5 Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle

Oftentimes than not, we are always looking to get skinnier or assume that working out will help us lose weight.  However, it’s not the weight loss journey that we need to do but rather a healthy lifestyle journey.  With a healthy lifestyle, you can do all the things that you normally do, however, in portion controls and changing up a couple of things on a daily. 

For me, having a healthy lifestyle is extremely important.  My weight has always fluctuated however, I have always tried to stick to the basic rule of having a healthy lifestyle.  I enjoy being able to eat in moderation and follow a few general lifestyle tips.  Before I begin, I do want to mention that I am not a certified professional or a doctor.  Please consult your doctor before beginning any sort of nutritional or fitness journey.  Without further ado, check out my tips for a healthy lifestyle.

Follow what motivates you

First and foremost, the number one tip that I recommend (and that I have received), is to follow what motivates you.  If you do a fitness routine or meal plan that you don’t enjoy, then you won’t stick to it.  You need to find your motivation and stick to it.  Once you do something that you enjoy, your healthy lifestyle routine will magically fall into place.

I love to walk and doing my daily walks is what motivates me.  Sometimes, I don’t even get to a 10K step goal with my daily walks but making sure I complete my 30-minute walk (or two 15-minute walks) helps me stay motivated.  I also throw on my current favorite podcast and make it a fun experience for me.

Meal Prep

Having a meal prep routine is one of the best ways to stay healthy.  All your meals are already made and all you need to do is heat the food.  There are two ways to meal prep: one is to prep all different types of meals and heat a different one each day and another is to prep your veggies, meat, and carbs and then make a different dish each day.  Both types of meal prep work well so figure out what works for you.

I enjoy doing meal prep of making different types of meals.  I’ve already done a meal prep post earlier this year – going into detail about my meal prep process.  So, I won’t go into grave detail, but I’ll give a little snippet of my process.  In simple terms, my husband and I prepare overnight oats as breakfast for the week, a meat and veggie dish for lunches, and two types of Indian entrees for dinners throughout the week.  This meal prep has proven successful for us, and we have been consistent for the past four years (wow)!

Sleep Well

We all hear the old saying that sleep is important however, we all still sleep as much as we should.  I know it sounds like a broken record, but it is true- sleep does play a huge role in your overall wellness which also includes a healthy lifestyle routine.  Research has shown that adults who have 7+ hours of sleep at night end up with better-quality sleep are more productive, and genially have a better quality of life.  Most adults do need about 7-9 hours of sleep.  The best way to figure out what the right amount of sleep is for you is to calculate how much you sleep during your sleeping-in day.  Since you feel most relaxed on those sleeping days, that’s the amount of sleep you need for your body to feel fully rested.

I used to think that 6-7 hours of sleep was plenty for me.  However, when Quarantine for Covid-19 first began, I used to sleep for 8ish hours every night.  Since I was working from home and didn’t have to wake up earlier to get ready and commute, I spent that time sleeping in every day.  I felt most at rest during that period.  Thus, I also realized that having 8-9 hours of sleep per night is what makes me feel fully rested.  Since then, I have been trying to sleep about 8-9 hours a night and it has made a difference in my healthy lifestyle journey. 

Stay Hydrated

Another old saying about having a healthy lifestyle is to stay hydrated.  We have heard from many people, especially our doctors, that we need to drink at least 8 cups of water (64 ounces/about 2 liters) every day.  I have also heard that drinking half of your weight in water is considered essential to being a healthy individual.  Whichever water method you follow, the moral of the story is that you need to stay hydrated to be considered a healthy individual.

I like to drink about 80 ounces (about 2.3 liters) of water per day.  It’s neither 64 ounces of water nor half my body in water weight but, I feel the most hydrated at that water limit.  I have felt lighter and less heavy when I drink my 80 ounces of water.  I have been drinking this daily water limit for about 4 years now and have been successful in maintaining that daily goal.  Occasionally, I’ll get to 64 -72 ounces of water by the end of the day.  However, that is still more than most people drink and I still feel hydrated at the end of the day.

Treat Yourself

Saving the best tip for last – treating yourself!  As part of any healthy lifestyle journey, you need to treat yourself at your milestones.  If you are motivated by rewards, this will help maintain those healthy lifestyle goals.  Rewards can be anyway from food rewards (like having your favorite chocolate) or buying a small something for yourself (like flowers).  Any type of reward or treat to help you be motivated in your healthy lifestyle is okay if it is not done often.  You can treat yourself once a week or once a month.  But don’t make a habit as that is how you can fall off a healthy lifestyle journey.

For me, I like to treat myself to either a piece of dark chocolate or a couple of my favorite chips- Cheetos.  Even though I’m treating myself to small rewards (instead of a whole chocolate bar or bag of chips), this still feels like a treat to me.  Small rewards are what motivate me and help me stick to my healthy lifestyle routine. 

That sums up my tips on how to have a healthy lifestyle!  I hope you enjoyed the tips that I have provided.  What is one healthy lifestyle tip that you follow?  Let me know in the comments below!

Much Love,