Buzz
You could spend endless hours figuring out the best way to live healthily—the Internet is full of advice and tricks for optimizing every aspect of life. But the truth is, the most significant gains in sleep, exercise, and diet come from simply getting the basics right. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, here’s your starting point.
Exercise, of any type
Whether it’s running, weightlifting, yoga, or taking classes—there are countless options. Any form of exercise is better than none, and if you feel out of shape, try pushing yourself just a little further than your current routine.
A balanced week of exercise should feature:
Cardiovascular activity
Strength-building exercises
You could be someone who runs and adds a few strength workouts, or perhaps a weightlifter who throws in some cardio with the rower a couple of times a week. Alternatively, you might engage in a sport that naturally combines both in each session.
If you're just starting your fitness journey, experiment with different activities until you discover what excites you. Once you find your passion, seek out a program, coach, team, or long-term goal to provide structure for your ongoing training.
Ensure you get plenty of sleep
There are entire industries focused on selling solutions to people who feel they don’t have enough 'energy.' You can purchase their vitamins, gadgets, or motivational tips...or you could simply get enough sleep to begin with.
If you’re typically getting six hours or less of sleep, improving that can likely resolve many of the issues that may seem related to health or 'energy.' Most people need somewhere between six and nine hours. To get more sleep, all it takes is adjusting your morning and evening routines to give yourself enough time to rest.
Maintain a healthy diet
There are many ways to eat healthily, so don’t stress too much about finding the 'perfect' one. All healthy diets emphasize consuming plenty of fruits and vegetables, while limiting sugar intake.
If you're looking to lose weight, understand that all diets and fasting approaches work in the same basic way: they help you reduce your calorie consumption. Beyond that, each has its benefits and drawbacks: you might feel fuller with the higher fat intake of the keto diet, or perhaps prefer the simplicity of intermittent fasting, or maybe you appreciate the variety of foods allowed on an old-school low-fat diet.
It doesn’t matter which diet you choose, but if you’re using one to manage your calories, pick it and stick with it. And keep in mind that your diet has a greater impact on weight management than exercise.
Minimize your stress
This can be a bit tricky, but if you're constantly feeling stressed, it can be hard to maintain the lifestyle changes you've made.
Methods like meditation may help, but stress often arises from other parts of your life: Are you working long hours? Struggling with finances? Managing the care of a new baby or a sick loved one?
While you might not be able to eliminate these stressors, you can assess your life and find better ways to cope with what’s happening. You can also plan around the stresses you cannot change. Seeking professional therapy will be far more effective for mental health than any meditation practice or life hack.
Avoid overhauling everything at once.
Attempting to completely overhaul your exercise routine, diet, and evening habits all at the same time is a recipe for failure. (If you made that mistake in January, you know exactly what I’m talking about.)
Within each area, focus on one change at a time. Try adding a cycling class a couple of times a week and gauge how it feels. The next week, find a few healthy lunch ideas and start making them a routine. After making each change, reflect on how it’s going—has it improved things? Do you want to do more? What obstacles are in the way? Soon enough, a healthier lifestyle will become second nature.
