Start to live a healthier life RIGHT NOW with these 9 healthy habits. Stop treating your health as an entity separate from yourself. Health is not a state of being. It’s a state of doing. By taking control over your habits and making healthy choices, you can absolutely live a happier and longer life. No matter where you are on your health journey, the choices you make today are powerful and impactful. Life is a choose your own adventure story, so what kind of life do you choose to have?
Consider this:
Researchers have just unveiled the next generation of drug regimes. Next month a single pill is scheduled to be released which will cut an individual’s risk for cancer by a whopping 75%. The FDA stated, “It could be called a cancer vaccine, but because it isn’t 100% effective that would be a misnomer; however, for the majority of the population this pill does have the capacity to effectively vaccinate them from cancer.” Skeptics have been silenced by the overwhelming scientific evidence proving this drug’s efficacy by decades’ worth of research conducted on a global scale. The name of this new wonder-drug is: Do.
Probable side-effects include: improved brain function, weight-loss, lowering of cholesterol levels, increase in energy, improved metabolism, lower risk of heart disease, sharp decrease in depression and anxiety, regulation of sleep, balance in hormones, possible correction of diabetes, improved complexion, stronger teeth and bones, quicker healing response to wounds, increased sex drive and overall reduction in stress levels.
Thrilling, isn’t it? Can’t wait to make an appointment for my prescription.
Of course we all know that it’s unrealistic to expect a daily dose of one drug to cut our risk of cancer by 75% and have all those wonderful side-effects to boot. But what I wrote above was not completely fictional. Widespread scientific research has absolutely proven that an individual can cut his or her risk for cancer by 75%. It’s not glamorous and certainly not breaking news that we can cut our risk so drastically by simple lifestyle adjustments, but that is an astonishingly important fact we need to heed.
There is no such thing as being healthy. Health is not a state of being. Health is not a possession some people have and others have not. Health is an action. Quite simply, health is something we must do. The very nature of living is that our bodies are in a constant state of flux. Even as we sleep, our hearts pump, our cells renew, and our lungs breathe.
[clickToTweet tweet=”There is no such thing as ‘being’ healthy. Health is not a state of being; it’s a state of doing.” quote=”There is no such thing as ‘being’ healthy. Health is not a state of being; it’s a state of doing.”]
When we are in a state of good health, it is easy to assume that we always be in that state, but that is a false perception. Our bodies are always getting older. When we are children, we call that growth; as adults, we call it aging. Everything we do effects our health. We provide fuel to our bodies everyday; is it good fuel or bad fuel? Do we allot time for the body relax, heal, improve itself, or do we run it ragged with bad habits? The greatest mistake we can make is taking good health for granted. Whether you want to maintain or attain good health, you must take action. You must do healthy.
[clickToTweet tweet=”The greatest mistake we can make is taking good health for granted.” quote=”The greatest mistake we can make is taking good health for granted.”]
Here’s the promised prescription. You’re doctor probably has written this for you many times before, but most of us never quite manage to get it filled. This time when you peruse the list, take time to examine each aspect and commit to changing areas of weakness.
9 Things You Can Do to Be Healthy Right Now
1. Eat a diet rich in a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, plant-based proteins and foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids. Reduce your intake of animals and animal products. Make sure that any you do consume are high-quality, organic and grass-fed.
2. Exercise daily. Include 3-5 sessions of cardiovascular activity as well as 3 sessions of strength training per week. In every medical study, exercise has been proven to be more effective than medication in treating depression.
3. Do not smoke. Quit immediately if you do. There is no time to waste. Take heart in the fact that within 20 minutes of quitting, your body will already begin to show signs of improved health.
4. Wear sunscreen with a high SPF (at the very least 15) EVERY TIME you spend time outdoors.
5. Reduce your contact with chemicals by using natural cleaners, painting with low VOC paint, allowing fresh air into your home on a regular basis and surrounding yourself with purifying houseplants.
6. Reduce your ingestion of chemicals by eating only whole foods. Organic is the absolute best. Don’t heat, serve or store your food in plastic containers because of its leeching qualities. BPA-free is good, but glass is better.
7. Integrate stress reduction activities into your daily life. This could mean yoga, meditation, a walk outside, play with animals, breathing exercises, tai chi, or a quiet hobby you enjoy. Stress literally kills you.
8. If you do drink, a few glasses of red wine per week can be beneficial to your health. If you don’t drink; don’t start. Drug and alcohol abuse is pure toxicity.
9. Educate yourself about possible pollutants and industrial seepage in the environment where you live and take action and/or move if it is unhealthy.
Pour yourself a nice glass of water. Some pills are harder to swallow than others, but this is one we all must take. It’s our cancer vaccine! It’s our cure for depression! It’s the end of obesity and heart disease! Ready? OK, now DO HEALTHY!
you are right about that, Ashley! We are made of mostly water. Tiredness and hunger are often just signs of dehydration.
I’m cheering for you, Nicole! Breaking habits is really hard to do initially. But after just a few weeks, new habits kick in and it gets easier. You go girl!! If you want some more support, join our Facebook Group, The Mindful Spot. We are a community of positive people who support each other in living a good life.
Being healthy is definitely a choice. We all choose how we treat our bodies and what we put into them.
Thanks, Suzanne. Yes, health is something we choose.
Yes, I love all of these, especially the reminder that being healthy is an option available to everyone. Great post.
These are legit tips! I totally want to commit to all of them but of course years of unhealthy living makes it harder than it should be. I’m making a promise to do it though for my babies! Especially since they’re the future… we need more education like this for our children to live much healthier lives than we did.
Love this advice! You just reminded me that I’ve been meaning to get some houseplants (and actually keep them alive!)
These are all great tips. I think many people overlook for CRUCIAL it is to drink water!
Powerful stats. I do need to improve in most of these areas.
Love the health is a state of doing! Great tips Rebecca!
Great tips. I don’t understand how anyone can smoke anymore. Just blows my mind.
Agree with all but certainly reducing chemicals. I recently watched a documentary on it and it scared the life out of me. I switched all sprays to plant based ones, parafin candles to organic etc. Also, top tip is to have suitable house plants downstairs and open the windows each day to help de-toxify the air.
My favorite cleaners are Greenshield Organic cleaners! They are USDA certified organic.
These are great tips! One of my resolutions is to get better at wearing sunscreen all the time.
Excellent tips – I need to focus on getting away from chemicals! I mostly eat whole foods and try not to buy process (much….lol) but the cleaners I definitely need to switch to something more natural.
-Clarissa @ The View From Here
Love these tips! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m so pleased ive never been a smoker. i def need to eat better though and cut back on alcohol :/ ! #inspiredBN promos fb group 🙂 sharing to twitter too!
Exercise and healthy eating is on my to do list this yr!
I keep a cup of water I drink next to me at the computer. Yoga would be cool to try. I need to exercise more for sure.
Great list of such simple things to do or change! I’m not a red wine drinker, but maybe I should be!
That was my struggle too, Valerie! It’s so hard to work and workout, but it feels great to establish that habit.
I think we all are, Julie. I’m sure half of the list is easy-peasy, but the other half is where we have to make an effort. Nobody is perfect, but we can all do better, right?
Thanks, Belle!
Jessi, that’s so great both you and your husband quit! When my mom quit, she saved all the money she would have spent on cigarettes and bought herself a splurge. Just think how many quality years you added to your life. Way to go!!
You’re right, Melissa! And the amount we can reduce our risk for serious diseases just by lifestyle changes is astounding!
Thanks, Katie!
Yeah, sunscreen got me too. It’s easy to remember it for the beach, but we do need it everyday.
Honestly, I make a lot of my own. I wrote a post with natural cleaner recipes you can check out. Warm water, mild soap and vinegar can get you pretty far.
I love this! I feel so much better now that I’ve implementing most of these tips into my life! I’m still working on transitioning to natural household cleaners. What are your recommendations?
Great tips! Being healthy is definitely a lifestyle. I have gotten a lot better about buying organic meat, dairy, and reading labels. I do need to start wearing sunscreen more.
These are such good tips. Common sense ways of being healthy. As I mentioned on your fb page too, incorporating stress reduction activities into daily life is such an essential that many people miss! Katie xx Ps I LOVE the clickable tweets too!
Fantastic read! Our health is so vital to our quality of life.
Great tips! I am very careful about sunscreen now, but fear I did a lot of damage when I was younger and just wanted to be tan.
I have to say, my husband and I used to be smokers and when we quit, while it wasn’t easy, we both felt SO much better after about a week. more energy and just better all around. As an ex-smoker I can highly recommend quitting! Oil pulling helped me a lot when I was quitting but pulling out toxins from the mouth and bonus cleaning and whitening my teeth!
These are really great tips! I have to keep these things in mind.
Belle
Excellent ideas. Thank you! I’m a work in progress striving for ‘doing’ healthy every day. Some days are better than others!
Love these tips! I really need to start exercising more.
-Valerie