Top 10 Keys to Optimal Health

Have you ever tried to turn over a new leaf with your health and then just did not succeed. Maybe you joined a gym, went a few times and then stopped going? I confess that was me every New Year’s for a while. Or perhaps you started a new way of healthy eating and either dropped out after a day or two or just couldn’t get started at all? Again, I am WAY too familiar with that pattern, having at one time battled with 80 extra pounds.

Did you come up with a bunch of reasons why now was just not the “right time?” Yup, me too. Too busy with work, the kids, elderly parents, house work, yard work, errands, volunteering, etc? Well, I’m going to tell you what you already know. There will NEVER be a “right” time when the earth puts itself on pause so that you can start something new. Never. Gonna. Happen.

But here’s the good news. Lots of people have cracked the code to better health and are now living fuller lives after changes in diet and lifestyle. Those people don’t have anything special that you don’t have. They are not all super geniuses. They do not all have an easier and less hectic life than you.

Here are the top 10 things healthy people do and if you adopt these, you can easily get healthier too. If you want it. It’s up to you.

1. Embrace change

Obviously if you want a different outcome, you need to live differently, and a mindset change is crucial to health success. Health is either a top priority or it isn’t. Healthy folks had to get comfortable with changing how they eat, how they shop, what they cook, how they view their relationship with food, how they view themselves, and how they prioritize eating, sleep, stress management, and exercise. They embrace changes in daily habits and realize this is key to lasting success.

Healthy people also tend to look for ways to make their clean eating plan work, rather than excuses for why it won’t work, which requires them to be tenacious.
They approach new foods and cooking methods with curiosity, rather than as a deprivation or chore.

2. Eat home-cooked meals

Restaurant food is loaded with unhealthy ingredients and pricier than what you can make at home. Pre-packaged, processed frozen dinners are not actual food and don’t provide adequate nutrition. Healthy people know this and cook most of their meals at home, using fresh, unprocessed, whole foods. They learn to plan and prep items ahead so that cooking becomes more manageable and is less time-consuming. And the bonus is, they know exactly what is going into their meal and can control the quality and quantity. Learning to prepare simple meals is a must for ongoing wellness.

3. Break down large goals into small daily actions

Whether the goal is to lose weight, get more energy, sleep better or fend off disease, you get the prize slowly and surely by taking small, daily action. For instance, adding in more water each day and aiming to eat at least 5 servings of veggies.

4. Follow a structured plan

As healthy people know, if you fail to plan, you can plan to fail. That means you need to follow a proven system for eating, exercise, stress management, sleep etc. and stick to it to see best results. Winging it is a sure way to fail.

5. Be accountable

There’s never going to be a perfect time to change old habits. Success comes more readily when we stop using excuses and blaming “life” for our failure to get it together. Face it, there are multitudes of reasons NOT to change. Successful people look for reasons TO change.

6. Be consistent

Making a plan and then taking daily, consistent action wins the race. One sure way to sabotage your health is to go on a super restrictive diet and starve yourself, followed by going “off the diet” and eating anything you wish. That’s a recipe for yo-yo dieting and believe me, I have made every mistake there is to make in this area. I’ve been everywhere from a size 0 to a size 18 and bounced around to every size in between for years. Once I made a plan, got consistent, got proper support and stopped thinking in terms of being “on a diet” or “off a diet,” I got to a healthy weight and stayed there. You can too!

7. Know Your Big WHY

It’s vital to clearly identify and then give yourself daily reminders of why you want better health. Not short term weight or fitness goals. WHY do you want to reach those goals? To live a longer, happier, pain-free life so you can play with your grandkids? Perhaps you want to do great things in the world but lack the energy and confidence that better health would give you. Everyone’s answer is deeply personal but you need to find it and remind yourself of it when you’re struggling.

8. Celebrate. Often. And not with food.

Healthy people celebrate every win, no matter how small, and congratulate themselves for making a commitment to better health. This reinforces a positive behavior.

9. Get Solid Support

Support is key and it should be from others who are walking the walk, like a trained health coach. Healthy people have figured out that advice from overweight friends and relatives, or negative co-workers who are always sick, is not helpful and can be ignored. Everyone has a right to their opinion, and you have a right to ignore opinions that are not proven to lead to optimal health. 

10. Surround Yourself With Healthy People

Success Guru Tony Robbins often says that we are the average of the five people closest to us. If you hang around unhealthy, overweight people who do not value their health, guess what? You’ll probably end up unhealthy yourself. But know what happens when you surround yourself with friends who exercise, eat well and keep a positive mindset? Wouldn’t you rather live in that scenario?

Have healthy tips that have worked well for you?
Please share your ideas with us and leave a comment below. And feel free to share this post on your social media if you liked it and want to help others.

 

About the author:

Deborah A. Genovesi is a certified holistic health coach who focuses on helping women boost their energy, lose weight naturally and feel healthier than they have in years. Deborah battled fibromyalgia and suffered debilitating symptoms for about 15 years before discovering how to restore her health. Today she is 80 lbs lighter and no longer suffers from chronic fatigue, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, GERD, high blood pressure, migraines, constant neck and back pain, skin issues, or pre-diabetes.