Unconventional tips for a healthier lifestyle

A way to be healthy without weight-loss

Contrary to what everyone seems to promote, weight loss is not the be-all, end-all path to being healthy. Living healthily does not mean constantly looking at the numbers on a scale. Health isn’t about body image, your figure, your bit of extra fat. Being healthy is more about making sure your body and brain are functioning to their best capacity and feeling the best you can. As someone who’s struggled with body image despite being athletic and in good shape my entire life, I’ll be sharing some tips on how to keep focused on health rather than body image.

Think of your body like a machine that needs oil

Your body needs nutrients to function properly. It doesn’t entirely matter if you have chips, ice-cream, and three cans of soda a day, but if this is all you eat, then your body won’t be able to do its job. You need minerals, protein, fiber, water. You need food that your body can turn into energy, muscle, and use to function properly. With this in mind, pay less intention to how much junk food you eat, and more attention to making sure you're eating enough nutritious foods.

Calorie counting works best for burning off non-essential food

Following up to the previous tip, you need to make sure you get enough nutrients in you long before calorie counting should come to mind. Calorie counting only junk foods is a good way to know how many calories to burn off in a workout, without sabotaging your nutrient intake and cutting out essential foods. Nutritious food can be hard to get with a low income, but even still there’s a bit of choice. Getting a chicken burger containing meat and vegetables is far better than getting a sugar-rich ice cream cone.

Workout while distracted

I love exercising, but every now and then I get into a funk where I just can’t get my body to move and any motivation soars downhill. If this happens, I try to exercise while doing lazy activities. It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing PJs, flip flops or jeans. If you’re watching a TV show, get up off the chair and do some light lunges. If you're reading comics, try doing a plank for a few seconds every time you read a new chapter. If your hot pocket is heating up in the microwave, do a couple jumping jacks. Exercises don’t have to be perfect It's just good to get your body moving a bit every now and then in a day. You also don’t have to exercise in intense long workout sessions. Just do what you can here and there.

Getting mad at yourself isn’t always a bad thing

I always hear people say that you don’t need to change to be accepted. It’s true that accepting who you are is a great step to being more happy. It’s also important, however, to know when you need to make a change. This relates not just to physical health, but mental health and social health. If you catch yourself reverting back to old habits, get mad at yourself. You know you can do better and you want to do better, so instead of feeling sorry, get mad, swear at yourself and do better. Anger can sometimes be great motivation. If you ever catch yourself looking in the mirror and thinking, damn my stomach isn’t flat like it was when I woke up, get mad at yourself for thinking this way and remind yourself that skinny doesn't mean healthy.

Get healthy lazy-foods

Getting the motivation to cook proper meals can be really difficult. It’s so easy to go into the cupboard and grab some crackers and ramen instead of making a 15 minute salad. A good and cheap way to eat healthier with minimal effort, is to buy frozen precooked foods and anything microwavable. Buy Precooked frozen chicken patties, and some frozen vegetables, microwave it a few minutes and cover it in sauce. It’s basically the healthiest depression food you can get for cheap. If you can, frozen fruits are great too. Sometimes I’m so tired I’ll just eat frozen fruit when it's still frozen. Popsicle!

Get out of bed at the same time every day

No matter when you go to sleep, make sure you wake up at the same time everyday. The one time you sleep in, could result in a week of trying to readjust your sleep schedule. And as comfy as it is, the bed should be reserved for sleeping and sleeping only. If you want to play on your phone after waking up, roll out of bed, drag the blankets with you. You can even take the pillows too. Just get out of there before you get sucked back into slumber.

Lastly, evaluate yourself

Ask yourself, why do you want to eat healthy? Why do you want to exercise? Why do you want to sleep well? Use your answers to decide how you need to be healthier. It’s fine if your goal is to look better, to be more successful, or if it’s a seemingly superficial goal. And if you feel negative, evaluate those thoughts too. Why are you concerned about some extra fat on your hips, and why does having acne bother you? Your answer doesn’t have to be “it’s for myself!” You can want to be healthier for other people too, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s good however, to learn more about the reason you’re trying to live a healthier lifestyle, so that you can set goals as well as limits for yourself and really push forwards to being a healthier person.