If you’ve fallen off of the fitness wagon and are looking to get back on, there are tons of gradual steps that you can take to improve your health quickly. It may seem like a lot to do now, but if you start where you are, you can begin building healthier lifestyle habits that get you where you want to be with your health. Here are five tips to get your health back on track that you can start implementing today!
1. Make Small Dietary Changes
If you’re working on cutting out junk food, start gradually. You might eliminate one junk food item and substitute it for nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables. You can take up post-dinner healthy habits, to continue with your health-related goals. Keep in mind that the food we feed ourselves influences what we crave.
You might never genuinely desire a piece of broccoli or gummy vitamins, but the more often you eat healthy foods, the more often you’ll want to incorporate them into the meals you make for yourself. Don’t change your diet overnight if you know that is too big of a jump.
You can start adding healthier foods into your diet until you’re more comfortable eating healthy meals. Eventually, you’ll learn to enjoy healthy foods even if you didn’t in the past. You can even establish set times for more relaxed eating, such as on the weekends when dining out with friends and family.
2. Be Patient With Yourself
No matter what you do to improve your health, every action will be ten times more challenging if you are too hard on yourself. Everyone goes through ups and downs with their health.
You can’t expect to maintain a healthy lifestyle all of the time. There are holidays, events, and days that you want a break! Give yourself grace and be patient with yourself with where you are. The more compassion you give yourself, the easier it will be for you to pick yourself back up.
3. Hold Yourself Accountable
Accountability can make a huge difference in how quickly you make progress. You can keep a journal of your progress. You might work with a friend who also wants to improve their health and be accountability buddies for each other. In whatever ways make the most sense to you, keep track of how you’re doing daily so that you feel more included to stick with the process.
4. Get Some Exercise
Daily exercise is essential for overall health. You don’t have to be an athlete to benefit from the significant health benefits of daily exercise. Even a ten-minute walk around your neighborhood can boost mental clarity, reduce stress, and tone your muscles. Pick up exercise routines that work for you and that you look forward to including in your day-to-day grind. Listen to music or podcasts as you exercise, or go with a friend and initiate a conversation. Anything to pass the time is fine!
5. Set Reasonable Goals
If you want to stay on track, ensure your health goals are reasonable. If you try to set goals that are too complex or ambitious, you’ll be less likely to succeed, let alone continue on your path for improvement. If you make your goals reasonable, you’ll feel continuous motivation and will probably continue further on your path to better health. So, if you’re trying to build muscle, lose weight, etc., choose goals that are practical to where you’re starting from.
The Bottom Line
To get your health on track, implement realistic, practical, and motivating changes. You can do it! Consider the suggestions above as you get your health back on track, one step at a time.
