Easy Steps to Better Health: How Small Changes Lead to Lasting Impact

Photo by RDNE Stock project from Pexels

Achieving a healthy, active lifestyle is much easier to visualize than to accomplish without clear, concise, actionable steps in place. When you feel as though you're tackling a mountain at the mere thought of overhauling your diet and way of life, it might be time to take a step back, decompress, and start with a few small, strategic changes that help you maintain the inertia necessary to succeed. With the accumulation of baby steps that focus on incremental change, you can begin cultivating healthy habits that will become a staple in your daily way of life over time.

1. Start With Nutrition Education

The phrase "you are what you eat", is becoming increasingly prescient, with a recent stark rise in autoimmune conditions, chronic obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Understanding food nutrition is key to truly making positive, healthy dietary changes in your everyday life. Focusing on small, yet consistent changes while shopping for groceries and preparing meals can have a significant impact on your energy levels, blood pressure, and overall health.

• Learn to Read Nutrition Labels: Reading nutritional labels is critical anytime you're shopping for foods, especially when you're purchasing a processed or packaged food. When reading nutritional labels, identify ingredients individually. If they're too difficult to pronounce or if they have potential side effects, seek an alternative, more organic option.
• Stick to the Aisles: Stick to the outer aisles when shopping for groceries--finding fresh meats, produce, nuts, and seeds along the way. This will help you avoid ultra-processed food staples that may contribute to health issues, chronic inflammation, and other health-related issues.
• Swap Foods: Rather than eliminating the foods you enjoy most in life, spend a bit of time researching organic alternatives or recipes you can make at home with whole ingredients you trust. If you have a gluten allergy or intolerance, consider swapping traditional flours for almond and/or coconut flour(s). Alternative sugar options range from Monkfruit and Stevia in the Raw to Allulose. Be sure to research alternative ingredients and work with a health professional or certified nutritionist to address your specific dietary needs.

2. Get Moving

Exercising doesn't just have to include hours in the gym or heavy, hardcore cardio workouts. Simply moving around frequently and consistently throughout your days can have a major impact on your mental and cardiovascular health. Because remote and desk work is more commonplace than ever, implementing small, but frequent sessions of moving and remaining active is extremely beneficial. Here are a few ways you can get moving each day while sticking to your modern-day routine:

• Walk More: Thinking of getting lunch downtown at the office? Need a break to watch your favorite podcaster? Consider a walk. Walking before and after eating or taking a quick walk around the block can help boost natural dopamine and serotonin while tending to the body's metabolic system.
• Mini Workouts: Incorporating micro-workouts can help your metabolism remain active, even if you work an office job. Body and strength exercises, squats, hooping, or quick sets of push-ups can be spaced throughout your day. Mini-workouts will also help you remain active without allowing your energy levels to crash unexpectedly.
• Use Fitness Apps: Tracking and setting fitness goals is no longer boring with fitness apps and health trackers. These apps are readily available on most smartphones and can also be accessed with a wearable smartwatch.

3. Improve Your Sleep Hygiene

Sleep hygiene should never be underestimated, as proper sleep regulation can mean the difference between a healthy and potentially compromised immune system. Ensuring your body receives adequate downtime each night is essential for immune, metabolic, and optimal mental function. Here's how you can get serious about your sleeping schedule and routine:

• Consistency is Key: Incorporating a set routine can drastically improve the quality of sleep you get each night (while reducing the grogginess you feel each morning). Going to bed at the same time each night will help your body self-regulate with ease.
• Avoid or Limit Caffeine: Some individuals are more sensitive to caffeine than others. Limiting and/or potentially avoiding your caffeine intake is highly recommended if you're having difficulty falling or staying asleep at night. You may also limit your caffeine intake after a certain time in the day, depending on your personal limitations.
• Screentime Limitations: Detoxing from digital screens is recommended at least once a month (for at least one full day). However, it's also recommended to reduce or eliminate screen time at least 30 minutes before you intend to attempt to sleep. Spend time reading a book, drawing, or unwinding in bed. This can help your eyes and natural internal clock to adjust to a restful mode.

4. Focus on Circulation and Lymphatic Health

The lymphatic system is essential, transporting fluids throughout the body, managing immune system function, and ensuring proper fluid balance. To pay closer attention to your body's circulation and your body's lymphatic system, incorporate the following into your daily routine:

• Hydration: Ensuring optimal hydration is imperative when you're tending to your body's mental and physical health. Proper hydration maintains fluid balance and circulation throughout the body. Drink water throughout your day, especially after meals and before and after exercising.
• Activity: Playing, moving, and remaining active goes a long way when tending to and caring for your body's lymphatic system. Simply standing up, stretching, or having mini dance parties throughout your day can help keep your lymphatic system moving and working efficiently.

5. Focus on Stress Reduction Techniques

Stress is one of the biggest contributors to various health issues and premature death. Reducing stress in your daily life is possible by:

• Journaling: Mindfulness techniques, such as journaling, is one way to help relieve stress while storing memories, both good and bad.
• Breathwork: Breathwork and meditation can help alleviate stress while allowing you to remain in the present moment.
• Socializing: Building a support group of friends, family members, and loved ones is a way to alleviate stress and feel comforted, especially during tough times in life.
• Remain Active: Staying active can help naturally boost your mood with the release of endorphins anytime you move around freely.

While the road to better health requires consistency, flexibility, and a positive mindset, it is possible to make drastic positive changes to your life with a few small, easy habits you can incorporate on a daily basis. By embracing small changes and habits rather than overwhelming yourself with drastic limitations, you will find it much easier to gain momentum on your way to achieving both your short and long-term goals. Just as a flower begins as a seed, your journey to a life of better health begins with simple, easy steps that will have a lasting impact for years, if not decades, to come.

About the Author

Megan Isola holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and a minor in Business Marketing from Cal State University Chico. She enjoys going to concerts, trying new restaurants, and hanging out with friends.