5 Tips on How to Stay Healthy as an Adult
It’s no secret that obesity is a problem among adults. But if you see the numbers, that’s when things can get alarming. According to a study, less than 5% of adults do 30 minutes of physical activity daily. On top of that, 80% don’t meet the guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities.
But how do you get in shape? In reality, it doesn’t have to be complicated. You’ll be surprised how you don’t need fad diets and extreme changes in your life to live a healthy life. Here are five tips on how you can stay healthy.
Start Doing Small Exercises Consistently
If you are looking to have a healthier life, there is no debate that you should be doing exercises. However, a lot of people quit after a few attempts because they aren’t used to working out. What you have to realize is that your body takes time to adapt to the workouts.
Instead of going all out doing workouts daily, you might as well give your body some time to recover especially during the first few weeks. You can start by doing exercises 3 times a week and add more sessions as you get to adjust to your routine.
Do you need a gym to get fit? You don’t exactly need a gym to get fit and live healthily. You can run outside for cardio, or do bodyweight exercises at home.
Switch Towards a Healthy Meal
According to the CDC, 36.6% of American adults consumed fast food daily from 2013 to 2016. If not fast food, a good number of adults consume high caloric meals that they can’t burn throughout the day. On top of that, it’s common for adults to go for poor quality foods. The lack of time and the lack of awareness on how to prepare meals are usually the reasons why people go for processed easy to eat foods.
So how do you switch to a healthier meal? First, you need to eat according to your activities and your needs. For instance, if you are sitting on your desk for eight hours, don’t expect to burn 10,000 calories every day. You have to figure out just how much food is enough for your needs.
Next, you also want to switch towards highly nutritious meals. You don’t exactly have to switch towards healthy meals completely. You can start incorporating small portions of healthy food while taking out a few unhealthy ones. You can go and work towards having more fruits and vegetables before you go and get rid of sugar and processed foods. There is no specific timeline to follow. However, the sooner you can eat healthy meals, the sooner you get to switch to a healthier lifestyle.
Also, you can switch towards healthier eating habits if you can meal prep. What makes meal prep a good thing? A lot of people tend to buy fast food because they don’t have anything healthy in their fridge. By doing meal prep, you get to cook meals that are good for a couple of days. You will just have to put it in your microwave and eat it.
Drink 2 Liters of Water Every Day
Next, you want to drink at least two liters of water daily. Remember that the human body is mostly composed of water. Staying hydrated can help you stay focused, relieve constipation, and could even prevent you from craving.
To ensure that you are drinking 2 liters of water daily, you can bring a jug that contains two liters of water. This way, you are conscious of how much water you’ve consumed throughout the day.
Get 8 Hours of Sleep
Sleep is often overlooked by adults. What they don’t realize is that sleep deprivation can impact your overall cognitive performance and even puts you at risk of different conditions from cardiovascular conditions to obesity.
If you intend to do exercises regularly, your body will need to sleep at least 8 hours a day to get fully recovered. How do you get 8 hours of sleep? There are several things you can do such as not eating a few hours before you intend to go to sleep.
Also, you can get your mobile device away from your bed when you are going to sleep. This way, you won’t get tempted to check on social media or browse anything online.
Stretch Regularly
Lastly, you want to stretch regularly. What makes stretching a good practice for adults? Apart from the fact that it keeps you limber, it can help improve your posture and circulation. Stretching is also a great way to reduce injuries especially when you start to work out regularly. If you feel that you are not flexible in the beginning, don’t force yourself. Just do what your body can tolerate. Do it regularly and you will see changes.
Having a healthy lifestyle for adults can pay dividends in the long run. Not only can you possibly skip medications later in life, but you can also spend more time doing things that you love to do. But of course, starting to make these positive changes can be challenging especially at first.
