Becoming healthier is a goal for many people, but often it can feel really overwhelming as there is so much to consider. However, we’re here to keep things simple and introduce things that you can easily incorporate into your life that will become healthy habits. There aren’t any crazy fitness regimes, intense diets or major life changes, but instead, small improvements to certain parts of your routine that won’t disrupt your life and they will soon feel like a normal part of your routine. Whether you start by making one of these changes, or you commit to a few, we know that you’ll notice a positive difference. So, let’s get into it! 

Drink More Water

The first thing you can do to feel and be healthier is to drink more water. Staying hydrated is one of the best things you can do, as all areas of your body rely on water to function properly. From your digestive system to your skin, your brain, regulating your body temperature, your immune system and so much more, your body needs a good amount of water for everything to work to the best of its ability. So, when you increase your water intake, you will feel more energised, have more mental clarity and overall you’ll just feel great. 

It’s recommended that everyone should have between 1.5 and 2.5 litres of water a day, with men having towards the higher number and women the lower. However, this figure is just for a standard day, so whenever you do exercise, heavy work, or are in hot weather, you need to be drinking more. This will naturally help you to reduce your intake of other, less healthy, drinks, such as sugary drinks. 

A good way to make sure you’re drinking more is to fill a large water bottle that is around 2 litres with water, then you know you need to finish that throughout the day. Whether it’s a simple large water bottle or one with an hourly breakdown, either will work just fine! 

Eat Multi Coloured Fruit & Veg 

Whilst we’re talking about things to add to your life rather than restricting yourself, you should eat lots of multi coloured fruit and veg. When you do your weekly shop, plan out a variety of coloured fruits and veg to eat throughout the week, from bananas to a smoothie with frozen strawberries, a green veg pasta and roasted carrots. Each different coloured fruit and veg contains different nutrients, so when you’re eating a variety throughout the week, you know that you’re giving your body what it needs. Whether you cook the fruit and veg into dishes or you eat as a snack, start bringing this variety into your diet and see how great you feel! As with drinking more water, when you eat more nutrient dense foods, you’ll find you naturally reach for fewer unhealthy snacks. 

Move Your Body

Next up, you need to move your body. Exercise is absolutely essential to remain healthy, as it keeps your heart healthy, it’s good for your mental health, it helps you to keep strong joints and bones, and it helps you maintain muscle later into your life. There are so many more benefits too. However, something that is often misunderstood is that exercise comes in so many different forms. It’s not just running marathons or doing really intense weight workouts. More gentle forms of exercise like walking or swimming can be an essential form of exercise for many people, or pilates and yoga for others, then some people will be into more intense forms of exercise. 

The key here is to find what works for you and what you enjoy. That could be adding 1,000 steps a day to what you’re currently doing, it could be doing a fun dance fitness class with your friends, perhaps it’s having a game of tennis with your family. There is no strict rule as to what exercise is, but the main thing is moving your body and enjoying it! This is the best way to make sure that your new habit of moving your body is one that stays. One key tip we have is to make sure that you wear an outfit that is supportive, so you should get a really great fitting gym set, supportive running trainers or a great sports bra, depending on what form of exercise you’re working on! 

Choose Whole Grain Carbohydrates

Another positive change you can make to your life to become healthier is to choose whole grain carbohydrates. Swapping things like white rice, white noodles and white bread, for whole grain alternatives, is a great choice, as they provide fibre, vitamins, minerals and nutrients, in much higher levels than you’d get with the white versions. They’re also known to better control cholesterol, weight and blood pressure, which significantly lower the risk of serious health problems like diabetes and heart disease. This is a very simple swap that you can make in the supermarket to really help fuel your body in a healthy way. You should never avoid carbs altogether, as they’re absolutely essential to give your body energy, but making this slightly healthier choice is a fantastic choice. 

Eat More Protein

Eating more protein is another great way to be healthier. Protein is really important to support the amino acids in the body, which help to repair muscles and bones, as well as support enzymes and hormones. Plus, foods that are high in protein naturally fill you up, so you will find you eat smaller portions and also feel less hungry between meals. Protein is found in meat and fish, dairy products, beans and pulses, so anyone on any kind of diet can increase their protein intake! 

Meat can be expensive, so we find that our favourite way to add protein to your diet is either by having greek yoghurt with fruit for a snack, or adding things like kidney beans, cannellini beans or lentils to your current recipes. They’re all affordable options, taste great and will help you to increase your protein intake without making huge changes. 

Final Thoughts

Being healthy is easier than many people think, and the key to maintaining these healthy habits is not being harsh on yourself and not making huge changes that you will feel disheartened about if you can’t keep up with them. Simple yet effective changes that easily fit into your current routine provide stability and consistency that will help you to feel incredible! So, start with one of these changes and we think you’ll see the difference quickly and want to take on more of them.