10 Easy Tips to Start a Healthier Lifestyle Today!
- Allyson
- Apr 24, 2021
- 14 min read
Updated: May 21, 2021
When you woke up this morning, did you wake up in a positive state of mind, or were you thinking to yourself I need to do better?
Maybe you had an exhausting week at work and didn't get any exercise. Maybe you woke up feeling like you never get enough sleep and are just as exhausted as you were yesterday. It's also possible that you ordered take out 4 out of 5 days this week and put a few pounds on.
You are not alone!
Believe it or not, a lot of people struggle with some or all of these! However, it is important to remember not to punish yourself or be too hard on yourself.
We are only human!
We will all most likely build habits that we wish we never had.
There was a time in my life where I was eating out almost every day because work can be stressful and overwhelming. By the time I got home, I didn't have the energy to cook. It was so much easier to just pick up food on the way home!
Don't get me wrong, I still have days like this and we all will have days like this from time to time because that is just how life goes.
However, you can start today by making small changes in your day-to-day life, so you can wake up in a more positive mindset & maybe even feel a little more well-rested!
Transitioning into a healthier lifestyle doesn't mean you need to change all your unhealthy habits today. It definitely takes time. It has taken me well over 5 years to figure out the easiest ways to make healthier choices and stay consistent.
If you tell yourself you need to be working out every day of the week and you need to be making healthy home-cooked meals every day, it's simply not going to happen and you will fall right back into your unhealthy habits and patterns.
Slow and steady wins the race! But no, really. It's all about baby steps.
Here are some tips to help you transition your life into a healthier lifestyle.
1. Try Replacing Red Meat with Leaner Meat
This was a big one for me. I used to use ground beef for spaghetti, tacos, burgers, lasagna, etc. I also loved a good pot roast (and don't get me wrong, I still do from time to time). But now I use ground turkey and chicken breast for mostly all of my recipes.
Another popular more lean meat is ground chicken. I have not used it myself, but have heard it is great to use for tacos!
This might take some time to get used to if you're a picky eater. It is not for everyone, but it doesn't hurt to try!
When I first tried ground turkey instead of ground beef, I could tell a difference in the taste, but not a drastic difference. I liked it enough to continue eating it! Now, I can't even tell the difference between ground beef and ground turkey.
Honestly, it takes some time to adjust seasoning your meat to get the taste you prefer. If you season your meat well, you most likely won't notice a difference.
I like to buy chicken breast and ground turkey in bulk and freeze it ahead of time, so I never run out of meat!
Ground turkey can be a little more expensive depending on what brand you buy. I recommend buying the brand Honeysuckle or any off-brand. I normally buy the 1 lb (16 oz) of Honeysuckle ground turkey that is 85% lean and 15% fat from Meijer and it is usually around $3. There is a more lean option as well that is 93% lean and 7% fat but is normally between $4 and $5.
Jennie-O is a great brand as well, but since the brand is a leaner option (either 93% lean, 7% fat, or 99% lean, 1% fat) it is usually also between $4-$5 for a pound.
You get what you pay for. The leaner the meat, the healthier it is for you!
You can use chicken thighs or chicken breasts when it comes to chicken. I recommend using chicken breasts because there tends to be less fat on them. I personally don't prefer chicken thighs because I always end up picking off a lot more fat. One pound of chicken breast is usually around $2. It is pretty inexpensive.
2. Replace Some Dairy Products with Non-Dairy Products
This was a little bit harder of a transition. I grew up on 2% milk and all the cheese and dairy you can think of! A lot of people will say "I need all the calcium I can get to have strong bones!", but what a lot of people don't realize is that there are a lot of other great healthy sources of calcium besides dairy milk.
Some examples of great sources of calcium include, but are not limited to:
Broccoli
Soy milk
Kale
Almonds
Oranges
Blackberries
These are all great substitutes for milk to get your intake of calcium!
When I first started the transition to fewer dairy products in my diet, I began by substituting 2% milk for unsweetened almond milk.
The reason behind this is because dairy milk contains more calories, fat, carbohydrates, cholesterol, sugar and sometimes even bacteria from the pus of infected cow utters from being over-worked.
For example, I am going to compare the Nutrition Facts of 2% Milk to unsweetened almond milk.
1 cup of 2% Milk contains:
120 Calories
5 grams total fat
3 grams Saturated Fat
20 mg Cholesterol
12 grams total Carbs
12 grams of Sugar
115 mg Sodium
3 mcg Vitamin D
295 mg Calcium
8 grams Protein
1 cup of Unsweetened Almond Milk contains:
30 Calories
2.5 grams Total fat
0 grams Saturated Fat
0 mg Cholesterol
1 gram total Carbs
0 grams total Sugar
160 mg Sodium
5 mcg Vitamin D
601 mg Calcium
1 gram Protein
So as you can see, for the majority, unsweetened almond milk is a much healthier option and has a much higher calcium content than 2% milk.
There are a couple of exceptions for unsweetened almond milk. It has 160 mg of sodium and 2% milk has 115 mg of sodium. It is not a huge difference, but if you are trying to reduce your sodium intake, ask your doctor what might be the better option for you.
Also, unsweetened almond milk only has 1 gram of protein and 2% milk has 8 grams of protein. Therefore, substituting almond milk might not be the best option for you if you need more protein in your diet. Always consult with your physician before making any big dietary changes.
Some other great milk substitutes for dairy are coconut milk, soy milk, cashew milk, and oat milk.
Unfortunately, I do not have as much experience with these other substitutes because I fell in love with almond milk after I made the transition and have stuck with it since.
If you love to cook or bake and would like to decrease your dairy intake in your diet, there are also some other substitutions you can make.
If you cook with heavy cream, you can substitute it for canned coconut cream. Also, you can substitute evaporated milk for canned coconut milk and you can substitute butter for vegan butter or firm coconut oil.
Some of these substitutions may not be possible if you are not a fan of coconuts because you can sometimes taste a hint of coconut in your cooking or baking.
Like I said before, it doesn't hurt to try!
These are all great substitutes for a healthier lifestyle!
3. Use a Fitness Tracker & My Fitness Pal
I recommend using a fitness tracker because it will help keep track of your steps, exercise, calories burned, water intake, heart bpm, and much more.
I am currently using an Apple watch and I love it! If you have an iPhone, I recommend an Apple Watch because you can access a lot of the apps on your watch that you can on your phone. I used to use a Fitbit and I also loved it. The reason I switched to an Apple Watch was so I can respond to my texts and answer calls on it and I couldn't do that on the Fitbit. I love using either one of these fitness trackers because it continues to motivate you to work harder and you can see your progress for the day/week/month all on the app on your phone or directly on the fitness tracker.
If you download the app on your phone for the Fitbit or Apple Watch, you will be able to challenge friends and see how active your friends are staying, which in turn continues to motivate you to work harder!
Another app that helps keep you motivated is My Fitness Pal. This is an app/website meant to help you reach your weight goal by asking you what your goals are and recommending you consume a certain amount of calories every day to reach your goal!
The apple watch can be connected to the app and the exercise you have done for the day usually is automatically logged in to the app. You will earn back however many calories you burned exercising that day to consume more food! I have had great success and have lost 45 lbs over the span of 4 months while using it!
4. Write in a Workout Journal
Now you can log your exercise using the other apps I talked about like Fitbit, Apple watch, or My Fitness Pal, but there's also a more old-school way.
I don't like having to go through my day-to-day on my apps to see what exercise I did and when. I like to see the whole month of my workouts on one page, so I write a daily log of what exercise I did.
It's as simple as writing down this month at the top of the page and writing down the day of the week, the date, and what exercise you performed. You can write it in a real journal, or even on the notepad on your phone, so it is always with you!
The reason behind writing in a workout journal is to see how hard you've worked to continue to motivate you to work even harder! I have done this for months now and will look back to it when I'm feeling unmotivated to work out.
I have a goal for myself to workout 3-4x a week, so I can refer back to the workout journal to see how many days I worked out this week and tell myself to get off my butt and go workout if I haven't!
Once again, there are many ways to refer to what workouts you completed, however, this is a little quicker to get the info you are looking for and this can be a simple way to help continue to motivate you to stay active!
5. Make a Weekly Workout Goal
This is pretty straight forward and it might be something you have already done. It is important to be realistic with your workout goals.
Think about the 1st of the year. Everyone sets a New Year's Resolution to get in the gym more often or to exercise more.
I have been guilty in the past of saying I am going to try to go to the gym every day to get more into the habit and make it routine when I wasn't working out even 2x a week. This is very unrealistic.
A great way to set a goal for yourself is to start with fewer workouts throughout the week, so you can really make it happen.
For example, as a Dental Hygienist, I am always recommending more frequent flossing to patients. However, if they aren't flossing their teeth at all, it is unrealistic to recommend they floss their teeth every day.
I normally recommend starting with flossing their teeth 2-3x a week to build the habit. Over time, I recommend slowly increasing the frequency by maybe 4-5x a week. Of course, the goal will be to eventually floss their teeth every day. But it takes time to build the habit.
I recommend the same with working out. I am by no means a fitness expert. But, this is one tip that really helped me build the habit of working out regularly.
With that being said, if you aren't working out at all currently, maybe try setting a goal to work out 2-3x a week. Even if one of those workouts may just be a long walk. At least you are getting active and raising your heart rate to get some blood pumping. If you are already working out 2-3x a week and would like to be more active, maybe set a goal for 4-5x a week.
Everyone is different and not everything works for everyone. Find out what works best for you and what will be a realistic goal for you!
6. Drink More Water & Reduce Intake of Alcohol, Juices, Pop, etc.
Do you drink a lot of pop, juice, Gatorade, etc? It might be a good idea to start weaning yourself off of those high sugar beverages. Think of some substitutes that would still be enjoyable for you, but are a healthier option.
For example, if you love Gatorade, try Gatorade Zero. There is zero sugar, so it is much better than taking in all that sugar.
Another example is if you love Coca-Cola, maybe try Diet Coke instead. Diet Coke contains no sugar or calories, so it can be a healthier option in that perspective. However, it is important to remember that due to having no sugar, Diet Coke has Aspartame in it. This is an alternative used instead of sugar to sweeten the drink but still have no calories.
There is some controversy over whether or not Aspartame is good for you. Just know there are risks with any sweetened beverage that has no calories or sugar. Read nutrition labels and be cautious.
Alcohol is another beverage that is high in sugar and calories. This is something I am still struggling to cut down in my diet. We all like to relax and have a drink now and again. Especially on the weekends. However, alcohol can make you gain weight and belly fat quickly with high consumption. Reducing your intake of alcohol can help you become healthier and reach your goals quicker.
The healthiest drink of choice of course is water. While weaning yourself off the higher sugar and calorie beverages, try to increase your water intake. You want to increase it in a healthy fashion. I have drunk too much water in the past and have had terrible nights of sleep, so build your water intake in increments and get to know your body's threshold and what amount of intake is best for you to stay hydrated.
The higher sugar and calorie beverages don't just make you gain weight or body fat, they also affect the health of your mouth. No one likes to hear the "drill" at the dental office or to be numbed for dental work. If you would like fewer cavities and a healthier mouth, I recommend drinking more water and less sugary beverages.
The ideal pH of the mouth is a neutral pH of 7. In this state, the pH is balanced and happy. If you drink sugary beverages like milk, pop, Gatorade, and alcohol, the pH in your mouth will not be balanced and you will have an increased chance of getting cavities.
For example, Diet Coke is extremely acidic. The pH of diet coke is 3.2. When you drink diet coke, the pH of your mouth goes down to the pH of the beverage you are consuming. If your mouth is in an acidic state, you have an increased risk for cavities.
If you have an unhealthy habit of sipping on a bottle of Diet Coke throughout your day at work, I would highly recommend drinking that whole bottle more quickly and rinsing your mouth out with water to neutralize the pH in your mouth.
For example, if you drink a 20 oz bottle of Diet Coke every day at work over your 8-hour shift, the pH in your mouth will be in an acidic state all day. Therefore, you are more likely to get cavities. If you drink that 20 oz bottle of Diet Coke at the beginning of your shift in 20 minutes, then rinse your mouth out with water, the pH of your mouth will be acidic for a much shorter period of time. After you rinse your mouth out with water, it won't take long for the pH of your mouth to neutralize and get back to a pH of 7.
It is important to keep in mind that just because there is always a healthier version of unhealthy products, that it doesn't always mean it is truly healthier in every way.
You can be exercising regularly, eating healthier, and feeling great, but if you have a mouth full of cavities or have periodontal disease and your mouth is not healthy, your body is not healthy. Your mouth is connected to the overall health of your body. Bacteria in the mouth can find their way into your bloodstream if left untreated for a long time and can lead to many systemic diseases.
These are all important things to keep in mind.
7. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
I think we all know incorporating more vegetables and fruits and veggies into your diet helps you get the vitamins and minerals that you need to keep your body fueled. They also help with other things like boosting your immune system.
Find fruits and veggies that you like and work them into your diet in increments. When you go to eat some potato chips, maybe substitute them for grapes or carrots.
You might not want healthy snacks right now, but once you start eating them more, you start to "crave" them in a way!
8. Drink One Meal Replacement Shake a Day
I have done a dietary challenge in the past where I replaced one meal a day with a meal replacement shake and it helped me lose weight quickly.
It can be hard to not have actual food and replace it with a shake, but it didn't take me long to get used to it.
I have used protein shakes as meal replacement shakes and sometimes still do just because that is what I have on hand, but it is not normally recommended.
Meal replacement shakes are meant to supply all the nutrients you get from a meal and protein shakes are just meant to supply you with extra protein. Check out Pinterest for some great ideas for meal replacement shakes!
To help you get used to replacing a meal with a shake, you can eat a snack with it. You can eat something small like some grapes, strawberries, an orange, carrots, etc. You might still feel hungry when you start doing this. It takes time for your stomach to adjust and start to shrink. You can also drink some water to help if you still feel hungry.
9. Incorporate Apple Cider Vinegar Into Your Diet
Apple cider vinegar is known to have many benefits including weight loss, immunity booster, reduces inflammation, cleanses the liver, reduces cholesterol, regulates blood sugar, and detoxes the body. You can refer to this pin I found on Pinterest for more information.
The pin includes a recipe for a weight loss drink. The recipe entails:
2 tbsp of Lemon Juice
2 tbs of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp of Raw Honey
1 Glass of water
You can also just take a shot of apple cider vinegar every day, but using a recipe like this can help to dilute the taste because it doesn't have the best taste, but you won't know if you like it or can tolerate it until you try it for yourself!
I also used to drink a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar with a small amount of grapefruit juice. That is another alternative to the recipe above. Try out different things. You might even have another recipe idea after you try it!
Another idea to incorporate Apple Cider Vinegar into your diet is by taking Goli gummies! I have used these and they taste like candy! I used to eat 2 a day and still do from time to time! You can also find great deals for them on Amazon!
10. Eat Less Frozen Foods
Frozen foods can be packed with high fat and sodium. It's smart to avoid these foods while trying to create a healthier lifestyle because eating foods like these can make you gain weight and feel bloated.
It is better to eat unprocessed foods to gain their nutrients. Normally, if a food has been processed in any way, some nutrients are lost in the process.
Some examples of some frozen food brands that you may want to avoid to get closer to a healthier lifestyle are Banquet, Hungry-Man, Stouffer's, and Marie Callender's. There are many more, but these are just some examples.
Stick to raw fruits, vegetables, etc. to gain all their nutrients!
Summary:
There are many ideas to create a healthier lifestyle for yourself, but the ones I listed above are ways that helped me lose weight, gain more energy and feel less bloated.
Of course, everyone is different and it is very possible some of the ideas I recommended above may not work for you or may not be possible for you due to allergies or other circumstances.
Please let me know if any of the ideas listed above helped you! I am also always open to feedback on more great healthy lifestyle tips! Message me or comment below if you'd like to chat.
Thanks for reading & stay healthy!
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