How These 5 Healthy Habits Changed My Life Forever

I must say that I was a mediocre millennial! No! I’m a mediocre millennial. But, I feel like life has improved a bit, and I’m relatively content these days. Trust me! I still have several days where I’m perplexed and distressed. Nevertheless, tweaking my lifestyle by adopting certain habits helped me feel more relieved and optimistic. Without further preface, let’s look through the routines.

1. Healthy Eating 

I have to confess, that altering my health habits is one of the incredible things I have ever embraced. Even though I had already started working out a year ago, I could not shed any weight or body fat. But now, I have I’ve taken a major step by cutting off the foods that spike the sugar level in my body. I had been dealing with a health condition called insulin resistance, which prevents the body from regulating sugar levels, resulting in rapid fat gain. I knew this fact for years but hesitated to dodge the unhealthy foods. It took a full-body check-up post-covid to realize how I had been torturing my body these years.

Consequently, as my doctor suggested, I started avoiding foods like refined sugar, refined carbs, junk foods and natural foods like honey, mango, dates, and pineapple, which could send my sugar levels skyrocketing. Nowadays, when I have sugar cravings, instead of going for shop-bought cakes, I have started eating healthy versions like organic no-sugar oats-banana-peanut butter-chocolate mug cakes, Banana-peanut butter bites, and fruits.

Moreover, I have started eating home-cooked meals, and it’s been a game-changer! It enabled me to calculate what goes into the meals and my body. I have swapped out refined sunflower oil with organic coconut oil. These alterations helped me regulate my calorie intake according to my BMI, and it’s been nothing short of amazing!

2. Working out

You know what they say – health is 80% of your diet and 20% of exercise. As mentioned earlier, I began working out a year ago and it’s been a blast! I’ve been keeping up with regular workouts, including some weight training sessions at home and a brisk 30-minute walk every day. Eventually, by incorporating a healthy diet, I could lose up to 10kg, and I’m determined to maintain this healthy lifestyle for life!

Trust me! turning exercise into a habit wasn’t a walk in the park! It took months of the disciplined routine of being active, especially walking for at least 30 minutes. Slowly and steadily, I started incorporating weight training, squats, and abs workouts. And guess what? My trusty yoga mat became my best buddy along the way!

3. Journaling

This is one of the most powerful rituals you can ever accommodate in your daily routine. I discovered the magic of a daily gratitude journal while I was casually browsing the internet one day, and since then, I have found journaling beneficial for my mental health. Scribbling your thoughts, whether they are negative or positive, or venting out your emotions on paper helps you retain your sanity.

You can journal about anything starting from your daily thoughts and reflections, and it’s an amazing experience to flip through those pages after months or even years. You can jazz it up with tiny souvenirs from your day, such as images, quotes you have come across, and receipts. I’m still working on making it a part of my daily routine, and I’ve got this junk journal, a combination of everything mentioned before, including the gratitude quotations. 

4. Minimalism/Intentional Living

Now, this was a breath of fresh air in my life as it helped me recognise I needed less than I thought. Life changed when I acquired things I needed rather than I wanted, especially to keep up with the Joneses. I began using minimal things, including outfits, groceries, and home decor. I try to keep life simple and produce less waste by reducing the consumption of non-biodegradable objects, though I’m not perfect at it. Intentional living and sustainable living go hand in hand with minimalism. It allowed me to declutter faster and keep everything spick and span. For instance, I usually avoid keeping knick knacks at home and the only decor I have at my home are some wall art, plants, and 2 tiny Buddha figures. Also, I’m slightly into aesthetics, especially the minimal calming colors. I know it’s entirely personal but, minimalism allowed me to live more peacefully. When you practice having only the things you need, you become more grateful in life, and I can vouch for that. The reduced consumption also results in preventing impulse buying.

I came across this trick, when you feel like buying things impulsively, you simply add them to a list and sleep on it for at least a day. If you are still eager to buy that particular item, do it. But you know what’s fascinating? Most of the time, you don’t need the thing, and if you do, you can have it guilt-free. 

5. Meditation

 My doctor advised me to meditate years ago, however, I couldn’t make up my mind about starting it since I was worried about my lack of concentration, and I have the attention span of a Goldfish. After several months of hesitation and watching a plethora of videos, I finally started guided meditation by the start of 2022. But, holy moly! What an unimaginable experience it is! While some folks talk about the spiritual benefits of meditating, it’s certainly useful for controlling anxiety, and it sharpens your thinking. Meditation also helps me live in the present to the fullest.

I’m still a beginner and taking baby steps towards a full-fledged meditation. Do I meditate every day? Of course not! I’m trying to do it frequently in a week. The good news is, that there are plenty of mobile apps, and YouTube videos available for those who are looking to dip their toes into meditation!

There you have it! I genuinely hope you find this blog about my newfound habits inspiring for your journey toward leading a physically and emotionally balanced lifestyle. Please let me know your thoughts and recommendations in the comments below. I’m eager to hear from you!