If you’re looking to live a healthier life, you don’t necessarily have to go making big drastic changes, there are plenty of simple and small things you can do. Here are five super simple things that can help you to live healthier!
Don’t ever underestimate the importance of getting a good night of sleep when it comes to living a healthy life. Research shows that getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, and quality of life in general. Whilst you’re fast asleep, your body is working hard to repair any damage and support healthy brain function – so it is absolutely vital that you get a really top night of sleep!
There are many ways to make sure you sleep well. For example, making sure that you get active throughout the day so you’re nice and tired in the evening can help you to fall asleep earlier. Alternatively, try taking a bath, lighting a candle, or reading a book before you go to bed. The average adult needs 8 hours of sleep per night, so work out when you need to be waking up in the morning and make sure you get to bed at least 8 hours before then! As important as getting enough hours of sleep is, it is also crucial that you get plenty of good quality hours of sleep – things like reducing your exposure to blue light in the evenings, avoiding caffeine late in the day, and avoiding taking daytime naps can really help to boost your quality of sleep!
Whatever you do, make sure you’re not underestimating how important sleep is to live healthily – you can be eating all the vegetables in the world but if you’re only getting five hours of bad quality sleep each night, then there’s not much point!
Granted that this option might not be possible for everyone, for example if your commute to work just can’t be done on foot, or if you just simply don’t have the time to be walking then fair enough. However, if you can, you should really think about driving less and walking instead. Not only is this better for the environment, but just walking to and from work, or school, or university each day could have quite a big impact on your life overall.
If you aren’t able to swap the car for a walk, perhaps consider taking an evening walk once a day? Just a quick ten minute walk around the block? Or next time you need to post a letter or pop to your local shop, walk it instead! Small changes like this can really benefit both your physical and mental health and shouldn’t be underestimated. So, if you’re looking to live healthily, try doing a little bit more walking!
If like me, you’re someone that is always on the go and maybe a bit of a fussy eater, sitting down to eat a big bowl of fruit might not be your favourite thing to do. So, smoothies are a fantastic alternative that will have a surprisingly big impact on your life! Making sure you get all of those crucial vitamins and minerals is absolutely key to living a healthy life – they enable your body to function most efficiently.
Getting into the routine of drinking a smoothie each day is easier than you probably think – just get yourself into that habit blending up your favourite fruits every morning. Smoothies are great for two reasons: firstly, you can drink them on the go! Drinking your daily intake of fruits means you can have them on the way to work, in the middle of a lesson at school, in between classes at university, or even while you’re picking the kids up. Smoothies are quick and easy to make and there’s absolutely no excuse for not being able to find the time to drink one. The second great thing about smoothies, is that you can make them out of virtually anything! You can combine all of your favourite fruits or you can even mix in some of the healthier stuff that doesn’t taste so great, because the other fruits will completely mask the taste. For example, I like to add some spinach and manuka honey into mine, as the banana means you can taste them at all but I still get all the benefits – it’s a win-win!
So really, there is absolutely no excuse for not incorporating a smoothie into you day-to-day life. The difference it will make to your hair, skin and nails, your energy levels, your digestion, and much more, will be noticeable within days – so give it a go!
I know what it’s like, nobody wants to be that one person at a party that says “I don’t really drink”, but I’m not talking about becoming completely teetotal. Most of us don’t realise the effects alcohol can have on us, and I’m not just talking about the effects on our livers. Alcohol is a serious depressant – if you’ve experienced a hangover before then you’ll have probably felt those effects. Alcohol really isn’t great for our mental health and most people don’t even realise it. So, perhaps re-consider your alcohol intake for better mental health.
Another thing people often don’t realise about alcohol, is the amount of calories it contains. It can be easy to forget that drinks include calories, but alcohol is one of the most calorific drinks out there, so if you’re watching calories, it’s certainly something to reconsider! For example, one glass of wine can be around 300 calories. Imagine you drink two or three glasses of wine, that could be a whole meals-worth of calories!
So, putting the obvious negatives of alcohol aside, alcohol is also bad for our mental health and very calorific. If you’re trying to live healthily, consider seriously cutting down your intake of alcohol – the change will be easier than you probably thing and could have some amazing benefits!
Before taking any vitamins, you should always consult your doctor or at least a pharmacist – especially if you’re on any medication or have any pre-existing conditions. Plus, your doctor or pharmacist might be able to help you figure out what vitamins will be most beneficial for you!
Taking a vitamin tablet or two each day can really make a big difference to your life – for example, many people are low on iron and vitamin D and have no idea until they start taking vitamins and have a sudden boost in energy! It is easy to get into the habit of having a little pill with your breakfast every morning and can be well worth doing, so consider looking into it.
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