5 Ways to Become Healthy and Smart

Healthy body, healthy mind—it’s not just an old saying, it’s the truth. If you want to become successful, increase your productivity and get ahead in life, you need to prioritize your health above all else. Here are five ways to start getting into shape today, no matter what you do for work or how busy you may be!

1) Try new things

The brain is a muscle; it needs exercise in order to maintain its health. If you always do what you’ve always done, your brain will continue functioning as it has. To make your brain more active, try learning something new. Try a new sport or instrument, travel somewhere interesting or go out with friends you don’t normally hang out with. In time, you’ll see improvements in both your mental and physical well-being # Exercising regularly: This one should be fairly obvious, but there are countless ways to build up a routine of regular exercise: join a sports team at school, enroll in some classes at a local gym or start jogging around your neighborhood. While many people think of working out in terms of weight loss—and that does work for some people—exercise also provides immediate benefits for mental health by releasing endorphins into our brains and keeping stress levels down.

2) Take care of your body

Exercising regularly is one of the best ways to maintain a healthy body. There are tons of different activities that you can do in order to achieve your fitness goals; it doesn’t have to be monotonous! Get creative, try something new, and keep yourself motivated—you’ll thank yourself for it later. As an added bonus, exercising also benefits our mental health by helping us sleep better and clear our minds. If you’re struggling with stress or anxiety, consider keeping a journal or finding other outlets through which you can express yourself (like painting). The more mentally healthy we are, the better off we all are. A quick note on healthy eating: healthy food isn’t just kale salads and low-fat frozen yogurt. It’s important to recognize what truly makes us feel good on a mental level, as well as physically. What kinds of food help you feel full? What kind of fats help promote brain function.

3) Keep things simple

When you’re trying to lose weight, it can be tempting to dive into complicated programs. But in reality, all you need are a few key tips for eating well, getting moving and making smart decisions about money. Keep these 5 pointers top of mind as you work toward your health goals: These ideas may not seem like much in themselves, but over time they can have a huge impact on your life. Take care of yourself now so that later—when things get tough—you know how to keep things simple. Eat healthy: It doesn’t take fancy diet plans or special superfoods to eat healthy; try emphasizing vegetables (try new ones), whole grains (like quinoa or oats) and lean proteins (like beans). Drink plenty of water. And don’t forget dessert! Just make sure you pick recipes that use less sugar. Get up and move: Don’t let TV shows, social media or other distractions keep you from living an active lifestyle.

4) Surround yourself with positive people

Humans are social creatures. We often feel what others around us feel. This is why being surrounded by negative, pessimistic people can ruin your self-esteem and make you more susceptible to anxiety or depression. On the other hand, being surrounded by positive, friendly people will make you healthier, happier, and more likely to think positively about yourself. So surround yourself with people who support your mental health goals—positive thinking often becomes reality! [Related: 50 Positive Thinking Tips to Create a More Positive Life ] 2. Eat healthy food: Having proper nutrition is vital for maintaining high energy levels and keeping stress at bay. When our bodies aren’t getting enough nutrients, we tend to get sluggish.

5) Say yes more often

Saying yes more often can be a good way to improve your overall mental health. That’s because when you take on new challenges, you learn new things, which helps open up your mind and make it easier for you to have good ideas. Taking on new activities can also help keep your brain active—which is important if you want to stay sharp as you age. Even though saying yes all of a sudden might sound intimidating, think about how much time we waste doing nothing but staring at screens these days. By saying yes once in awhile, we free ourselves from our social media addiction and force ourselves out of our comfort zone. That’s one thing that helps improve mental health: going beyond what makes us comfortable. Say yes more often so you can thrive! Positive thinking has been proven to improve our mental health and lives. Whether that means telling yourself I can do anything I put my mind to or every day is a gift, having a positive outlook not only makes you feel better about yourself, but it actually gives you confidence. Being confident leads to you doing great things; being negative holds you back from achieving them. If feeling good about yourself is important, practicing positive thinking can lead to something wonderful: success. In fact, scientists say people who are optimistic tend to be physically healthier than those who are pessimistic and possibly even live longer. So next time you catch yourself slipping into negative thoughts, turn those frowns upside down with some positive self-talk instead.