5 steps to healthy living

We overcomplicate becoming healthier and often get caught up in the minutiae of implementation. It’s not easy to improve your health because it involves reforming your habits (and perhaps your understanding of the world), but I think the following five steps encompass the vast majority of what one needs to do to become healthy.

As the year draws to a close, zero in on one item to work on. Personally, I’ve been able to make exercise a habit and eat well; my current project is meditation, which I have found drastically improves my capacity to accept my experiences.

1. Don’t be sedentary. Exercise daily, and walk when you can. Put your phone away when you walk and take the world in. Exercise combats disease, improves mood, boosts energy, and promotes better sleep.

2. Slow down daily. Engage in meditation or prayer and take a few quiet moments to breathe. Evidence shows that mindfulness meditation in particular can improve anxiety and depression.

3. Eat whole plants. Treat animal products like condiments and phase them out. Skip the processed foods and sugars. Read my piece on how to start eating a whole-food, plant-based diet.

4. Spend quality time with loved ones. Be affectionate. Face each other and talk. Check in. Sitting together while on your devices is not quality time. Social support can promote good mental health, and improve your ability to cope with stress.

5. Find your purpose. Introspect daily and ask yourself what speaks to you, and how to make that “thing” a regular part of your life. Read my piece on why understanding yourself is central to turning your life around.

Which of these steps are you currently working on? Let me know below!