Living a healthy lifestyle may seem challenging at the start: between wine nights with your girlfriends to dinner dates and an already hectic schedule, it’s understandably daunting. However, it is not impossible. In fact, it’s easy to do when your life and the decision you make revolve around being healthy, instead of the other way around.
That doesn’t mean you have to give up dessert or stay in every Saturday night. Instead find a bunch of little ways you can stay healthy throughout the week.
Create a Routine
The first, and most important part of living a healthy lifestyle, is creating a routine. This does a number of things:
1. Shows your friends and family you’re committed to living a healthy lifestyle. For example, “I’ll meet up with you for dinner after I hit the gym.” This shows them that you’re focused on being healthy, but you’re not missing out on important and fun events.
This in turn may help those closest to you realize that by supporting you they’re helping both you and them: “Sounds good, I’ll push dinner back a half hour.” You’d be amazed how much of a difference support from friends and family can make in living a healthy lifestyle easier.
2. This makes it easier for you to stick with. Some routines to set into place could be:
- Eat at home on Mondays, only making exceptions for very important events. This starts your week in a healthy way, and it’s rare that an awesome or fun event happens on Monday nights, anyway.
- Plan all your lunches for the week on Sunday. Make a big batch of quinoa, chop veggies, or build sandwiches. This way, when you’re rushed in the morning, you don’t opt for an unhealthy lunch because you didn’t have time to prep something at home.
- Choose a workout time and stick to it, at least at first. This is critical—we are creatures of habit and when you make something a habit it’s harder to stop doing.
Plan Active Events and Outings
Instead of grabbing a heavy brunch every Sunday morning followed by relaxing around the house, plan something active with your friends, and then indulge in a healthy brunch. This allows you to stay active while socializing with your friends. Try:
- A hike
- Kayaking
- A long walk
- Surfing
- A group fitness class
Always Offer to Bring a Dish to the Party
You know that feeling. You walk into a party, grab a plate and stare every unhealthy dish down with a vengeance. You don’t want to eat that mayonnaise-filled pasta salad—yet you kind of do. And if it’s sitting there, with few other healthy options, it’s almost guaranteed you will.
Always bring a dish to the party so you can be sure there’s something that’s tasty and healthy. Bonus: if everyone likes it, they’ll be begging you to bring more next time.
