5 easy ways to live a healthier lifestyle TODAY

Living a healthy lifestyle is a hot topic in todays society. Social media bombards us with information everyday that we have become totally immersed in so much different information about so many different ‘best’ ways to live a healthy lifestyle, that the only thing that comes of it all is really overwhelm.

I want to share with you what I believe are five easy steps to implement into your everyday life to live a healthier lifestyle today! And before you freak out; No im not about to tell you to never lay eyes on a carb again, nor am I going to suggest you run 10km a day (I can barely run 1km)

1. Develop some “non-negotiables”. This first tip is a fun one, and my personal fave! Non-negotiables are certain things you decide on that must be done everyday, which serve you. Eventually these things will become like second nature and you’ll have some really good habits in place which allow you to live a healthier lifestyle everyday! Some of my non-negotiables are:

o Walk Leo everyday!

Call me crazy but walking Leo (for those who don't know, Leo is my dog AKA my baby) is literally one of my favorite things to do! I love the excuse to get outside, go for a nice long walk, listen to a good podcast, get some vitamin D and enjoy nature – I know I sound so cheesy but its honestly the best.

Leo

o Drink 3L of water!

Of course this was going to be in here! We are all basically just big walking, talking sacks of water and so we need to be keeping our water intake up to ensure our bodies are functioning optimally. You don’t have to drink 3L, a good place to start would be this formula – 30ml or water per kg of body weight – so if your 80kg you should be having 2,400mls per day! (I obviously exceed what I should be having but I feel my best when drinking at least 3L/day)

o Practice mindfulness!

I know some people will completely skip over this one because some people find it a bit ‘woo woo’– I used to be one of those people until I made a conscious effort everyday to be mindful and noticed the huge difference it makes. We live in this fast paced world which is just go, go, go constantly and without really noticing it can be putting our mind and our body under a lot of unnecessary stress (which has so many negative impacts on our health). Practicing mindfulness is just taking time to be mindful of what is going on around you, what your thinking, how your feeling in that present moment and adjusting this as necessary to more positive, loving thoughts. Its also a perfect time to breath diaphragmatically (big breaths into your tummy, as opposed to shallow breaths into your chest). This has a calming effect on your nervous system and signals to our body we are not stressed and not in danger, thus lowering our cortisol (stress hormone) levels (which is seriously good for our health). It sounds kind of weird, I know, but try it! We get so caught up on so many things throughout the day, its just about re-grounding and re-centering ourselves to the here and now.

2. Move ya bod! But don’t overcomplicate things! This is another one I’m super passionate about! There are soooooo many different forms of exercise it’s enough to make us all just want to sit on the couch with a bag of choccy bikkies and do nothing! I can relate (I’m looking at you cookie bear hundreds and thousands)! The secret is just find something you enjoy, and do that. Exercise is so important for the health of our beloved bod’s and our minds, so its important we make it a priority. As I mentioned previously I love to walk Leo, however I was always so hard on myself because everyone else (or so it seemed) was going for big long runs everyday (vomit) or doing cross fit (NO thankyou) and it made me feel like my walk with my dog wasn’t good enough. This is so typical in todays society, but don’t let it get to you! I could happily walk Leo every single morning for the rest of my life, and THAT’S what is important, that is what is going to keep me fit and healthy for years to come. I could have caved and decided I was going to run 10km everyday (not that I could even do that, lets be real) but that would not be sustainable for me at all and I would end up finding myself head first in a tub of ice-cream feeling utterly defeated or having to literally force myself which sounds horrendous. My point is, do what is sustainable for you and what you enjoy, ask yourself “could I do this for the rest of my life?” Experiment with different types of exercise as well, that way you get a feel for different things and can switch other forms of exercise in and out of your routine. For me personally, I walk Leo everyday and I also love weight training. I also play netball (which is another good way to disguise exercise as a fun, social thing!) and every now and then I will incorporate some other types of training such as HIIT training.

3. Make the mindset shift! There is loads of talk on this on the internet at the moment as well, which I love! Its all about making the mindset shift from “I exercise to lose weight/look a certain way” to “I exercise to feel good”. I’m sure were all aware of post-workout endorphins. Those happy, feel good hormones which are released every time we workout? Well, if ya didn’t know, now ya do! These endorphins and the productivity that comes alongside moving my body in the mornings is exactly why I work to incorporate it every single day. Making this mindset shift is so important to creating a sustainable healthy lifestyle. Saying “I exercise because I hate the way I look and I need to lose weight” is SUCH a negative mindset and isn’t going to be enough to get you out of bed every morning. Exercise from a place of love, our bodies need and love to be moved regularly!

4. Get outdoors! There is so much research done around the benefits of getting outdoors on our health and wellbeing. A big benefit is the positive mental health effects such as de-stressing. Studies showed that people who got outdoors often had lower cortisol levels (even if you don’t think you want decreased cortisol levels, trust me, you do). Nature also has great restorative effects. For example, you know when you’ve been working away on your laptop and your brain just seems to be coming to a halt? Studies suggest at times like this, getting in ya daily dose of the outdoors is perfect for restoring that focus and attention span – try it next time your fading fast at your work desk.

5. Eat more whole foods and organically where possible. This is a big one, and a controversial one also, but a point which I whole-heartedly believe is extremely health promoting. Whole foods are foods which you get from the earth that are unprocessed and unrefined (or processed and refined as little as possible) before being consumed. Examples of whole foods is lean steak, chicken fillets (as opposed to processed patties, sausages) whole grains, fruit and vegetables – you know the drill! Basically, our bodies know what to do with whole foods. Wayyyyy back when we were cave men and women we’d hunt and gather all our foods from the earth. We’ve spent such a massive amount of time eating these kinds of foods that our bodies know how to function best with these foods. Nowadays we have all these highly processed and refined foods that our bodies simply don’t know how to effectively break down and use as energy because we haven’t been eating them long enough for our bodies to evolve and adapt. In addition to this, there is organic foods which are foods which have been grown without the use of pesticides, artificial chemicals, hormones, synthetic fertilizers and haven’t been genetically modified (all of which are SO detrimental to our health and wellbeing). Think about it, you go out to spray the crops, you wear a big suit so none of the spray can get on your body right? But then you eat the crop? Makes no sense.

Smoothie bowl (absolute fave) made from all whole and organic ingredients

Organic foods are labelled in our supermarkets and are usually more expensive which deters people from taking the organic route. Although shopping seasonally and at your local farmers market or fruit and veg store can reduce prices, it is still a big roadblock for a lot of people. A solution which does not promise the entire removal of pesticides from our fruit or veg, but can help to eliminate some, is washing the produce in a big bowl of water and 1 cup of plain white vinegar – this is mainly for produce which does not have a skin you can remove, as produce with a skin is thought to be safer from pesticides – e.g bananas, oranges, mandarins. Even just trying to implement just one more whole food meal a week is a great start, and maybe once a week you can pop in to your local fruit and veg store and pick up some organic produce for the week – we’ve all got to start somewhere.

My version of Julia and Libbys banana bread from their cookbook "Nourished" - A must try! So yummy!

These five tips are ones which I implement into my day, everyday and I hope this inspires you to give even just one a go too!

Happy healthier living!

Vaida