So…what kinds of habits do “healthy” people have? Eating broccoli every day? I’m sure they work out daily, right? Or is it the ole green-smoothie-a-day thing? Hmm … maybe? 🙂
Or maybe it’s more than that.
When I talk with clients about being “healthy,” I’m talking about true, complete health — and I believe there’s much more to it than smoothies and broccoli. Let’s dig a little deeper. Here are my top 6 habits of truly healthy people:
1) Healthy people surround themselves with positive people.
When we become adults, we sometimes have to make hard decisions about the people we let into our lives — or who we let stay in our lives — simply because that relationship may not be good for us. It’s so important to surround ourselves with people who are positive and want us to succeed. Whether we realize it or not, our thoughts, decisions, and self-esteem are greatly affected by our environment — and those in it.
2) Healthy people exercise.
Duh. You knew I was gonna say that. But, hey, in addition to being good for your heart, muscles, and bones, exercise releases those feel-good endorphins, and it also helps build mountains of confidence (inside and outside the gym).
Now, here’s the but: Healthy people don’t go all out every single day. They move daily but know the importance of recovery and the role it plays in getter better and stronger. This is super important!
3) Healthy people balance work and play.
Too much of one thing and not enough of another will eventually wear you down. I have been able to maintain my fitness and nutrition while working a gazillion hours a week, and I can tell you that I still felt my worst because I had no balance in my life. Healthy people realize that, no matter what, you must take important down time to rejuvenate. You can’t be all work and no play. I’ve been on the hunt for the elusive balance for years; however, just something as simple as making sure that I schedule in date nights, dog walks, and friend time can help so much.
4) Healthy people acknowledge their emotions.
You knew it was going to get woo-woo at some point, and here we are. I’ve seen a lot of breakthroughs in this through nutrition coaching, believe or not. Our emotions drive us to do a lot of unhealthy things — skip exercise, make poor food choices, not pursue our dreams… And it’s easy to ignore what’s really going on.
However, you gotta acknowledge what you are feeling before you can overcome it. Not to mention that ignoring problems or emotions can be really stressful to your mind and body, because it will always feel like something is “off.” It’ll be tough to conquer, but you will feel a weight lift eventually (no pun intended), and you’ll be able to move forward — in control and no longer held back by your emotions.
5) Healthy people get plenty of sleep.
Now that I’m in my 40s, it’s not cool to run on 4 hours of sleep anymore. It’s just tiring. 🙂 Sleep repairs and restores — everything from our immune system to our muscular system. It also helps regulate our metabolism, including insulin levels. (Less sleep = more cravings, and can eventually lead to weight gain over a long period of time.) Sleep also helps us think better, of course! Sooo … sleep is amazing, and don’t you forget it!
And last, but certainly not least —
6) Healthy people don’t make excuses.
There. I said it. I do think this is the cornerstone, foundation, rock - whatever you want to call it — of a happy and healthy life. Healthy people accept responsibility for their life. By doing this, they empower themselves instead of giving that power over to someone else.
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