21 Easy Healthy Living Tips

If there is one word that immensely appeals to me especially in the area of developing healthy habits or healthy living tips, that word is “EASY”.  I do not want to jump hoops and climb mountains to improve my lifestyle – unless there is the view of a placid lake from the top from the vantage point in my log cabin and a big mug of hot strong coffee within easy reach.

I am living with type 2 diabetes for some months now and I can tell you that the transition to a different lifestyle wasn’t easy. It wasn’t as though I lived an “un” healthy lifestyle; it is just that I had to make some major tweaks to what I ate and what I did and this involved a transformation and these 21 healthy living tips helped.

What I found is this:

• it is not difficult
• it is not expensive
• it is doable
• it is a win-win in the long run
• it feels good

Now, that’s pretty good motivation to make the effort, right? So here are…

21 easy healthy living tips

If you don’t practice one already, that is. Most of us will probably fall somewhere in the spectrum and score at least some out of the 21. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it can get one off to a pretty good start.

1. Drink lots of water. I can never overemphasize this! Staying hydrated solves and prevents many healthy issues Add green tea to your beverages.
2. Make sure you enjoy a big breakfast, a decent lunch and a small dinner. You know what they say – breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.
3. Include fruits and vegetables and other natural ingredients in your diet. Mother Nature is at your service.
4. Exercise regularly. Walk. Swim. Bike. Jog. Maintaining a healthy weight is important to keep off health complications. Burnout is not fun and neither is stress. If you think you don’t have the time, consider this:
5. Read. Lose yourself in a book.
6. Go to bed earlier. You need enough sleep to function efficiently. Did you know inadequate sleep can lead to weight gain? Isn’t it nice to sleep it off instead?
7. Give your Inner Critic a kick up its butt. Stop thinking negative thoughts – about yourself or others. Your energy is better spent on productive things or things that make you happy.
8. Move on from the past. Let go. If you want therapy, try diary-writing and pour your heart out, or write a book about what hurts. It doesn’t matter if you publish it or not. If you do decide to, great!
9. Enjoy the little things in life. I mean, every little thing. And appreciate the presence of the things you take for granted.
10. Stop judging or comparing yourself to others.
11. Start meditating or try yoga. You have to quiet that mind.
12. Minimize on processed food. And hey, save money in the process!
13. Pay attention to your oral hygiene. Your oral health influences your overall health, you know.
14. Copy your cat. Or your neighbor’s. Ever notice how cats purr and stretch? Don’t forget to stretch daily. It is good for your back, your digestion and your blood circulation. Flexibility of body is just as important as flexibility of the mind.
15. Listen to music. Experience the peace.
16. Clear that clutter and keep your space organized. Spring cleaning can be fun, you know. Plus you burn those pesky calories and get a free workout.
17. Give away /sell what you don’t need.
18. Wear clothes that make you happy.
19. Go out more. Spend more time face to face with people than with technology.
20. Avoid procrastination. Don’t put things off. That includes saying your “I love yous”. You never know what tomorrow holds.
21. Remember that all your effort now will pay off, eventually, some way or other. Life balances out.

Bonus tip: Practice gratitude. Everything looks better when you do.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”- Melodie Beattie

What’s your score? How many of these 21 healthy living tips do you follow?

Which of these do you intend to start doing now?

and…

Did you smile today? ♥

I am posting every day in July.

Today is Day 2 of the Ultimate Blogging Challenge July 2014 and BlogHer NaBloPoMo July 2014

Just one more thing:

My next post is up at the Blogging Betties and is called “Why Managing Your Blog Is Like Organizing Your Kitchen” Please do check it out and let me know what you think!