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Your health and well being are so important. Being in poor health impacts on every aspect of your life. Everyday tasks can be far harder to manage, and you may be limited to what you can and cannot do. These limitations can impact on your enjoyment of life and affect your well being. People often wait until they are suffering from the symptoms of an illness before seeking help. Instead, it is far better to take a proactive approach and to manage your health before it causes you problems. 

 

Trying to lead a healthy lifestyle may seem like common sense. However, for many people, it can be hard to make the changes needed to take control of their health and improve it. Unhealthy habits, poor routines and lifestyle choices can all take their toll over time. The problem is that it can be hard to recognize the damage that these habits do before it is too late. Habits are hard to break, and the idea of making significant changes to your lifestyle can feel overwhelming. Starting to make lifestyle changes can feel like a big step, which can put people off making a start on overhauling their health. If you are looking to improve your health, but it feels too hard to get started, these tips should help you to start making some changes, without feeling too overwhelmed.

 

Set Your Goals

 

To get started, try to think about what you actually want to achieve. Do you want to lose some excess weight to reach a healthy body mass index (BMI)? Do you want to be able to walk to the store without feeling out of breath? Taking some time to think about what improving your health means to you will help make it easier to achieve.

 

Don’t forget that everyone is different, so if you haven’t broken into a run for over 20 years, it probably isn’t a good idea to sign up for a marathon. Making your goals SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely will make it far easier to keep your motivation when trying to achieve them. Try not to compare your own health goals with other people’s. Making your goals realistic and specific to your individual needs will make you far more likely to achieve them.

 

Take Small Steps

 

Trying to achieve too much, too soon, will set you up for failure. It is far better to ease the pressure on yourself and set smaller goals, that are easier to achieve. Starting with small steps will help keep you motivated and make it easier for you to track your progress. Breaking down your goals into smaller steps will help you to feel far less overwhelmed by the changes you are making.

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Healthy Habits

 

Forming healthy habits and leaving the damaging ones behind is an essential part of any lifestyle overhaul. As everyone knows, habits are hard to break. Many people struggle to give up smoking and instead choose to use a vape device when trying to quit. People who drink regularly may decide to initially reduce their alcohol consumption, rather than trying to give it up entirely. Don’t forget that you will need to consult with your doctor before making any significant lifestyle changes.

 

Over time, unhealthy habits can be broken and replaced with healthy habits. This means that replacing a nightly visit to the pub after work can be replaced with a new, healthier habit such as a nightly gym session. Remember that new habits take time to form. Research shows that the average person takes 66 days to develop a new habit that sticks. This shows the importance of perseverance and using will power until your new behavior becomes second nature.

 

Self-Care

 

Self-care is at the heart of living a healthy life. Practicing self-care is something that many people struggle with. The fast pace of modern life can make it challenging to take care of yourself, especially if you rarely get any downtime. However, making self-care a part of your daily routine can make a real difference to both your health and well being. 

 

Self-care doesn’t mean that you need to book a spa day or spend a day doing nothing. On an everyday level, self-care is about making healthy food choices, ensuring that you get enough sleep and enjoying some regular, moderate exercise.

 

Remember that taking control of your health is an ongoing process. Don’t feel too disheartened if you experience setbacks. Instead, keep persevering, and you will see the results of your hard work for yourself.