Most of us are aware of how important a healthy diet is, but the majority of us have no idea what we should be eating to get the nutrients we need to stay healthy. You need to have a conviction and commitment in order to establish healthy habits. In order to motivate healthy behaviors, the goal in itself cannot motivate the formation of healthy habits. Instead, you need to explain why the goal is important. 

In this article, we’ll give you some lifestyle tips for improving the quality of your life and why they’re so important:

Lifestyle Tips:  Everyone Should Know

Water

You should drink the equivalent of half your body weight in water daily.  For example, if you weigh 120 pounds, you should drink 60 ounces (or six 8-ounce glasses) of water daily.

The easiest way to remember to drink enough water every day is to mark on a calendar that you need to drink 60 ounces of water each day. Mark the time in the day, then write “water” and the number of ounces of water in a small bottle and keep it where you can easily see it.

Sleep

If you’re not sleeping at least 8 hours a night, you need to give some of your time to rest and recover. It may mean finding the time to do some meditation, mindfulness, yoga, or Thai Chi.

The goal is to help your adrenals produce more cortisol.  Cortisol affects many aspects of your body, but it is primarily responsible for regulating your reactions to stress. If you work night shifts or have an erratic work/life schedule, it would make sense to re-evaluate your work life and your health choices. It could also mean a conversation with your employer or in extreme cases you might need to look for a new career.

Some helpful sleep aids include Melatonin, CBD, and  Valerian root.

Hormonal Balance

Hormonal imbalances such as insulin resistance, low estrogen and testosterone, menopause, and underactive thyroid can negatively affect your ability to lose weight just as much as stress can.  Hormone health can be supported with supplements such as Diaminol, Dhea, and Rhodiola.  The use of hormone supplementation can assist women who are postmenopausal or premenopausal in losing weight.  Additionally, thyroid functions should also be taken into consideration, especially for women. 

 For hormonal balance, a lifestyle tip to keep in mind is to consult your doctor regularly for professional advice. An imbalance of hormones can lead to serious issues, so seeking professional advice is essential before taking any action.

Inflammation

Inflammation negatively impacts your metabolic health as well as affects how your body absorbs food. The internet is flooded with microbiome tests and genetic tests that claim to tell you how to replenish your gut. But so far, the science has not been borne out of being able to identify specifically which of the millions of bacteria in your gut are detrimental to specific individuals.

A few lifestyle tips when thinking about gut health, is to consider repairing inflammation by eating more fiber and prebiotic foods. While there are pro and prebiotic supplements out there, getting the most of your nutrition through food is always best.

Some great food options include dark chocolate 70% or greater, Garlic, Onions, Leeks, Chicory root, Bananas, Asparagus and Jerusalem artichoke.

Nutrition

A great lifestyle tip regarding nutrition is to keep a food diary and take note of how you feel for a few days after you eat certain meals. Then, eliminate foods that you are highly sensitive to such as milk products. Try and take an honest look at how much simple sugars you are consuming.  Cut out sodas, sugar, honey crackers, etc., or at least decrease your intake by half.  Also, try to add twice as many green vegetables to your diet.  Consume rainbow-colored foods, such as greens, yellows, reds oranges, and purples, and incorporate more protein.   

A healthy diet would be to eat whole foods as often as possible and avoid processed foods. The Mediterranean diet is an excellent example of a healthy diet. Another example is a low-glycemic index diet, and you can make your own modifications to this diet plan.

 Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is an easy way to lose weight without too much effort. There are are two well-studied and documented research: the 16/8, and the 5:2.

The 16/8 diet is a great regimen for anyone wanting to shed extra pounds, regardless of their age. You can drink plenty of water and add lemon to your juices or smoothies. When you eat your meals, you should try to eat earlier in the day, but you can do that as long as you stay on the schedule.

5/2 means eating normally for 5 days and having only 500 calories for the second 5 days. Alternating daily between a normal diet of 2500 calories for 5 days and a fast of 500 calories for the other 2 days of the week is also another common intermittent fasting regimen.

Although fasting will decrease your weight, most people plateau after 1 month. When you eat less, your body adapts by slowing down its metabolic rate.  This is where a little exercise or just increased daily activity helps because it challenges your body to increase fat-burning activity.  To increase NAD+ ( Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide)  that helps cells burn fat, consume foods rich in tryptophan and vitamin B3, like poultry, salmon, tuna, liver, avocados, mushrooms, peas, and potatoes.

 Exercise

Low-impact aerobics, cycling, walking, swimming, and weight-bearing exercises such as dancing and lifting weights all increase energy expenditure. These kinds of activities also benefit people with osteoporosis, heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes.

Walking for instance is a great way to burn calories without exerting yourself too much.  For example, walking a mile burns roughly 300 kcal, and an hour of jogging or swimming will burn 500 calories. To lose weight, aim for at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week. You can add one hour of walking or swimming for every 10 pounds you’d like to lose.

For instance, a 70 kg person, a 1.2-pound gain in weight per day can lead to an additional 5 pounds of fat in 20 weeks. A 30-minute brisk walk, five times per week, can prevent this weight gain.

Here are some simple tips to keep in mind when exercising. Remember to take your steps slowly and with small steps when you first start out.

You’ll feel a lot more comfortable when you know how to move your body in ways that make you feel more comfortable.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness means to be aware of your thoughts and actions without judgment. It means recognizing what you are doing at any particular moment and trying to analyze why you are doing it and how you can change for the better. You can find ways to avoid overeating by setting a specific time to stop eating or by eating less, such as when you have an appointment.

Drink plenty of water before every meal, so you’ll avoid overeating. Fiber- and protein-rich foods can also curb your appetite.

An option to consider is to get a mental coach to help you reset your brain. If you’re serious about getting fit, consider joining a group focused on fitness and participating in challenges to help you along your Be nice to everyone, have fun with it,, and don’t be judgmental.

For women are struggling with the issue of getting rid of excess body fat,  due to medical conditions such as PCOS, or low thyroid, or other factors that make weight loss difficult should definitely consider taking a genomic test for some suggestions on what foods will help them lose weight.

If you are feeling stuck with your weight loss or fat loss goals and struggling to find a sustainable solution genomic testing can help you identify if you should really be avoiding certain foods like gluten or dairy and can also tell you what supplements are best for your metabolism.

Final Thoughts on lifestyle tips

While making any change in your life will not happen overnight, incorporating just one of these tips can help you on your journey towards a more relaxed and healthy lifestyle. Don’t forget that this article is about living the life you desire, not living a “diet” to fit into a certain number on the scale. These are lifestyle tips to guide you. It’s important to understand what works best for your life style. Stress is a part of life. But, it can be controlled.