Starting a Healthy Lifestyle Without Changing Everything at Once

No matter what habits we try to change, doing them all at once can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially with all of the health advice that’s out there. One influencer is saying one thing while another one is saying something else. And don’t get me started on social media. There are just so many opinions. With this information, how do you decide what is true and what is not? Sometimes you don’t. Sometimes we have to figure out what works best for us when we start living a healthy lifestyle. 

This post isn’t about telling you what’s right or wrong, but it’s about helping you to get started on the healthy lifestyle journey that best suits you. Starting your healthy lifestyle isn’t something that will happen overnight; it is something that you build over time. It’s about small habits that add up.

A lot of us have grown up eating certain foods and drinking certain drinks. You know what I’m talking about.

 I grew up drinking Kool-Aid and Sunny Delight. Nobody could tell me anything because that stuff was so good. Each family has the food that they like to eat every week and will not change it for anyone. Hey. I don’t blame them. 

However, when you are moving into a healthy lifestyle, sometimes we may have to put some of those foods aside that we ate with our family. I’m not saying we have to be perfect or be on a strict diet, but starting to cut out some of these unhealthy foods is a start. 

Moving into a healthy lifestyle is about making your body and mind feel better, having more energy, and supporting your thoughts and emotions. 

Trying to do everything at once when first starting your healthy lifestyle journey is normally not a good idea. Your brain typically starts to resist sudden changes. It’s almost like a shock, if you will. When you change small habits at a time, you give your brain time to adjust to the changes. Not only that, but it’s easier for you to become consistent and stick with those habits. Here are some examples of small habits you can start with:

• Not being on your phone for the first 5 minutes after waking up
• Have one vegetable with one of your meals 
• Drink a cup of water first thing in the morning
• Do a 5-minute deep breathing exercise before bed
• Do a 5-10 minute stretch routine right when you wake up

Start with one area of your life and slowly add in other areas at a time. What do I mean? I have broken down the different areas below:

• Food is usually the first thing that people think of when beginning a healthy lifestyle. Instead of restricting your diet, try adding healthy foods. So, for example, if you want to stop eating white rice, add in a protein and dark leafy vegetables instead of cutting out white rice altogether at first. I find that this way makes it so much easier to stick to the plan.
• Exercise is another area of your life that defines a healthy lifestyle. Find what you enjoy and make it a part of your life. Do you like to dance? Do you like to swim? Whatever it is, make exercise fun for you.
• Mind. This section is about taking care of your mental habits. There are many ways to do this, like journaling, meditation, and expressing gratitude. The sky is the limit here.
• Rest is about getting enough sleep and quality sleep. I don’t know about you, but this is one of my favorites. I love going to sleep, dreaming, and interpreting my dreams lol. It can be easier said than done. I get it.

Out of all of these areas of your life, try to start with what is the easiest for you first, and then start to add on the other areas. 

As mentioned before, try to make little changes that aren’t restrictive. Maybe this could look like adding one nutrient-dense food a day or eating more frequently. 

Personally, when I am changing my eating habits, I like to do easy food swaps like:

• Brown rice →white rice
• Whole wheat flour →white flour
• Coconut sugar →refined white sugar
• Regular pasta →chickpea pasta
• Whole milk →goat milk or almond milk
• Fried chicken →baked chicken 
• Pork bacon →turkey bacon
• Chips →air-popped popcorn
• Store-bought juice →freshly homemade fruit and vegetable juice
• Soda→water
• Ice cream→frozen greek yogurt
• Hard candy →dates

I find that tracking calories or weight isn’t helpful, and practicing mindful eating can be helpful in having a better relationship with food. 

Exercise is pretty much any type of movement. You don’t have to lift weights at the gym or run a 10-mile marathon. Exercise can be any type of movement that you enjoy. Do you like to dance in the living room with your family? Do you enjoy doing yoga? Or maybe you like to run around in the backyard with your kids or your pets? 

Who says exercise has to be one way? Find what you like and dedicate time every day, and do it. 

Caring for your mind is a big deal when starting a healthy lifestyle. Our thoughts influence our habits and behaviors. For this reason, it is so important for us to be mindful of our thoughts. It is so important for us to be in control of our minds. In other words, minimize negative self-talk and work to remove mental blocks that keep us from being our best. In case you aren’t familiar with mental blocks, here are some examples:

• Believing that everything needs to be “perfect.”
• Waiting for the “right time” to start working on your goals 
• Saying to yourself that you aren’t good enough 
• Saying I don’t have time
• Saying to yourself that you are not disciplined enough 
• Avoiding challenges
• Waiting to feel motivated to start 

Now, of course, there are many more examples of these, but do you see how these mental blocks stop us from being great? They keep us in our heads, and they cause us to continue to make excuses for why we can’t get anything done. 

How do we get rid of these mental blocks? There are a few ways, like journaling and meditation. Any mind exercise that will help you shift your mindset. Another exercise that I personally like to do is visualizing that I am getting rid of a negative thought. This works well for me, but it has to be done continuously. 

Here are some more examples of how to support your mind:

• Take deep breaths 
• Listen to calming music 
• Checking in with your emotions

As I mentioned earlier, try not to do everything at once. You will quickly burnout and it will be so easy for those mental blocks to start creeping in. I would add one small habit once every two weeks. 

When you start with a super small habit, it almost becomes impossible not to do it for a while. Just like brushing our teeth in the morning, most of us brush our teeth in the morning out of habit without really having to think about it. 

Eventually, eating healthy, getting enough exercise, and taking care of your mind will become second nature as well. 

As you add the new habits, you will be able to track your progress. Maybe you will begin to see a difference in your skin, maybe you have more energy, or maybe you lost weight. Being able to see your progress is a start reward when starting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

You don’t have to change everything at once when you are first beginning a healthy lifestyle. Make small changes over time that will have a huge impact later on. Having a healthy lifestyle isn’t just about eating healthy or exercising; it’s about having balance and taking care of your mind.