”Health Hacks That Will Change Your Life” is a collaborative post and includes affiliate links. Please see the disclosure page for more information. Disclaimer – always verify medical information with your doctor or a professional.
It sounds a little dramatic to suggest that making changes to your lifestyle will change your life, but in the case of these health hacks, the impact is undeniable. These health hacks will change your life. If you’re looking for ways to boost your health and adopt changes that will benefit you for years to come, here are some steps to take.
Move more
People always include exercise then talking about health hacks that will change your life. Why? Because there is a good reason! We often hear people talking about exercise linked to weight loss, particularly at the start of the year when those who have indulged over the holidays are keen to shed those extra pounds. Physical activity can contribute to weight loss, but it’s important to realize that there are several other benefits. Moving your body more is beneficial for both physical and mental health. If you work out regularly, you’ll find that your fitness, endurance, strength and mobility improve, and you should also feel more confident and relaxed. Exercise lifts the mood by increasing dopamine and serotonin levels, it contributes to better sleep quality, and it can be an incredibly effective stress-buster. If you’ve never exercised before, try beginner classes, join a gym and sign up for an introduction or start low-intensity activities like walking, jogging, and swimming. It might also be a good idea to work with a personal trainer if you have specific targets in mind and you think you would benefit from somebody pushing you and cheering you on.
One of the hardest things I’ve struggled with in exercising is finding something I enjoy. Try out lots of different things until you find what works for you and your current situation. When my kids were little, I liked following a workout on the TV at home. I didn’t have to worry about loading everyone up in the car and stressing about making it to a gym 3 times a week. When they started school, I enjoyed going to our neighborhood gym but after a while got bored with that. Now, we all have a great time going to an indoor climbing gym. Don’t think that you have to do the same type of exercise year after year or even each day. The main thing is to be sure you are moving each day.
Image by https://pixabay.com/photos/people-woman-exercise-fitness-2592247/
Invest in self-care
Moving more is great and absolutely essential but it is important that you look after yourself when you do. If you develop a sore muscle or pain, don’t ignore it. Perhaps you already have a slight twinge that you ‘run through’. Ignoring these minor aches and pains might not seem like a big deal at the time, especially if they’re not hindering you, but allowing them to develop and leaving them untreated will only result in bigger problems. If you want to improve your health and really look after yourself you have to look after every part of you. Spend some time on a foam roller, don’t skip a stretch or warm-up. If you have persistent pain then seek help from professionals. Consider visiting your local chiropractor and work together to look after your body.
Quit smoking
Smoking damages almost every organ in the body and it is a major risk factor for cancer and heart disease. It’s not easy to give up smoking, especially if you’ve smoked for a long time, but there is help out there. Many people have found that vaping helps them to cut down or stop smoking altogether, and you can also use nicotine replacement methods such as patches. (But not too many; don’t be slapping those things all over your body and think that’ll help! LOL) Speaking to a medical adviser and joining a community group could also help. If you’re using vaping to step down from smoking and quitting altogether, do some research online and have a look at sites like The Vape Mall to browse products. Better yet, giving up smoking and/or vaping completely will improve your health, and it could also save a huge amount of money. If you live with a spouse, or you have children, quitting will also benefit their health, as passive smoking can elevate the risk of asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
Plus, wouldn’t it be better to save that $2200+ a year to go towards airline tickets to Hawaii?!
Picture from https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-cigarette-247040/
Focus on nutrition
We often associate negative emotions with the word diet. For many of us, a diet means cutting out treats and trying to stick to an eating plan that is bland or uninspiring. Instead of thinking about losing weight, prioritize nutrition. Your diet is responsible for providing your body with the nutrients it needs to function properly. Analyze and evaluate your weekly menu and make changes to add vitamins and minerals and ensure every meal contains all the key food groups.
Avoid fad diets.
They might help you lose weight fast, but they usually lead to unsustainable results. Some can restrict the intake of foods that are actually good for you. A balanced diet should contain all the food groups, plenty of fruit and vegetables, lean sources of protein and whole grains. Most people find that dieting makes them crave prohibited foods. It’s better to adopt a healthy eating plan you can stick to in the long-term, which allows you to enjoy the odd treat. Don’t focus on what you “shouldn’t” be eating but on what is good for you to eat that you enjoy.
The best way to eat right is to plan it out!
Don’t just meal plan your dinner but plan out everything you are going to eat for the week on Sunday and prep it all. It’s a lot of work for sure but my dentist did this for a year.(Ok, actually her retired body builder husband does this for their family, but still you get the point.) She lost over 60 pounds, got off heart medicine, and is no longer prediabetic. So prepare all of your food for the entire week before each week even starts. I imagine her fridge looks like a game of Tetris as they have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks planned and separated out. This will be a bit tough in the beginning but after a couple weeks it actually made their life easier with not having to figure out what to eat last minute each day and it saved calories and helped their health so much!
Picture source: https://pixabay.com/photos/casserole-dish-vegetable-tomato-2776735/
There are myriad ways you can improve your health, but some steps will have a more profound impact than others. If you move your body more, you eat well and you give up habits like smoking, you should notice amazing changes both in the short and long-term. These health hacks that will change your life if you just stick with them.
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Thank you for sharing this! Very insightful. It is indeed important to stay healthy especially this pandemic
Stay safe, everyone!
Wow. Love this article. Its really helpful for me. Last year I quite smoking. Now I feel better and enjoy my life.
So glad you were able to stop smoking. I still crave a cigarette every once in a while. Quitting can be tough but I feel so much better too from quitting!