Everyone wants to look and feel healthy, and there are many easy ways to improve your health from the inside out. Small steps make a big difference whether you’re improving your diet or just walking the dog.
Food
- Cut down on sugary drinks. Reduce your intake, or completely cut out soft drinks, juices, and sports drinks that are full of sugar, and opt for water, milk and healthier options instead.
- Eat your fruits and vegetables every day.
- Eat a diet rich in fish, legumes, and nuts to get Omega-3 fats.
- Drink plenty water: You can add some cucumber, lemon, orange, or grapefruit to bring some flavour to water if you need to.
- Do not “go large”. Eating fast food occasionally is not bad, but stick to smaller servings.
- Eat whole grains. The outer bran of grains is richer while whole grains provide healthier carbohydrates than processed ones.
- Eat a varied diet. Balance your diet with a variety of different food groups to ensure that you get all of the proper nutrition you need.
- Keep healthy foods on hand. Make healthy meals and snacks easily accessible, so you’ll eat them instead of ones that are bad for you.
- Eat plenty of eggs. They are high in protein and full of vitamins.
- Avoid processed foods. Do your best to eat foods as close to their natural state as possible.
- Eat lean protein. Get your protein from chicken, beans, and dairy products. Personally, I like pork chicharon and deep-fried chicken skin but I only eat them once in a blue moon.
- Drink tea. Most teas are full of polyphenols and antioxidants that not only make you healthier, but can clean your teeth.
- Avoid eating in front of your television. Pay attention to what you’re eating, and avoid sitting in front of the TV, computer or other distractions at mealtime.
Eating Out
- When ordering meat, ask if you can have it grilled instead of fried. There’s nothing wrong with fried food if you cooked it yourself. I fry some of my food in virgin coconut oil and I only use the oil ONCE.
- Request extra vegetables when you can.
- Split your appetizer with someone and you’ll get a much more realistic portion size.
- Get a soup or salad first to fill you and you’ll eat fewer calories overall.
- Stay away from hidden fats. Descriptions like creamy, stuffed, sauced, or breaded generally indicate that the dish is heavy with fats.
- Avoid fancy drinks. Most mixed drinks like margaritas or pina coladas are full of sugar. Drink wine, beer, or a simple cocktail instead.
- Eat fish though don’t go for the one that’s heavily sauced or fried.
Illness
- Get rid of dust mite breeding grounds. Allergy sufferers can keep symptoms under control by avoiding stacks of books and magazines, stuffed animals, and pillows, all of which are great environments for dust mites.
- Wash your hands. Protect yourself from germs and illnesses by washing your hands frequently.
- Go for free health checkups. Find time to visit the local health center.
- Sleep with plenty of ventilation.
- Eat plenty of fiber. Avoid digestive illnesses by cleaning your digestive tract with lots of fiber.
- Sleep well.
At Work
- Spend some time outside. Get out of the office and see the sun. Uuse your lunch hour to take a stroll around the neighbourhood or head to the gym.
- Pack your lunch: Don’t leave your lunch up to the fast food joint around the corner. Pack a healthy lunch ahead of time, and you’ll know that your lunch is good for you.
- Limit coffee consumption to 4 cups daily.
- Clean your desk. Ban bacteria from your desk by wiping down surfaces like your keyboard and telephone on a regular basis.
- Be careful with buffets. Avoid overindulging at office buffets just because the food is there. I am so guilty of this but what I do is do more exercises the following day.
- Get away from it all. If you are suffering from intense levels of stress, step away from your office for a few moments by taking a walk in the halls or getting up to grab a glass of water.
- Resist the temptation of free food. Don’t eat free food unless it’s at least marginally healthy and you’re actually hungry. Don’t forget to exercise portion control, either. (Who does really? However, please try)
Sleep
- Create a sleep ritual. Read a book or drink a warm glass of milk (or wine) every night before bed to improve the quality of your sleep.
- Pay attention to light exposure. Do most of your sleeping when the sun is down, and you’ll have higher quality sleep.
- Power nap. Refresh yourself with a quick afternoon nap.
Mental Health
- Relax: Let go of your tensions and find a fun hobby that you can enjoy.
- Exercise your brain with a good book.
- Adapt to change and be patient.
- Practice good self-esteem: Give yourself credit, cut down on criticism, and be confident for a more healthy outlook.
- Write: Use writing as a way to stimulate your mind, release thoughts, and improve your memory.
- Praise yourself: When you’ve done a good job, don’t be afraid to pat yourself on the back.
- Express your feelings: Find a way to let your feelings out, whether it’s by screaming at the top of a mountain, singing, or writing in your journal.
- Learn something new: Make multiple areas of your brain get to work by learning a new skill.
- Switch your television off: Spend more time actually living by turning off your television and getting off the couch.
- Avoid procrastination: Putting off the things you really need or want to do will only make you feel bad about yourself.
- Play brain games: Find crossword puzzles, brain teasers, or graphic illusions to improve your mental clarity.
- Laugh often. You will be a happier person.
- Listen to music. Use music as therapy to reduce stress, improve your memory, and even stimulate the immune system.
Beauty
- Consider a detoxification: Consider cleansing detoxification diets to clean out your body from the inside out. (I’d recommend a virgin coconut oil detox for 3-5 days; nothing but VCO and water.)
- Don’t over-wash your skin. Avoid going overboard by washing your face and body too often, or you’ll over dry your skin and produce more oil.
- Trim your hair: Cut down on split ends and uneven hair with a regular trimming.
- Don’t drink or smoke.
- Don’t overdo hair treatments. Blow dryers, dying, and chemical straightening can all damage your hair.
- Love the sun but don’t overdo it with exposure to UV rays.
- Use natural beauty products. Steer clear of harmful preservatives and caricinogens by using natural products.
Relationships
- Spend time with healthy people. We tend to pick up the habits of people around us, so hang out with your friends that have healthy habits.
- Know when to say “no”.
- Cultivate friendships. Grow as a person by working on a successful friendly relationship with another person.
- Embrace a loved one. Get a hug or kiss from someone you care about every day.
- Tell stories. Solidify your memories and have fun sharing moments by telling stories to your friends and family.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. We all have our limitations. No one is perfect.
- Practice random acts of kindness. Feel better about yourself and make someone else feel good by doing something nice.
Fitness
- Just do it. It doesn’t really matter what you do to be active, just that you do it, and you get started right away.
- Do active chores. Fit activity into your daily life by seeing chores as a way to get exercise. Do lunges while you’re vacuuming and squats while you wash the car.
- Do whole-body exercises. Focus on exercises that will work out multiple parts of your body at the same time.
- Get at least 60 minutes of your daily routine to exercise. For at least 60 minutes every day, make sure you’re active. You can even break this time up into manageable 15-minute chunks.
- Have fun. Find something that’s both fun and active at the same time, like dancing or team sports.
- Team up. Enlist the help of a friend who will work out with you to stay motivated and enjoy yourself.
- Be persistent. Focus on your long-term fitness goals and never give up.
Away from home
- Get vaccinated.
- Drink alkaline water. Often, local water supplies overseas will contain bacteria and parasites that residents are immune to but can make visitors sick so when you can, bring your own water; preferably the alkaline variety.
- Peel your fruits and vegetables. Remove the skin from raw fruits and vegetables before you eat them.
- Bring extra medication: If you’re on a regular medication, bring extra doses along with you, just in case you run into delays or unexpected events.
- Spray for insects: Protect yourself from mosquitos and other pests by spraying yourself with a natural insect repellent that contains citronella or lemongrass.
- Pack a first aid kit, which you the tools to deal with minor difficulties like diarrhea, motion sickness, and bug bites. It is always better to be prepared.
