How to Implement a Healthy Lifestyle

Many people today are interested in living healthier. Those trying to ward off illness, age gracefully, or keep from visiting their doctor more than once or twice a year are always looking for ways to improve their lifestyle.

Here are a few common-sense ways to ensure good health and increase lifespan.

1. Get the rest you need: Make sure to get seven or eight hours of sleep daily by heading to bed earlier – and sticking to a regular sleep schedule, even on the weekends. During your waking hours, pencil in some time for relaxation each day. If you find it hard to wind down after a long day, make sure you’re turning off your electronics at least an hour before you want to go to sleep, and grab your favorite fiction book to help your mind detach from the real daily stressors of life.
   
   
2. Sweat a little (or a lot!): Regular physical exercise each day of the week is preferred. Thirty minutes to an hour is best. Also, try strengthening exercises twice a week. Consider incorporating relaxing exercise styles into your routine, such as Yoga or Pilates. Great for both the body and the mind, these types of activities can make it easier to achieve balance in your daily life.
3. Eat some plants: Add plant-based foods to your diet. It is recommended you eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Soy foods, peas, nuts, and beans, are excellent sources of plant proteins. Limit high cholesterol foods and fatty meats.
4. Manage pain with natural solutions. Do you suffer from pain caused by arthritis, an old sports injury, or fibromyalgia? Consider incorporating cannabis into your health regimen. Outdated perceptions of medical cannabis are gradually being dispelled, and a new appreciation of medical cannabis for pain relief is developing thanks to dispensaries like Verilife. With easy ways to ingest or apply cannabis solutions, you can better manage pain and live a more active lifestyle.
5. Limit your animal fats: Buy non-hydrogenated vegetable oils and trans-fat-free margarine in place of solid and animal fats such as shortening, butter, and stick margarine.
6. Keep your weight in check: Achieve, then maintain a healthy weight. However, be wary of falling victim to many of the common weight loss diets that promise instant results. The road to healthy weight might be a long one, but it’s a road worth taking. 
7. Nix the vices: Avoid tobacco, illegal drugs, or alcohol. At least half a million people die prematurely every year due to smoking and alcohol, and these vices aren’t worth your health – or the damage they inflict on your teeth.
8. Keep your head up: Maintain a hopeful and cheerful outlook on life by practicing gratitude and surrounding yourself with loved ones. Each day, spend quality time with friends or family if possible. You might also consider committing daily time for spiritual renewal by praying, reading, or meditating.
9. Remember that whole grains are your friend: Add whole-grain cereal and bread to your diet. Carbs aren’t the enemy, as much as health trends and fad diets would like you to believe. Your body needs the energy from healthy carbohydrates to fuel you throughout the day. 

A healthy lifestyle may look different from one person to the next, but the above eight ideas are great places to get started. Consider these lifestyle changes and watch the results – you may be surprised!