This blog is on lifestyle changes. You hear that term a lot when you visit a doctor, but what exactly does that mean? Let’s explore!
What is lifestyle change?
A lifestyle change means changing habits or modifying your behavior to encourage positive changes in life – but it is more than just flipping a switch. For an individual to automatically switch from walking to jogging or eating processed food to eating a Mediterranean/healthy diet, it is good to recognize that changing habits starts with achieving daily baby steps.
What changes do I make?
This blog on general well-being includes some general changes you can make to get started. Check out the below graphic for additional healthy lifestyle changes you can start making.
It’s important to remember that all positive changes will help maintain and prolong your life, but the most important of all is to have scheduled screenings and visits with your doctor. Think of it this way, you send your car for maintenance or when your car has reached a certain number of miles to maintain the longevity of the car – otherwise it may stop working in the middle of the road! Your body is the same. If you don’t take care of it, you may have a shorter life span with increased diseases (for example, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, stroke, heart attack and/or clots).
How do I make these changes?
Let’s break it down into steps.
First, find your “why”
Why do you want to make such a lifestyle change? What motivates you to make these changes? Is it simply because you want to live a longer and more enjoyable life, or is it to achieve a specific goal, such as being around longer for your kids? Whatever it may be, find your “why” so you can revisit those reasons when your motivation goes down. Lifestyle changes are just that, for life! You will fall down and mess up, but that is ok, because progress over perfection wins every time.
Set an achievable goal
Often, we give ourselves a couple of weeks or a month to see and feel changes, and then when we don’t, we give up. Let’s be clear, change takes time! Set daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals. Follow through and be consistent. Here are some ideas to help you on your way:
- Setting a goal of losing one pound a week is much more attainable than aiming for 10 pounds in a month or two.
- Create habits that you can maintain forever. For example, for soda drinkers, instead of removing all soda from your life on day one, set a goal of substituting one soda a day with water, flavored water or seltzer, and increase this each day. Before you know it, you will completely remove soda from your diet and your health will dramatically change for the better!
- Change one habit or behavior at a time, just as a juggler starts juggling with one ball before adding additional balls to juggle. Focus on one habit (for example, getting eight hours of good sleep a night) before adding another new healthy habit. This is called habit stacking. Habit stacking increases the likelihood that you’ll stick with a habit by stacking your new behavior on top of an old one.
- Track your progress! Take a photo of yourself on the day you start; you will thank yourself later. This process helps remind you how far you’ve come and will keep you motivated, or help you adjust if need be. You will be amazed at what a photo will do for your progress in six months!
- Find a buddy to support you. Making lifestyle changes with a friend who is on the same journey as you will keep you motivated and accountable. It’s also nice to receive a compliment when you reach your goals!
“You must be the change you want to see.” – MK Gandhi
Your well-being starts with taking the first step and being consistent. Improved health will prolong your quality of life and make you feel better about yourself and life in general. If you’re not sure where to start, speak with your primary care doctor. If you need a primary care doctor but don’t have one, NGPG has many providers that you can choose from and book an appointment with online.