You may be wondering how to live a healthier life. Whether that’s through eating better, exercising more, or even improving your mindset and feeling better about yourself.

The relationship we have with ourselves and our bodies has a big influence on our behaviors. If you self-sabotage yourself, it can make it really difficult to see the value you have.

Which can lead to unhealthy behaviors, like drinking more alcohol or overeating. And any time you are under a large amount of stress this can trigger these unhealthy behaviors.

So, what I want to talk more about is how to start living a healthier lifestyle.

And this sounds like an overwhelming thought, right? If you think that you have to completely change your life within a day, then you might not even want to start.

But, this is a part of the self-sabotage. Believing you don’t deserve to live a healthier and happier life, or thinking you don’t have the power within you to achieve these goals.

And as I go into this list I just want to remind you that you right now have the power within you to make a change. To live whatever life you’re currently dreaming of.

All you have to do is just believe this and then we can move forward on the HOW to do this.

How to Start Living a Healthier Lifestyle

Bring in New Habits Slowly

Whatever changes that you want to make, it first starts with breaking up with the bad ones, and creating new better habits.

And honestly, it takes a bit of time for your mind and body to adjust to a new habit. So let’s say you want to start working out more and everything you read on the internet says “workout at least 5 times a week for 45 minutes.”.

This is a BIG commitment to start making out of the blue. And I know for me personally, dealing with anxiety and depression makes it really hard to randomly pick up a new habit like this.

Instead what you want to do is start adding in a work-out routine slowly. Begin by setting aside 5 minutes a day for a week or two. You can even do the same workout, the point of this is to start changing your habits.

Once your mind and body are more in the habit of working out you can then begin to make it more challenging for yourself, and increase the time until you reach your end goal.

Drink More Water

This is so obvious but SO important. Especially as a health coach, I see people often who do not drink enough water.

It just doesn’t feel all that important, right? But, water regulates a lot of what is going on in your body. It helps with digestion and it balances out your blood sugar levels.

Aim for half of your body weight in ounces. So, if you weigh 150 pounds, you’ll aim to drink 75 ounces of water a day.

I used to be terrible about drinking water and only drank Diet Coke. But, I completely curbed this habit by buying 40oz water and always having ice-cold, clean water by my side wherever I go.

Now I crave water over any other drink! In the US water is the second most popular drink, behind soda. Obviously, this isn’t good and if you find that you aren’t drinking enough water, start turning this into a habit!

Set reminders on your phone and make water easily accessible to you. You can even add a fresh-squeezed lemon or lime to add a little flavor.

But if you find it difficult to drink enough water, you can also consider taking an IV hydration in Atlanta area, which is a quick and effective way of hydrating your body.

Spend Time Outside

I like to focus on a mind-body balance. When you benefit both, you will become the healthiest version of yourself.

Making sure to get time outside in the sun will help to improve your mood. If you suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), then you know how important it is to get sunshine.

On top of improving your mood, your body needs movement every day. If you work at a desk all day then it’s even more important for you to get up frequently and get outside.

If you have a dog, get into the habit of taking them out twice a day so you can both get some exercise and fresh air.

Again, start with just 5 minutes of being outside and work your way up to 15 minutes twice a day. It feels small, but it will make a huge difference!

Reduce Sugar

Now I know how amazing sugar is and how good it tastes. Honestly, for a while as a teenager I would only eat sweets. And I became so hooked on candy and cookies that if there was any of it in the house, I would only eat that.

I had to cut back on buying the stuff because I knew that I wouldn’t eat anything else besides sugar. I’m not saying to completely stop eating sugar, because again I want you to improve your mood as well as your body.

Sometimes we need some ice cream or want to enjoy cake at a birthday party. And it should be enjoyed! The tricky part is it’s so easy to overdo it. Sugar and highly processed foods begin to taste way better than fruits and vegetables. But, they also cause heart disease, weight gain, fatigue, and a whole list of other problems.

So, work on reducing your sugar intake. White sugar has zero vitamins or minerals and when you consume it, your body has to find those vitamins and minerals elsewhere in your body.

But, if your body is lacking in those vitamins and minerals, then you fall into a deficit. Making your body and mind struggle and causing unnecessary issues.

This just starts by making better choices. If you’re craving sweets, go for a banana or some berries instead. Look for items that are reduced in sugar.

And if you can get into the habit of replacing sugary drinks and food with fruits and vegetables, you won’t crave sugar nearly as much. You’ll also be able to have sugar on occasion without overindulging in it.

Limit Your Social Media Time

Technology is a great thing while also kind of a terrible thing at the same time. It allows us to connect to anyone in the world within seconds, and yet we are becoming more and more lonely because of social media and technology.

If you’re in the habit of checking your phone often throughout the day, posting to social media and feel more confident when other people like your posts, or just like to use technology because you often feel bored then it’s time for a social media cleanse.

There are plenty of apps out there that can track your phone usage and alert you when it’s time to put your phone away.

When you put your phone down and instead learn to be more in the moment, you will feel better mentally. And feelings of anxiety and depression will reduce over time.

At first, you may feel anxious not checking your phone but as time goes on you will become more used to it. And then you will begin to feel much better because you won’t have to compare yourself so much to other people’s lives.