How to Maintain a Healthy lifestyle with 5 Simple Steps

 

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is actually much easier than you may think. All you need to do is create a perfect routine that works for you and follow it. Once you create a routine you love, it will be easy following it. A lot of people fail to realize that the reason they struggle following a routine is because they do not enjoy it. It took me awhile to perfect my routine but once I did, I never looked back. I have never felt more physically and mentally stronger. This does not mean you should follow my exact routine, because what works for me may not work for you. For example, I prefer getting 9 hours of sleep, but you might like to get 8 hours, which is completely fine. The only thing that should be similar in our daily routine is including the 5 aspects of a healthy lifestyle, which I will go into detail about below. This is how to maintain a healthy lifestyle with 5 steps!

1. DRINK ENOUGH WATER!!!

This is so important people! Do you know it is recommended to drink a gallon of water a day? If you do not, you can experience some negative side effects like dry skin, constipation, headaches, and more. Water is only beneficial; I mean we are literally made up of water! I have my water bottle on hand at any given moment; It is quite literally attached to my hip as some of my friends like to say. I like to spoil myself with a cute water bottle every couple of months, try to do the same! I even buy some and gift them to my family members or friends. Water is ESSENTIAL for human survival, which is why I am so adamant about drinking it.

2. GET ENOUGH SLEEP.

The recommend hours of sleep an adult should be getting every night is 7. From my experience, I have found that 7 hours of sleep is too little for me, but 10 hours is way too much; either way I am groggy throughout the whole day and lack energy. What I have found that works for me is getting about 8-9 hours of sleep each night. I found this out simply through trial & error. Just because something works for me does not mean it will work for you! It is also better if you have a set time you go to bed and a set time you wake up. This will help you maintaining your routine. I go to bed around 11pm and wake up at 8am. 

3. GO ON A HEALTHY DIET.

Now, this is probably something people struggle with the most. We are surrounded by fast food and junk food everywhere we go, and we crave it, duh! We’re human. We need to start thinking about what we put into our bodies. My fitness goal is to gain muscle while staying lean, so my diet consists of healthy meals that I cook for myself almost every day. My diet is low in fat and carbs. The only fats and carbs I do eat are the healthy ones, like rice and avocados. Things I stray away from are junk foods, like chips and cookies, and FAST-FOOD CHAINS. The only fast-food chain I do buy from is chipotle! Once in a while I let myself give into my cravings, because that is also important. If I want a bite of an Oreo ice-cream cake, I will take it! I love sweets, like chocolate, but I find a way to make healthy desserts with chocolate instead of going out to buy it. I love cooking so I enjoy making myself meals every day. I find recipes on social media apps or I just create my own. I aim for about 12 meals a week. But remember, you do not have to follow my routine! Some of you probably do not like cooking, which means you can meal prep for the week that consists of 2 meals! Find a healthy diet that is not a hassle and helps you reach your fitness goals! 

4. REDUCE YOUR STRESS LEVELS!

This one is pretty obvious but something we seem to forget. Even a small task like taking a bath or reading a book will help you relieve some stress. We have all experienced stress before, which is completely normal. During the school year is when I start to get overwhelmed. Juggling going to the gym, going to school, going to work, and maintaining a social life is not easy. Creating a structured routine has helped me ease that stress a bit. I also like to find time in the day to give myself some “me time”. I love to paint so if I am feeling overwhelmed, I give myself 1 hour to paint while listening to some music. I also try to take baths every week because they are super relaxing. Find time in your day to reduce your stress levels, it is so important, even 30 minutes will do!

5. EXERCISE.

It is recommended to get at least 2 ½ hours of exercise per week. You might be thinking that is a lot until you hear that I get about 7 hours of exercise per week! Yup! You heard that correctly, 7 whole hours! This is because I weight lift for about an hour 5 days out of the week. The rest 3 hours are cardio, since I do about 20- 30 minutes of cardio after each lift. Again, this is my work out routine and that does not mean it has to be yours. You might not even like weightlifting or cardio, and that’s okay! There are so many forms of exercise you can do like pilates, yoga, cycling, swimming, and more. Do whatever you like the most, just make sure you do it for at least 2 ½ hours per week.