Leading a healthy lifestyle is about much more than simply going to the gym a few times a week and making sure that you eat your fruit and vegetables. A healthy lifestyle is one where your health comes first the vast majority of the time.
Whether it’s your sleep, the people that you hang around with, the activities that you take part in, or your diet, pretty much everything in your life can have an effect – either positive or negative – on your health. If you want to get started leading a healthier lifestyle, here are some of the best habits to get into.
Take Sleep Seriously
Many of us just don’t take sleep seriously enough. And there’s so much stuff to do instead of sleeping these days. You might end up staying up half the night to binge-watch that show on Netflix that you can’t tear yourself away from, or end up catching up with work emails for hours.
But, not getting enough sleep can take a serious toll on your health. Whether you’re not sleeping well due to having so much to do or you’re tossing and turning at night unable to sleep because of pain or an inability to switch off, you’re probably all too familiar with what facing the next day after no sleep feels like – not great.
Good Sleep Hygiene
To combat this, make serious rules about sleep and stick to them. Try and go to bed and wake up at the same time to get your body into a routine, and come up with a series of relaxing things that you can do before bed like meditation, having a bath, or some reading to help you wind down. Try to avoid technology.
If your bed isn’t that comfortable anymore, then treat yourself! You can find great deals and offers throughout the Presidents Day mattress sale on popular memory foam mattresses. A memory foam mattress is a great idea since it will mold to your body and help you get into the most comfortable sleeping position.
Focus on Your Mental Health, Too
If so far, everything you’ve done to try and live a healthier lifestyle has focused mainly on your physical health, then it’s time to start giving your mental health some love too.
There are plenty of things that you can do to start boosting your mental health, beginning with making more time for yourself. Meditation is an excellent way to do this, and the best part is that if you are struggling to get started or not sure how to do it, you can download apps to your smartphone that will talk you through with guided meditation options that you can use in any situation.
Be Mindful
As you get used to meditating more, you might also find yourself interested in practicing mindfulness. This is, simply put, the practice of being more aware of everything around you and just being more aware of the world and the people, animals, plants and things in it. When you’re more mindful, it’s not unusual to find yourself having more patience with others, feeling calmer and being more connected to something bigger than yourself.
Put Yourself First
Overall, the key to living a healthy lifestyle is putting yourself first as much as possible. Now that doesn’t mean go and be completely selfish and don’t care about how your actions affect others, but it should mean that you know it’s okay to say no and set healthy boundaries for yourself.
In this busy world, we can often feel torn apart trying to do everything, be everywhere, and be everyone. It’s okay to take a step back and focus on doing what YOU need, rather than anybody else.
Healthy habits aren’t always eating well and going to the gym. Look after your mental health and sleep too – and set healthy boundaries to avoid getting overwhelmed.
