Healthy People's Healthy Habits

We all see people who we look at and say man how do they look so good, maybe you are that person. How do they stay in shape and look so good as they age; good genetics, they workout, eat healthy, not a lot of stress in their lives, they get 8-9 hours of sleep a night.  Well maybe you have most those things and your still not where you think your body should be.  Below are some healthy tips from healthy people who have aged gracefully over the years.

Healthy Tips

1. Take care of yourself in your 20's- the habits you form over the course of your 20's will help formulate your healthy habits for years to come.  For example, if your in the sun without sunscreen you will develop sun spots on your face, you partied to hard in college than early in your work years and didn't workout losing weight only gets tougher as you age.  For females the muscle you put on in your 20's has been shown to decrease your risk factors for bone related diseases in your 60's and beyond. This decade most people don't have as many responsibilities so take the time to invest in your future health. 

2. Go to bed- sleep is huge if you want to age gracefully and be present for your life.  We have all been there when you feel like a zombie you stayed up way to late and got up extremely early the next day. You are cranky, you eat things you normally wouldn't, your more stressed, and not fully present in your day. Now if you combine years of limited sleep think of what that does to your overall quality of life.

3. You are what you eat- we have all heard this saying before you are what you eat.  It is a true statement.  Think about it if your putting cookies, crackers, baked goodies into your body your body will become more soft and squishy.  Now if your eating fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein your body will become more firm and start to tone up. 

4. Work out- I have been told this by my clients who are in their 80's & 90's.  They make time to workout with me 3 times a week.  When they don't workout they get stiff, lose their balance, and overall lose of strength.  The younger you start these habits the better the body will be for the aging process.  I hate to break it to you but everyone ages.  The more you do with your body now the more you will be able to do with your body later in life.  Trust me when your in your 90's and still doing squats, push-ups and being able to walk up and down a 4 flights of stairs, you will thank me. 

5. Find a stress relieving hobby- So many people are a ball of nerves and their bodies hold onto that stress in various formats.  Some get extremely stiff, others have a certain area that tightens up, some get dizzy and others feel like their minds are in constant overdrive.  We are in a 24/7 stimulating environment.  We have to unplug and find something that we can do daily that will release stress.  That may mean meditating for 5 minutes a day, reading before bed, writing 3 things your grateful for at the end of the day, or journaling daily.  You may also want to find a hobby that you can do on your day off.  It can be anything from going on a bike ride, go for a walk, go boating, scrapbook, go to the movies, try a new restaurant, complete a task on your bucket list.  This one tip needs to be followed!  Stress is overtaking many people in the US and we need to make time to relax so we don't suffer the health consequences later in life. 

6. Don't get in the fast food habit- Everyone has been there they are tired from work, no food to cook for dinner, a hungry spouse of family to feed.  So they figure they should swing by the local fast food joint.  Now every once in awhile this is fine.  What happens to people is they start doing it day after day and now it has become a hard habit to break.  The solution plan your meals on Sundays or your day off.  Cook the meals ahead of time and keep in your fridge or freezer.  That way you will have a game plan.  If you were swamped that week, hey it happens to the best of us. Have ingredients on hand that you can whip something up in 10-20 minutes tops.  Remember if you fail to plan you plan to fail.

What are your healthy tips?  Share in the comments below!

As always check out www.safiretraining.com for more fitness information.