It’s a difficult balance sometimes trying to juggle health and wellness with a busy life. To help bring you back to the important areas of focus when it comes to staying healthy, I’ve put together 10 tips. I provide the first one, and my fellow registered dietitians provide the rest. If you’re looking for even more tips on healthy and wellness, check out my post 8 tips for healthy eating.
1. Make friends!
I find that social connection is such as important part of wellness. Friends bring me joy and help me navigate life in mutually beneficial relationships. A good friend is just what I need through both the good times and the harder ones.
2. Take a deep breath!
Before you begin your meal and connect with your feeling of hunger. Eat slowly and notice when your hunger has been satisfied. Use this connection to know when you’ve had enough, rather than just eating until your plate is done.
3. Try to be in the moment especially while eating.
Notice the colors on the plate. Sense the smells of the food. Take small bites & chew properly and enjoy the tastes. This will help to regulate the hunger-satiety mechanisms and will also help the digestive processes, thus helping you to live a healthy lifestyle.
Meghna Pandit –The Nutrigood
4. Create a healthy environment in your home.
When your home sets you up for success, it will feel a lot easier to stick to healthy habits. For example, keep fresh fruit and veggies front and center for quick snacks, processed snacks in places that are harder to reach, and keep any workout gear visible. All of these things prevent the need for constant “willpower,” and makes the healthy choice the easy choice.
– Melissa Mitri, MS, RD of Melissa Mitri Nutrition
5. Find joy in regular movement.
Getting regular physical activity doesn’t have to mean going to the gym or doing traditional exercise. Find activities that bring you joy, like walking with a good friend, dancing, gardening or playing a sport. When you do something that’s fun you’re more likely to stick with it.
6. Try to slow down and appreciate the flavors in your healthy meals!
Consider taking a moment to pause and express gratitude before you eat. This could be a prayer or generally expressing thankfulness for the farmers who picked the food, the people who transported it, those who made the meal etc.
–Christine Milmine, RDN and owner of Plant Powered You LLC
7. Get outside and move every day.
Fresh air helps clear your head and regular exercise aids in stress reduction, improved sleep, and weight management. Also- research shows that family relationships are better when you spend time outside together.
–Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LD, Owner, Sound Bites Nutrition
8. Start a mindfulness practice.
We can bring mindfulness to daily activities, such as eating, moving, socializing and relaxing. When we do all of these things more mindfully, better habits develop naturally. We eat better, move more, and show more kindness to others.
9. Don’t obsess about healthy eating.
Yes, nutritious foods can boost your health and make you feel good, but being super rigid about what you eat can actually have the opposite effect. If there’s no flexibility in your eating habits — say, you don’t often eat out, you avoid lots of foods, and you spend lots of time thinking about what to eat — it’s worth examining your relationship with food and loosening some of your rules.
–Christine Byrne, MPH, RD, a Raleigh-based private practice dietitian who specializes in eating disorders and intuitive eating
10. I find planning is helpful to having a healthy lifestyle.
If you can make a plan for what you want to eat for B,L, and D then you can think about how to add nutrients your body needs. Not having a plan can lead to rushing and not taking care of your body. Planning can also help with making time for exercise which is important to a healthy lifestyle. Planning time for self care is also important.
–Jeanette Kimszal, RDN, NLC
- Can B12 Shots Help You Lose Weight? - October 9, 2022
- Tips on setting up for a dinner party - October 6, 2022
- How To Find More Enjoyment Cooking For One? - September 28, 2022
These are all useful tips that help people lead higher-quality lives. Remembering to take deep breaths can go a long way, in particular.
Thank you so much for this comment. Yes, deep breathing can really help in the middle of a busy day.