21 Simple Habits to Kickstart a Healthier Lifestyle
This article is written by Tara.
There’s no better feeling than feeling healthy. Being healthy is not only beneficial for us physically, but mentally as well. Even though we all make an effort to live a healthy lifestyle, there’s always room to be more proactive. Here are 4 meaningful investments you can make in order to live the healthy and safe lifestyle you desire.
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Make Smart Food Swaps
A healthy diet can be one of the hardest things to maintain. With temptation all around us, sticking to a strict diet can feel next to impossible. Instead of feeling like a yo-yo dieter, there are simple swaps that can make it a lot easier to stick to being healthy. One of the most common changes can be what you’re drinking. If you’re a fan of carbonation and just can’t give up soda, the next time you’re about to grab a soda, grab a sparkling water or seltzer instead. You’ll have to stay mindful of the possible additives and calories, but the carbonation and popularly used fruity flavors will give you the same amount of satisfaction.
Pasta is no doubt one of the most liked foods, but when you try to limit your carb intake, eating pasta isn’t exactly the wisest choice. Luckily, there are tons of options available that are vegetable-based and drastically lower in the number of carbohydrates. Eating zucchini noodles, otherwise known as zoodles, and spaghetti squash are both healthier alternatives that will give you a full feeling while also limiting your carb intake. But by no means do you have to make zoodles or these healthier options from scratch. Alongside regular pasta options, most stores carry vegetable-based boxed options such as chickpea pasta, red lentil pasta, and edamame pasta, making your healthy eating journey as easy as possible.
These are only two food swaps that make eating healthier possible. If you’re a fan of yummy processed food every once in a while, here are other healthier alternatives to commonly eaten junk foods.
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Choose Better Beauty Products
While many people may not associate beauty with feeling healthy, there are actually quite a bit of connections. Beauty products are based on what you’re applying to your body and there are health benefits whether it’s the lotion you use to hydrate your skin, or the makeup up you use on a daily basis. With harmful chemicals still being found in widely used beauty products such as parabens, triclosan, and sulfates, it’s worth it to do your research and avoid applying these chemicals to your body.
The next time you’re running low on deodorant, skip products with parabens, triclosan and phthalates, and instead find deodorant containing baking soda, cornstarch and arrowroot powder. The same goes for hair color. Oftentimes, you’ll find hair dye options containing sulfates and parabens. In order to get the safest color possible, stick to an all natural hair dye like this one instead.
Did you know that some lipsticks include lead in their product? Considering no one wants to apply lead or parabens to their bodies, it’s ideal to find natural lipstick products that are healthy and still give you a pop of color. You’ll find through your search that there are plenty of healthier options available for all common makeup items.
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Stay Active
Being active is so important, not only for your physical health but for your mental health as well. One of the easiest ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle is through staying active. You don’t have to spend hours at the gym in order to have an active lifestyle. There are all kinds of ways you can keep active that are, wait for it, fun! With things like aerial yoga, rock climbing, and swimming, there are countless ways to embrace a fun healthy kind of physical activity. With warmer weather finally here, keeping active will be so much easier. Whether it’s just taking a half-hour walk after work or going for a relaxing bike ride, spending time outdoors and being active is a great way to keep a healthy and active lifestyle going.
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Try Alternative Medicinal Methods
Even though taking a pill is the easiest way to help get rid of sickness like a cold, there are more natural ways you can beat the sniffles that don’t include putting drugs into your body. The most popular forms of alternative medicine are through the use of herbal medicine and acupuncture. Herbal medicine is a helpful alternative that has been used to help relieve stress, arthritis, headaches and many other conditions. The options of how you want to take herbal medicine could be through tea, powders or tablets. Many of the healing herbs used are common household items such as garlic, turmeric, ginger and ginseng.
Acupuncture is a traditional remedy that has been known to help relieve symptoms and conditions such as body pain, nausea and depression. The goal of acupuncture is to promote natural self-healing by stimulating acupoints. This remedy has proven to be highly effective by many people. So the next time you’re feeling under the weather, consider making an appointment with an acupuncturist instead.
Whether it’s making smarter food choices, choosing safer beauty products, being active, or trying alternative medicine, staying mindful of the choices that you make will help you achieve a healthier lifestyle in the long run.
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