20 Simple Strategies to Become Healthy

Although most people want to lose weight, be healthier, and be healthier, it can be hard to put these habits in place.

It took a lot of attempts and frustrations before learning how to have a healthy lifestyle. In 2005, I was 30 kilos more, I was a smoker, addicted to junk food, sedentary, and I could not do sports more than a few days in a row before stopping.

Today, I am in better health, thinner, and fit. I eat healthy most of the time (with little regular pleasures) and I'm able to stick to a meal plan if I want it, and I avoid junk food most of the time.

How did I change? I learned some simple strategies. It will not suit everyone, so choose the ones that might fit your life, and try them!

Swing junk food

Having unhealthy foods in your home or workplace makes it too difficult to maintain a healthy diet. If possible, squeeze everything sweet, fatty, fried, or salty. The best strategy is not to have them at hand. Empty your cupboards and your fridge!

Find some recipes and buy the ingredients

There are hundreds of lines. Find one or two with which to start, easy ones that do not require an hour of preparation, and go buy the ingredients today.

Cook in large quantities

I find it easier to stick to a healthy meal plan if I prepare things in advance. So I cook large portions of chili or vegetable soup, or stir-fried vegetable tofu, and put it in Tupperware in the fridge or freezer. I like dividing into containers representing a portion of meals, so I just have to warm up when it's time to eat.

Store healthy snacks

When you are hungry at the snack, what are you going to eat? Have healthy things to snack at home, at work, and on the road. Fresh fruits, stick vegetables, nuts, and dried fruits are some of my favorites.

Socialize in a healthy way

Instead of going out to bars or restaurants with unbalanced dishes, can you go out together for tea, basketball, or walking in the park? Where to find a balanced restaurant where to eat?

Find a sports partner

Take your half or a good friend or colleague to walk with you or run with you, or find yourself at the gym or at a sports class. Having someone do it with you makes it more fun and easier, and you're more likely to go if you have an appointment to meet someone.

See also: What is an Aerobic activity

Use social networks as motivation

You can use Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or your favorite online forum to motivate and report. Publicly announce your health challenges, whether they last 2 weeks or a month, and make others accountable to you.

Play outside

It's important to go out every day and get some fresh air and sun. Move, take the kids and play, find a friend and go for a walk or kick a ball.

Find healthy options when eating out

Instead of eating at fast food or in restaurant chains where everything is fried and oily, can you find other local restaurants with opportunities for balanced eating? Make a list, and go to these places when you go out.

Make water and tea your default drinks

Many people drink soda or sweet coffee all day long. It is not necessary for a healthy or appreciable life. Water can become your favorite drink, and tea (without sugar) can be very healthy. I like having a green tea ritual once a day.

Schedule active breaks

If you spend your day on the computer, plan short breaks every 30 to 60 minutes during which you can do stretching, walk around, and maybe do some squats or push-ups, and drink a little water. Exercising is not necessarily just once a day.

Involve your other half

It's hard to make changes if your half is reluctant. So, early in your process (understand: now), share your way of seeing, your reading, and ask them to help you be fit. Never force them to change, but see if they can be part of your team.

Start small - do not overdo it

Big changes tend to be hard to keep up with. Make a small change in this list, then test another, then another. At each step along this path, you will get used to it and it will become your new standard. No step needs to be very difficult.

Have fun exercising

Create challenges for yourself and your friends. Find sports you like to do. See the race as a form of meditation. Sport is not necessarily boring or difficult; this can be one of the best moments of your day. 

Drink red wine

One or two glasses of red wine can be very good for your health and can add a little fun to your new lifestyle. I truly believe in creating a healthy lifestyle that you enjoy, so add healthy foods you like, activities you enjoy, a conscious tea ritual, and an end-of-day red wine ritual.

Explore berries, cabbage, almonds and whole nuts, avocados, flax, quinoa, tofu, tempeh

There are foods that many people do not eat regularly, and some people have never tried some. One by one, explore these foods because I find them very good for health. Some take time to get used to taste, and others (like tofu and tempeh) simply need the right seasoning - it's not necessarily bland!

Add healthy ingredients to your dishes

If you do not want to completely change your diet, start by adding some healthy tips to your usual dishes. For example, if you usually eat spaghetti, try ground turkey or a meatless minced accompaniment instead of beef. Add some finely chopped cabbage and carrots, and a little flax. You can do it with a lot of recipes.

Try new foreign foods

Do not see changing your diet as a sacrifice. See it as a joyous adventure. Want to try eating meatless a few days a week? Try healthy dishes from India, Japan, Thailand, or Mediterranean cuisine. This can be very fun, even for the whole family.

Stop smoking

Ok, this is not the simplest strategy, but it is one of the most important. I quit smoking on November 28, 2005, and it was one of the best things I have ever done in my life. It took nearly a month of concentration efforts. Here are my tips on this.

The diet before exercise

One of the easiest ways to start getting in shape is to start improving your diet; it is relatively easy to add some fruits and vegetables, for example, and maybe reduce on some sweets. Starting the sport requires a little more concentration, and does not always get results quickly. On the other hand, if you start to play sports, do not let this be an excuse to eat anything you want - it's easy to cancel the benefits of your morning run by eating a donut and a morning drink. Sweet and oily.

Stress also plays an important role in health; do not hesitate to consult the article: how to do not to stress.