no.
- Work on your willpower with small things – stick to your guns!
- When you’re watching TV, get up and move or do a household chore during commercials.
- Spend 15 minutes cleaning up around the house every evening after dinner.
- Purge your closet to make room and reduce clutter.
- Clean out your fridge, freezer, and pantry to help you stay more organized and stop wasting food.
- Cut down alcohol intake.
- Look for herbal or plant-based remedies for common colds and other ailments.
- Pick out some books to read from your local library more often.
- Volunteer for a local organization.
- Forgive that person who hurt you.
- Keep setting goals to help you move forward.
- Make more time for yourself.
There you have it! Now you have plenty ideas regarding healthy changes you can make in your life.
Need extra help with nutrition and emotional eating? Check out my online course designed to help you reframe your mindset when it comes to food!
Next up, it’s time to pick a few and work on them with intention! Do what you have to do to really hone in on a small handful of these healthy lifestyle changes.
If you need more tips and tricks, I have you covered.
Check out these other posts I wrote about living your healthiest life:
- 7 Healthy Hobby Ideas For A Happier Life
- 35 Ways To Make The New Year Your Fittest Year Ever
- 75 Healthy Habits That Will Change Your Life
If you have any other suggestions you’d like to make on tips to start a healthy lifestyle, or you want to share your story of getting strong and healthy, please share them below.
Best of luck!
-Chantal
This post really speaks to me and what I need to do. I’m printing this out to have handy when I need a reminder!
Thank you and best of luck!