Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Diet changes
• Method 2 of 4: Sports and Exercise
• Method 3 of 4: Feeling Better
• Method 4 of 4: Quitting Bad Habits

Keeping track of your health can be challenging, especially if you live at a fast pace, if you are busy at work, or if you have a lot of tasks and responsibilities. However, even small changes in your diet and habits can improve your health. Start with the little things and it will be easier for you to keep track of your health in the long term.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Diet changes

1. 1 Take healthy food with you. If you move around a lot during the day, you should prepare healthy snacks for yourself that you can get and eat quickly. If you have healthy food with you, you will not buy fast food or convenience foods.
   • Slice fruits (apples, pears, oranges) in the evening and put them in a plastic bag or wrap them in foil. Snacking on fruits is convenient and healthy.
   • Nuts (almonds, cashews) are an excellent source of protein, and thanks to them, you will not feel sleepy during the day. Place a handful of cashews in a plastic bag and keep them in your bag for a snack when you're hungry.
   • If you like crunchy, make popcorn, mix it with sesame oil. It will be healthier than potato chips.
2. 2 Have dinner and lunch with wholesome food. It is not necessary to completely revise your diet - it is enough to eat healthy food at least once a day. For lunch, eat salad and smoothies instead of a burger, and for dinner, eat vegetable fries instead of steak and potatoes. Try to eat healthy foods at least once every day. This will help you reduce your calorie intake and improve your health.
3. 3 Eat less added sugar. Artificial sugars are found in ready-to-eat foods such as baked goods, industrial sweets, sauces, and dips. Sweeteners in coffee and tea can also cause health problems.
   • If possible, replace artificial sugar with natural sugar found in maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar. These natural sweeteners are formulated with minerals and nutrients for your health. In addition, they taste much better than artificial ones.
   • It is better to eat a piece of dark chocolate than a ready-made cookie or candy. Dark chocolate contains antioxidants and has less sugar than milk chocolate and chocolates.
4. 4 Bake organic desserts and use natural sweeteners. Add honey, agave, maple syrup to baked goods. This will help you avoid processed and artificial sugars and make your baked goods healthier than store baked goods. There are many recipes that use natural sweeteners:
   • Tart with cream, banana, coconut, cashew and honey as a sweetener.
   • Whole wheat banana bread with honey as a sweetener.
   • Fruit ice made from fresh fruits (for example, watermelon) with honey.
   • Fruit-based ice cream with agave.
   • Dark chocolate and ginger brownies (crystallized ginger and dark chocolate are used as a sweetener).
5. 5 Cook at least once a day. It's important for your wellness to take the time to prepare one meal for yourself every day, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. Make a simple breakfast of low fat yogurt, granola, and fruit, or a quick lunch of cereals, protein (meat, fish, tofu) and vegetables. Do not skip meals, otherwise you will quickly collapse.
   • Look for recipes where cooking should take less than 30 minutes. Pick one meal each day and go to the grocery store at the beginning of the week to get all the groceries you need. Thanks to this, you will have everything you need at hand, and you can quickly and easily prepare meals for yourself.
6. 6 Drink water instead of sugary sodas. To reduce your sugar intake, you should avoid sugary sodas and juices and replace them with water. Carry a fresh water bottle with you to drink more fluids throughout the day.

Method 2 of 4: Sports and Exercise

1. 1 Do not use the elevator and use the stairs. Avoid taking the elevator at home, work, and even shopping malls. Climbing stairs will make your heart beat faster. This is a good cardio workout, especially with regular lifts.
2. 2 Park your car away from the entrance at work. If you don't have time for sports, try to park your car further away and walk the distance. This will allow you to start each day with physical activity.
   • If you take the bus to work, get off one stop early on your way to and from work. This will make you walk more than usual twice a day.
3. 3 Try to exercise for at least 20 minutes a day. If you have 20 minutes to spare, try to keep them busy with sports. Pick a time of day when you are relatively free and exercise daily.
   • There is no need to sign up for a gym or fitness classes. You can play sports at home using video tutorials, or come up with a workout plan yourself. Just 20-30 minutes of physical activity a day can significantly improve your fitness.
   • There are many quick workout resources online. You can also try interval training. They will take you only 30 minutes and will quickly improve your body condition and fitness.
4. 4 Join a team or group. Look for group activities in your city that work for you. Team games or group workouts can help you connect with new people and improve your health at the same time. Think about what kind of sport you like and look for like-minded people.
   • You can sign up for group classes like yoga or Pilates. 1-2 workouts per week is not very difficult. Exercise will improve your fitness and allow you to meet and connect with people, which is good for your mental health.
   • Exercise produces endorphins, which are natural antidepressants. Often times, bad mood episodes can be effectively dealt with through exercise.

Method 3 of 4: Feeling Better

1. 1 Start your day with meditation. To improve your well-being in just 10-15 minutes, meditate. Science has been proven that meditation fights stress and allows you to experience calmness and peace of mind. Meditation is good for mental health in many ways. It allows you to better understand yourself and fights negative emotions. In addition, meditation helps with several health problems, including anxiety disorders, high blood pressure, sleep problems, insomnia, and asthma. Meditation improves overall well-being and health. There are several types of meditation, including the following:
   • Meditation with an instructor. This type of meditation uses visualization and imagery. The instructor will describe soothing images, smells, sounds and textures.You can find guided meditation courses online and listen to them from your phone or tablet anywhere.
   • Mindfulness meditation. With this meditation, you will need to focus on yourself and the present moment. You will focus on how you feel (for example, what sounds you hear or how your breath feels). With this kind of meditation, you will need to keep track of your thoughts and feelings without analyzing or commenting on them.
   • Transcendental Meditation. During this meditation, you will need to silently repeat a mantra that you come up with for yourself. It can be composed of words, sounds, or phrases. Repetition of the mantra will allow the body to plunge into a state of meditation in which the person feels calm and relaxed.
   • Qigong. Qigong is a practice that is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This practice combines meditation, relaxation, physical movement and breathing exercises. The main focus is on restoring and maintaining mental and physical balance. You can find recordings of qigong training or take classes.
2. 2 Try deep breathing exercises. 5-10 minutes of deep breathing a day will help improve brain function and energize you. Deep breathing is also called pranayama. You will need to do breathing exercises to help you breathe more deeply and with fuller lungs. Breathing exercises are often done in yoga classes in combination with asanas. This allows you to achieve a meditative state.
   • Start with simple exercises: start inhaling and exhaling through your nose using your diaphragm. Choose a place that is calm, free of distractions, and a comfortable position.
   • Place your palms on the diaphragm under the ribs and inhale deeply through your nose. Inhale in 4 counts.
   • Hold your breath for one second and exhale slowly through your nose in 4 counts. Imagine that you have a mirror in front of your nose, and you need it to fog up with your breath. Exhale with a palpable sound.
   • Try to increase the duration of inhalation and exhalation to 10-20 counts. Over time, you will be able to breathe in and out for 20-40 counts.
3. 3 Do something enjoyable every day. To improve your well-being, it is helpful to do something pleasant every day. You can just read a book or go for a walk, do your favorite hobby (crochet, work with wood, or paint). Doing what you love every day can help you relieve stress and slow down your pace, especially if you are very busy or work takes a lot of time and energy from you.
   • To keep up with doing what you love, set aside half an hour or an hour for yourself. You can do this in the morning when you wake up, or in the evening when you return from school or work. Tell loved ones and work partners that during this time you should not be disturbed, because you are doing what brings you pleasure.
4. 4 Meet with friends and family at least once a week. Even if you are not very fond of communication, keeping in touch with friends and family will improve your state of mind. You can have dinner with your family every Saturday or meet up with friends in the pub every Friday. Make communication a part of your routine. Try to spend time with loved ones on a regular basis.
   • Communication will also make you look outward as well as inward, making it easier for you to deal with stress and anxiety. Spending time with others can relieve you of bad moods and thoughts of problems.

Method 4 of 4: Quitting Bad Habits

1. 1 Limit your alcohol intake. You can not exclude alcohol, but simply limit the amount that you drink during the week. If on some days you can not resist and drink a lot, try drinking a glass of water after each glass. This will help you stay hydrated and reduce the effects of alcohol on your body.
   • If you drink a lot every evening or a few days a week, limit your alcohol intake to just one or two days a week. Keep track of how many glasses you drink (for example, instead of two glasses, drink one).
2. 2 Give up smoking and drugs. If you want to be healthy, you will need to quit smoking. For starters, you can reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke daily, or use nicotine patches. You can join a quit smoking group.
   • If you regularly use drugs or take prescription drugs, reduce this amount. Ask your doctor if you can reduce the dosage of drugs, especially if they are not required for you.
3. 3 Try to think good, not bad. If you often see all situations in black or think only of a possible negative outcome, you should change your mindset to a more optimistic one. Consider if any of your friends, coworkers, or family members are having a negative impact on you. They may complain often or expect only bad things, and their influence may spread to you as well. Block yourself out from these people, as negativity can lead to stress and anxiety.
   • If you notice that in all situations you think the glass is half empty, consider how you can look at the problem differently. You can stop, take a couple of deep breaths, and think about a solution to the problem, rather than just start complaining about it.
   • For example, you have a problem with a colleague who does not fulfill his duties, and the clients remain dissatisfied. Do not wait for such behavior of a colleague to begin to cause negative thoughts in you and provoke unwanted actions - it is better to talk to him right away. Ask him to treat clients differently and to do his job properly. If he doesn't listen to you and change his behavior, report the problem to your boss. This is how you act, rather than waiting for the negativity to consume you.