I almost hate incorporating the term "healthy lifestyle" within the title of this article as it has become quickly over used and undefined. Many people toss it about as if it need not come with instructions as to how to make it work. The truth is that many people struggle daily with how to go about the steps for living healthy. Three Levels In my opinion, there are levels of developing a healthy lifestyle. First, you must define the word 'health'. What does it mean to you? To be energetic, happy, and well rested? Eating more than the recommended amounts of vegetables and fruits? Or just being free of the symptoms of illness and disease? The second step is to set goals for improving your health, and creating an action plan with specific steps on how to get there. Start small with something simple like cutting back on the amount of foods that you eat or eating better quality foods that have less fat and calories. If you are beyond such a simple approach, maybe you are the type to seek out a dietician or nutritionist to help you on your way to better health. Two Key Components Whatever your personal approach to creating a healthy lifestyle is, two things are for certain ... you are going to have to improve what you eat and you are going to have to exercise on a regular basis. Period! The Missing Ingredient Why is something that is so simple, so difficult to do? The missing ingredient is discipline. For many people, this may sound like a cliche; however a lack of discipline and consistency can be a crippling poison to achieving a healthy lifestyle. When I was in the hospital in 1995 at the age of 33 with an irregular heart beat, I had abandoned my exercise routine for several years. Ignoring the signs and warnings, I continued my ways of poor eating and no exercise. When I returned to the hospital for the same condition 8 years later I realized that something had to change, and tomorrow wasn't necessarily waiting around for me to get started. Oh, and by the way ... tomorrow isn't necessarily waiting around for you either. The Bridge between Goals and Accomplishment. Don't let a visit to the hospital be your warning sign. Start now, make a decision, get disciplined and start building your bridge to your healthy lifestyle by eating better and getting active on a daily basis. Discipline is the bridge. |
