10 Common Sense Healthy Choices for Everyone

According to this study, more than half of Americans admit that they aren't living a healthy lifestyle.

Whether you're here to make good on your New Year resolutions or you're just tired of feeling lethargic and unhealthy, we're here to help. Consider these common sense healthy choices that can help you get on the path toward better health.

1. Better Nutrition

What you put in your body every day has a huge impact on how you feel. If you're eating lots of processed foods that are high in trans fats because you don't have time to cook, it's going to take a toll on you. A lot of the foods that are advertised to busy individuals are barely fit for human consumption.

Eating a balanced diet that contains mostly whole foods will give you most of the nutrients you need in a day. If you're a meat eater, try to stick leaner cuts of meat and ideally mostly to fish, which is high in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Cut back on sodium-rich foods, alcohol, and sugary treats as well.

2. More Exercise

Eating healthy is one side of the coin, and exercising is the other. Per the CDC, an average adult should be getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, with 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity.

Brisk walking and jogging 150 minutes per week might sound like a lot, but it's just over 20 minutes per day. Obviously, if you can go over that amount, you'll experience even more health benefits. Muscle-strengthening activities involve exercises that work out each muscle group (legs, hips, back, abs, chest, shoulders, and arms).

3. Staying Hydrated

It's important for your overall health to remain hydrated throughout the day. Men should drink nearly 4 liters of water per day, while women should get nearly 3 liters per day.

Without proper hydration, you'll start to feel lethargic and you'll lose focus easily. The older you are, the more important it is to stay hydrated, but how much water you need will depend on a number of factors, such as how active you are, how much salt is in your diet, and how much caffeine you drink, among other things.

4. Get Better Sleep

Adults need at least 7 hours of sleep per night. When you sleep, your body and mind are recovering from the previous day's activities. Lack of sleep leads to a number of short and long-term health problems, the most serious being high blood pressure, diabetes, heart issues, depression, and immune issues.

5. Stress Management

Stress can have a massive effect on our health, but the modern world is chock-full of daily stressors. Implementing healthy stress management tactics will help you avoid the effects of stress - depression, anxiety, PTSD, and a variety of physical health issues.

Taking breaks from work and social media can help reduce stress, as can speaking to a therapist or friends. Journaling is an extremely effective way to reduce stress. By taking even just 10-15 minutes per day to write down your thoughts, you can better identify stressors and make moves to avoid them.

6. The Work/Life Balance

Implementing a healthy work/life balance is another good stress management tool. In reality, being able to balance work with everything else you like doing is good for your physical and mental health in general.

It's demonstrated to us from an early age that we have to prioritize our careers above most other things. For many, this leads to complete and total identification with our jobs, which can quickly end in an identity crisis.

You aren't your job and your job isn't you. Take the time to appreciate all aspects of your life and your career will feel like less of a weight in your day-to-day life.

7. Setting Healthy Relationship Boundaries

Setting boundaries with your career is important, but so is setting healthy relationship boundaries. When you're in a serious relationship with someone, your life becomes intertwined with theirs, but this isn't necessarily healthy for anyone involved.

Boundaries keep relationships in a healthy balance because one person isn't leaning too heavily on the other. If your relationships are going to work, open communication is essential.

8. Continuous Learning

It's important to keep your brain active, especially as you get older. Not only will this keep you sharper for longer, but learning new skills and information will help you maintain a positive mental attitude as well.

Whether it's learning a new language or taking up a sport in older age, keep pushing your body and mind to stay engaged in life.

9. More Social Interaction

Humans are social creatures, so social interaction is as essential for a toddler as it is for seniors. The biggest benefits of social interaction are for your mental health. Being social makes you a happier, more confident person in a variety of situations.

Having friends to talk to and lean on in times of trouble helps us feel safe and secure. Socialization is also proven to have inadvertent effects on our physical health, due to its ability to reduce stress and anxiety.

10. Practicing Good Hygiene

Health and hygiene go hand-in-hand. The most obvious impact that hygiene has on our health was demonstrated during the Covid-19 pandemic. By washing your hands and sanitizing them on a regular basis, you gave yourself a better chance of avoiding the virus.

Oral hygiene, skin care, hand washing, and bathing are all essential to staying healthy and avoiding bacteria and other contaminants. It's also positive for our mental health to know that we have good hygiene in social settings.

Time to Make More Healthy Choices

Now that you know what changes you need to make to live a healthy lifestyle, you can start prioritizing healthy choices ASAP. All it takes is a small commitment each day and, before you know it, you'll start to feel and look better.

Consider these other ideas for healthy living.