Changing to a Healthy Lifestyle

Most people know that regular exercise is an important factor in living a healthy and long life. The benefits of regular exercise can range from increased bone density to maintaining a healthy body weight. People who exercise regularly will generally feel happier and have a greater sense of wellbeing. Nobody can deny it, exercise is good!

Food is a major part of our lives, apart from breathing and drinking water, it's probably the most important. With the growing wealth of the average person and the extraordinarily easy access to high calorie foods that also taste great, its hard to eat healthy 100% of the time. For detailed information on what a healthy diet should include, check out the Healthy Eating article.

Quite simply, if you manage to combine a healthy diet with regular exercise you are well on your way to living a long, healthy and happy life. The trick is how to build these habits into your daily routine and how to keep them there. Fad diets and sudden and intense changes to your exercise habits don't work for most people. Major and quick changes can shock the mind and body and turn you off the concepts of healthy food and exercise. The trick is small gradual changes.

Getting more Exercise

Exercise is good for the body and the mind. Studies have provided scientific evidence that endorphins are released during exercise that make people feel happy. Some of the major reasons humans choose to exercise are:
  • Meeting other people
  • Burning fat or maintaining a healthy weight
  • Getting fitter or stronger. To improve one's self
  • Because its fun!
  • Because we know we are suppose to
  • It makes us feel good
  • We have set ourselves a goal that requires regular exercise to achieve
These are all fine reasons to get out there and get the blood pumping. Even if your motivation isn't in the list above, if you're motivated to exercise, you are on the road to a healthy long life. Sometimes though, things don't go to plan - sickness, injury or just the hectic pace of daily life can stop many of us from enjoying the benefits of regular exercise. The important thing is to make exercise such a normal part of your life that it seems to fit in no matter what interruptions occur.

Routine Gone Bad (The Rut)

For some people who have been stuck in a lifestyle that has been less than ideal in regards to their own health and wellbeing, change can be difficult. In the 21st century, in western society, depression is common. It's a mental illness which is getting more and more recognition but unfortunately has a stigma attached which it doesn't deserve. Depression is real and is a common component to an unhealthy lifestyle. Many people will be familiar with the feeling of turning to junk food at the end of a hard day. It may make you feel a little better, but not in the long term.

I myself turn to chocolate to cheer me up when I am down. Long term though, this type of comfort eating can lead to undesirable weight gain. When we are feeling unfit and heavy, it's hard to get motivated to exercise as the things we used to do are so much harder while carrying those few extra kilos. We find ourselves making excuses to not exercise, as we put on weight and feel ourselves being less fit, and we turn to even more comfort food for solace. But all is not lost; we just have to start with some small changes.

Routine Improvements

Routine is good - humans aren't so dissimilar to animals. A lot of what we do each day is unconscious action; subconsciously we react to our environment and the people around us. Some studies suggest that up to 90% of our daily actions can be predicted by simple mathematical formulas. That means routine is a major part of our life, whether we like it or not. We need to use that to our advantage.

Just as a rut is routine gone wrong, a positive lifestyle change can be made by improving that routine. The best approach is a slow one, gradually introducing positive changes to your daily routine. With smaller changes you are less likely to lose hope because it's too hard and there is a better chance that the routine will stick as it is only gradually changing from your existing rut. Below are some small changes that will really help. The changes, although small, also change the way you look at the world. Small amounts of exercise become common place, so larger ones seem a lot less daunting.

  • Take the stairs! Yes, it will make a difference. Try parking an extra kilometer from work as well. Or get the kids up a bit earlier and walk to school
  • Lunchtime walks. Just around the block or a lap of the park across the street. Take a radio or a friend for company
  • Comfort food replacement. Swap a chocolate bar for a muesli or nut bar, a packet of chips for some rice crackers. Start with one or two a week then try to increase or change again to even healthier options like fruit or carrot sticks
  • Always look for an extra walk instead of the car. You will be surprised how many tasks can be done with a brisk walk as opposed to a car.
  • Exercise in front of the TV or with a book. Exercise bikes, ab machines, rowers or yoga can be done in front of the TV. If you have a favorite show, try to include some easy exercise into the show. No need to start sweating at first, just a little extra movement
Ok, some of the ideas above may seem a little light on, but there is a reason. You are changing your routine, trying to include regular exercise as part of your day. It's more about assigning time to exercise than the exercise itself. As your new routine becomes stable you can look at ways to increase in intensity. If you have 30 or 40 minutes a day dedicated to exercise, even if it's just walking, you're on your way to a healthy lifestyle.

Comfort Food Replacement

This is a tough one. No matter how you look at it, most people will agree a chocolate bar or an ice-cream is nicer to eat than a banana or a carrot. What we are talking about here are "empty calories". These foods are usually high in sugar and/or fat and little else. Eating healthy doesn't mean you can never eat your favorite junk food again. It simply means that you must reduce the number of empty calories you consume.

You can eat your daily requirement of calories to maintain your existing weight by eating chocolate. But you won't get the other minerals, vitamins and fats that your body needs, you will get "empty calories". You can drink liters of high sugar soft drink to meet your calorie requirements but you will simply raise your blood sugar levels and miss all the vitamins and minerals you need for normal body function. Junk food is usually high calorie food that has a tendency to leave you feeling hungry after you have eaten, even though it is packed full of calories. We simply need to eat less of these types of food.

You need to make these empty calories a small part of your daily calorie intake. Eat more calories in the form of fruits, vegetables, cereals and whole grain breads. This will ensure you get all the vitamins, minerals and other trace elements needed for healthy body function. Only after healthy meals should you consider a junk food treat. Hopefully you will feel full after your healthy meal and be less inclined to overeat with the junk food.

Choose a Healthy Option

Replace this... with this
Chips/Crisps Rice Crackers, unsalted nuts
Lollies Dried Fruits, sugar free mints
Chocolate Reduced Fat Drinking Chocolate
Cakes and Pastries Low Fat Breakfast Cereal/Muesli. Nut bars or muesli bars


It is important to keep in mind that most of the food alternatives suggested in this article still contain calories, but they are not empty calories. They are certainly healthier alternatives to junk food. The concept behind the suggestions is that regular junk food items in a diet can be replaced with non junk foods. This won't necessarily lead to weight loss in itself but combined with regular exercise, will improve body fat composition and general health and wellbeing.

Other Healthier Treat and snack alternatives
Wholemeal toast with Honey, Jam, Golden Syrup or reduced salt peanut putter. Wheat Biscuits with honey or chopped fruit. Smoothies with lite yogurt or a scoop of lite ice-cream. Fruit and Nut Trail mix. Diet snacks

Visualization and Implementing your new routine

Don't laugh! It works. You need to visualise your new healthy lifestyle as you change into it. See yourself getting sick less, being fitter, losing weight and enjoying being outside exercising. Try to use a reward system after a good day of healthy eating and exercise. Reward yourself with your favorite treat but make sure you earn all your treats. If you're planning a weekend of partying, try to get an extra walk in or be sure not to stray from your new routine. The key is gradual - too much too soon is the most common reason people don't stick to a new diet or exercise routine.

You don't want a temporary fad diet or intense exercise routine that will tire you out in a couple of weeks. You want to change your routine to include healthy living habits everyday. Step by step, your life will begin to include regular gym visits, active lunch time sports or regular walks. Daily exercise that you can't imagine not doing and snacking on healthier alternatives will help you to maintain your new lifestyle. After all, it will simply be part of your daily routine.

Good luck!

By Chris Allen


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