The 7 simplest steps to start a healthier life

Do you need to get started on improving your health or perhaps you are too busy and just can’t seem to find the time, energy or motivation to do the things you know you need to do  – or both?  

In this article, I share the seven simplest things you can do to start a positive and successful health journey.

It’s not rocket science

Eat well and exercise more, it’s not exactly rocket science, right?

But let’s face it, getting started on improving healthier habits can be difficult. Whilst it seems all very straightforward, many people struggle to either get started or sustain healthy habits.

One of the main reasons is time and being too busy.

The key to success is simplicity.

Simple is achievable.

Simple doesn’t take too much more time or effort and most importantly you can add ‘simple’ into an already busy schedule.

The following strategies are just about the simplest things you can do for your health. They take very little time and effort and deliver significant health returns. They are in fact, the foundation of living a physically and mentally thriving life.

Get the fundamentals down and everything you do will rise

Michael Jordan

Let’s get started…

1. Revolutionise your breathing

Changing how we breath changes how we feel and perform.

Breathing is fundamental to life and how we do it impacts our health and performance.

Even though it’s something we do every second of our lives, many people have never been taught how to breathe effectively, unless you are a singer or participate in Eastern practices like martial arts or yoga.

“Becoming aware of our breathing and taking control of it is one of the most powerful ways to take control of ourselves: how we think, feel and perform”

Eric Greitens Navy SEAL

You can improve your breathing in two ways:

• Take deeper and slower breathes into the abdomen and avoid shallow, rapid shallow chest breathing. Deep slow breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which slows the heart rate, breathing rate and helps you to feel calm, centred and less stressed.
• Breathe through the nose it is 20% more effective at oxygenating the blood than mouth breathing.

Nose breathing is more effective than mouth breathing because the nose’s primary purpose is breathing, and it filters, moistens, and warms the air before it reaches the lungs. Moreover, nose breathing releases nitric oxide, increasing carbon dioxide in the blood, which facilitates the release of more oxygen.

Topp tip: Start to pay more attention to how you breathe: breathe deeper and slower for better oxygenation, clarity and calmness.

2. Drink more water

Did you know your brain is made of 75% water and only a small 1-2% drop in hydration will affect cognitive function and mood.

Sure, you have heard this before: Drink more water– but did you realise the impact of not drinking enough water on mental health and weight loss?

A study published by Deakin University School of Medicine found people who drink five cups or more of water per day were at lower risk of depression and anxiety. In comparison, drinking less than two cups per day doubles the risk.

Mild dehydration increases the stress hormone cortisol, reduces cognitive function, increase negative emotions and reduces serotonin production, so drinking plenty of water is important for mental health and optimal brain function.

The body has a strong signal to respond to hunger but a weak one to respond to thirst, so when you are feeling peckish, you are probably thirsty. So, drinking plenty of water is a simple way to manage cravings and avoid unhealthy, high calorie snacking.

Water should be the primary beverage you consume, as your body is made of water: not red wine, latte or diet coke – water. You lose about two litres a day through bodily processes so you must replace it.

Topp tip: Start your day with a big glass of water, drink water 15 minutes before eating and carry water with you when out and about.

3. Sit up straight for success

As children many of us were probably berated by our parents for slouching: “Sit up straight!”  It is however, sage advice because good posture facilitates correct and optimal physiology and function of the body and reduces unnecessary strain.

Think about putting a kink in a garden hose.

As an example, did you know the weight of your head is about 5kg. Forward head posture, an epidemic in our modern society due to sitting, computers and phone use puts a huge strain on the neck and upper back, resulting in muscle tightness and tension.

Continuous poor posture leads to strain, strain leads to injuries and left unchecked, later in life postural deformity.

Good posture also contributes to looking good: Imagine a King, president or prime minister addressing the nation with slumped posture and rolled shoulders? Good posture contributes to projecting personal confidence and authority. In fact, some studies suggest simply changing our posture influences how we feel just as how our posture reflects how we feel.

Try to keep your shoulders back, head up, chin in, hip knee and ankle joints aligned and you will be on the road to better posture.

Topp tip: Become more conscious of sitting, standing and walking tall.

4. Walk faster, live longer and think more creatively

By simply walking faster, you could live longer according to research conducted by the University of Leicester involving 400,000 adults. A clear link was found between walking pace and a genetic marker of biological age. A faster walking pace, independent of physical activity, was associated with longer telomere which is a protective cap at the end of each chromosome, that protects DNA from damage.

Walking is also great for the headspace, it’s a time to unwind and allow ideas to propagate. A Stanford study showed walking increased creativity by 100% compared to participants who were seated, when completing “divergent thinking” creativity tests.

“Its only ideas gained whilst walking that have any worth”

Nietzsche        

 

Conversely, slower walking speed has been shown to be a risk factor of chronic disease and unhealthy ageing. Other studies have shown that walking faster could extend life span by 15 years.

You don’t need to achieve 10,000, aiming for 8000 delivers excellent health returns but under 5000 is considered a sign of a sedentary lifestyle. The more steps you do the better.

Topp tip: Walk faster, you’ll have better health, live longer and be more creative!

5. Diet: Cut out the crap

Before embarking on any crazy, in vogue diets, the first and easiest way to improve one’s diet without making any radical changes is to start by ‘cutting out the crap’ – getting rid of the discretionary calories we just don’t need such as treats: crisps, chocolate, muffins – you know, those foods ‘you deserve’ because you had a stressful day – and cutting down on junk food: chips, burgers, pizzas etc.

However, it’s important not to leave a void, after all we fancy a little something to nibble on when watching Tv or when we are too busy to eat a meal so plan healthier alternatives to your favourite ‘naughty’ snacks:

• Instead of crisps try nuts or healthier crackers.
• Instead of sweet treats try sweet fruits like berries and figs or dates.

Other good snacks include a healthy yoghurt, sushi or protein such as a boiled egg.

Did you know nuts have been proven to help you live a longer healthier life? They have been proven to lower cholesterol, reduce risk or diabetes, heart disease and depression making them an excellent healthy snack (as long as you don’t eat the whole packet!) And contrary to a popular myth they will make you fat because they are high in calories, they have actually been shown to help with weight loss due to being full of protein, high quality fats and fibre which all contribute to satiety.

Topp tip: You will eat what’s in the cupboard so start a healthier diet by purging your cupboard of unhealthy foods and go shopping to stock up on healthy ones to be able to make nutritious meals.

6. Get to bed on time

When it comes to living a healthier life, we tend to default to diet and exercise, however sleep is probably the most important pillar of our physical and mental wellbeing. Just think, how bad you feel and perform after one poor night’s sleep.

According to sleep expert and neuroscientist Professor Matthew Walker, author of the book ‘Why we sleep’ sleep is the single most important thing we can do to reset our brains. His research proves you really do need 7-8 hours per night to be physically and mentally healthy and getting less than 6 hours per night is detrimental to health and performance. In his research people who got under 6 hours of sleep consistently underperformed in tests compared to people how got sufficient sleep, even though they felt fine.

“When sleep is abundant minds flourish, when it is deficient they don’t”

Professor Matthew Walker

The key to better sleep is a sleep routine, preparing yourself to drift off into quality sleep and one of the most significant components of a sleep routine is: Getting to bed at a consistent time every night.

Here are some other tips to help you sleep better:

• Start to mentally unwind one hour before bed by getting off digital devices and stopping work.
• Dim lights or use candles to recreate the yellow tones of sunset which use to be the signal for people in the preindustrial world it was time to sleep soon.
• Do things to relax such as have a bath or shower, read, listen to relaxing music, do some mediation, journal or write out busy thoughts.
• Sleep in cool, completely dark room.
• Do some deep breathing and instead of worrying about what you have to do tomorrow do gratitude to reflect on what went well today.

Don’t drink too much, if any, alcohol before bed. Whilst it may seem to relax you, alcohol actually disrupts sleep cycles so you get less restful sleep and will feel less energised the next day – even without feeling hungover. Also avoid caffeine ideally after midday and avoid vigorous exercise in the evening. Exercise in the morning will help you strengthen your circadian cycle to get to sleep more easily at night.

If you wake up at night: don’t check your emails or social media! Get out of bed and do some deep, slow breathing to help you relax and return to bed 10 minutes later.

Topp tip: Better sleeps starts with getting to bed on time and developing a sleep routine to help you drift off more easily.

7. Gratitude, the gateway to a healthier mindset

 Nurture an optimistic mindset by practising gratitude.

Humans tend have a negative bias. We worry and complain before complimenting and praising. It’s a remnant of our survival mechanism to be cautious and not trust others too readily, which thousands of years ago would have kept our ancestors alive. Now, it is hard wired into out DNA to have a negative and pessimistic outlook.

By consciously choosing to focus on what’s going well in our life we can nurture a positive and resilient mindset which will contribute to less worry, stress and anxiety. This isn’t is fluffy nonsense either, science has shown that gratitude releases feel good neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. So, when you catch yourself about to complain, stop, take a breath and reframe your thoughts for a more positive perspective.

How to be more grateful:

• Stat your day by thinking about all the good things in your life to set yourself up for a positive day.
• Say ‘thank you’ – sincerely – more often for the things people do for you, especially to important people like family and loved ones.
• End your day by thinking about three things that went well: who did something positive for you? What did you do to help someone else? What wins did you have? Thinking about positive things before bed over worrying about your to do list will help you to sleep better.

No matter is happening in our life, there is always something to be grateful for:

“At least it isn’t raining today”

Viktor Frankl Holocaust survivor, scientist and author of Mans search for meaning 

Topp tip: Be thankful for the positives in your life and say thank you more often to people in your life and you will be contributing to a more positive world for yourself and for others.

Summary

Here is your 7-step checklist for getting started with a healthier life:

• Become more conscious of better breathing practises: breathe deeper and slower into the abdomen, through the nose.

• Drink more water: it’s important for energy levels, appetite management and better mental health and cognitive function.

• Sit, stand and walk to tall to look and feel better and to avoid undue strain on the body.

• Walk faster: it will help you live longer, healthier and think more creatively!

• Cut out the crap: It’s the first and simplest way to start to improve your diet and find healthier alternatives to snack on.

• Get to bed on time: The art of better sleep is a sleep routine which starts with getting to bed at a consistent time,

• Be thankful: Start and end your day with a gratitude practise and say ‘thank you’ to people who do nice things for you.

Tiny leads to transformation

In his book TINY HABITS Stanford Professor BJ Fogg discusses successful behavioural change as starting with small habits that snowball, over time, to significant – transformative – change. Unfortunately, many people overlook the seemingly simply because they have heard it all before. But mastery of the basics is the foundation of success. It’s worth saying again:

Simple is easy to do.

Simple requires little effort or motivation.

Simple is easy to integrate into a busy life.

Simple is sustainable.

Sustainability lead to success.

And one final tip for making healthy habits successful….

Get a coach who can personalise a plan of action to suit your situation and requirements, provide accountability and support to overcome the obstacles that will cause most people to give up, so you can stay on track to becoming healthy, feel happier and more resilient to enjoy life doing what you love and need to do better and for longer.

Book a Free Consultation

If you need to take a positive step towards improving your health and fitness, book a free consultation by calling me on 0413 007 051 to discuss your goals, needs and situation. A healthier, happier life is so much more easily achieved with proven methods, professional guidance and support, plus you’ll enjoy the experience more, whereas on one’s own it can be boring, challenging and not as effective.

About Timo Topp

I am a multiple Australian Personal trainer of the Year finalist, small business champion and local business awards finalist. It’s my passion to help and inspire people to live more active, healthier, happier lives. I am a published author, corporate speaker on workplace wellbeing and mental health counsellor – and most importantly I  love helping others and making a positive difference to the community.

Personal Training sessions are conducted primarily in the beautiful outdoor location of Rushcutters Bay park, NSW 2011 servicing the areas of Darling Point, Pott’s Point, Elizabeth Bay, Paddington, Darlinghurst and Double Bay.

Don’t waste any more time and effort struggling on your own, give me a call or text me now 0413 007 051.