Steps to increase your quality of life. If you have lived a long time eating poorly and had way too little activity, it may feel impossible to kickstart a healthy lifestyle. And it might not be a good thing to dive headfirst into keto, fasting, or any other method of health. But you need to make a firm decision and act on it if you want to live a better, happier, and healthier life. Love yourself and give yourself this gift of a better life❤️
Change
The changes you are making don’t have to be big ones. Take baby steps and the change is probably going to be long-lasting too.
With these steps, you can improve your living habits and upgrade your life. Do them in a schedule that feels comfortable, one step can be anything from one day to a month. Do not force your body and mind, remember that everything you do is for your good. And don’t stress about progress, every little thing counts. Just decide to feel better and enjoy the ride. You are worth the good quality of life.
Steps to increase quality of life
1. Stop consuming sugar and grains
Eat what else you want, as much as you want, and when you want.
2. Eat more leafy greens
Vital for your health, eating leafy greens can offer numerous health benefits including reduced risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. You get important vitamins and minerals from them, but they are low in calories.
- Arugula
- Kale
- Spinach
- Cabbage
- Watercress
- Romaine Lettuce
- Swiss Chard
- Bok Choy
- Endive
- Microgreens
- Collard greens
- Beet greens
- Turnip greens
3. Drink more water
It can be carbonated and also flavored, but make sure there are no calories. Using electrolytes is highly recommended, but again, make sure there is no sugar or other bad ingredients. Best if sweetened with stevia or erythritol. More about sweeteners here.
4. Trade bad fats for better ones
Good fats to use are:
- Extra virgin olive oil and olives
- Butter
- Fatty fish
- Eggs, whole
- Full-fat Turkish or Greek yogurt
- Ghee
- MCT oil or caprylic acid
- Coconut oil and coconut flesh
- Avocados and avocado oil
- Nuts (peanut is not a nut, do not consume these)
- Flax seeds, hemp hearts, chia seeds
- Nut and seed butters (no peanut)
- Raw cocoa butter or nibs
- Good quality cheeses
5. Stop eating additives
Read labels on food and drink products. Google them and learn. Some additives are harmless but there are additives that may even cause cancer. Here are some, that I would not ever consume:
- Artificial sweeteners – for example, aspartame, sucralose, saccharine
- High fructose corn syrup – cheap ingredient is very bad for your health
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- Artificial food colors -chemicals
- Trans fats – hydrogenated oil
- Sodium nitrite
- Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Benzoate and Benzene
- BHA & BHT – Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
- Sulfites
6. Increase your activity
Get up at least once every hour. Walk around, stretch, clean around the house, or just stand and wave your hands up and down. Start with 5 minutes at the time and increase the time when you can. Everything counts.
7. Get fresh air every day
If you are not in the condition to walk, you can start by just sitting outside. When ready, you can try standing some portion of the time and in due time, you can start with short walks. Slowly increase the length as you get stronger.
8. Set a goal for daily steps
You can use a smartwatch or your phone, for example, SportsTracker counts your steps if you have it on when you walk, and it’s free. If you don’t want to use your phone, you count your steps and write them down. You can start by counting your steps before raising your activity effort, so you know what level of increased step you should pursue.
9. Pay attention to your sleep
It’s personal how much sleep one needs, but on average 7-8 hours of good sleep is needed.
Ways to improve your sleep:
- Keep your bedroom dark and cool
- Close the TV, and put your phone and other electronics away at least one hour before going to bed Read something or listen to calming music or a relaxing program
- Try to put worrying thoughts away and think of something positive. You can also tell yourself a story in your mind, it can be for example something you wish to be happening in your life
- Wear an eye mask
- Don’t eat or drink coffee right before you go to bed
10. Gradually prolong your fasting window
It means that you are eating fewer meals per day. If you are used to eating 5 meals a day, reduce it to 4 meals daily and ensure you eat vegetables at every meal.
It may be a good idea to track your actions, what you have done, and how it feels. For that, you don’t necessarily need a smartwatch or ring. Keep a daily diary of what you have been eating and what you have done during the day. It’s free, and writing down your actions, feelings, and thoughts can be reassuring.
After completing the steps
When you feel comfortable with your steps and new healthier lifestyle, you can start trying to figure out what nutrition method is best suitable for you. Is it low-carb, keto, vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, or something else? Can you include fasting? Check out our post about intermittent fasting.
If you start feeling overwhelmed or step out of the path, go one step backward or start again. Starting is already a big and important step.
Read also our no-nos of a healthy lifestyle.