We’ve all heard the typical workout and diet tips intended to help you get healthy. You know, work out more often, eat less food, and maintain a positive mindset – the usual.
But before you start jotting down the specifics of what you want to do better or what you intend to accomplish regarding your health and fitness, maybe it’s time to shake things up a bit and do away with the typical methods.
What am I talking about?
How about listing more general yet all-encompassing health-related commitments?
To make your health resolutions more interesting and more motivating, twist them in such a way that you’ll be sure to remember your responsibility to better health.
If you need some ideas, here are some unconventional health choices that you can make today to get better results.
Quit the Gym
You may be thinking, “Quit the gym? Really?”
Yes, really. But before you jump to any conclusions, do consider whether that 12-month membership you’ve paid and signed on for is giving you the health benefits you desire.
Are you really getting the most out of your gym membership?
Are you really an avid gym-goer who enjoys doing those workouts?
Because if you don’t enjoy gym workouts, then it’s much better to quit the gym altogether and find a more interesting type of workout (and there are lots these days!) that will excite you and encourage you to work out more often. Instead of running on the treadmill or getting lost while trying to figure out how to operate those weight machines, try working out with a more interesting activity, such as cycling classes or stretching at home, or try something more holistic like yoga or Pilates.
Given the range and variety of workout classes and routines available in this day and age, you’re bound to find one—or a couple—that’ll be a better use of your money than a gym membership!
Eat More
When you think about getting fit or losing weight, you usually think about eating less of this and eating less of that. “Weight loss” has that negative ring to it, so people generally have unhappy feelings towards getting fit.
But what if we turn that around and encourage ourselves to eat more—more of the good stuff, that is?
It’s easier to motivate yourself to do a positive act than a negative one—it’s all about perspective, really. So, instead of thinking about all the restrictions and limitations you have to put on yourself to lose weight or improve your fitness, just turn those thoughts around and think about the healthy, delicious foods that you want to eat more of.
If you keep reinforcing these positive thoughts, thinking of healthy food in a positive way will eventually become a habit. You’ll barely even realize that you’re eating less of the bad stuff, like junk food, sodas, processed foods, and foods that are high in sugar and salt content.
If you include this as one of your health resolutions, you’d better be specific about the right kinds of food that you intend to eat more of. That way, you’ll be more aware and mindful the next time you open your refrigerator in search of something to eat.
Stop What You’re Doing
Being busy is not something to be proud of—being fulfilled is. If you’re busy, yet you still end up feeling unhappy, depressed, and downtrodden in life, then it’s about time to make some major changes in your daily routine.
Instead of continuing to press on without dealing with underlying problems and emotions that you may have been ignoring and repressing, perhaps you should consider stopping for a moment and taking a step back.
You may not know it, but what you think is something that’s helping you move forward (maybe a busy career or hectic lifestyle) can sometimes actually be holding you back—and that can severely affect your physical, emotional, and mental health.
Stop what you’re doing, take a step back, and assess. And while you’re at it, consider doing meditation, which can really help you get more in sync with yourself. Yoga has been well-received and is known as an effective means of working out, and the benefits of meditation are well-known.
Maybe it’s time you start taking things slowly but surely. Get yourself back on track with the aim of being more centered and fulfilled as opposed to busy and haggard.
Fight Back
Right now is the perfect time for you to fight back.
It’s time you fight back and take control of your life, instead of just being a victim of circumstances and letting things flow even when it results in your health taking a backseat.
Think you don’t have time to work out? You’re not alone, but many have found ways to work around their time constraints, and so can you. You may have been handed a set of bad cards, but you can take charge from this point forward to make things better for yourself. Start with finding time to exercise.
Just do away with your excuses, because no matter what, you can be healthy and stay fit even if you are juggling a full-time career and personal life. Organize your life in such a way that making healthier choices will benefit you and not defeat you.
Get Loud
Since you’ve already adopted a healthy mindset, why not spread the love and pay it forward by encouraging others to do the same?
You may have discovered an effective and fun kind of workout, so why not bring a friend with you so they can try it out as well? If you’ve started your habit of eating more healthy food, why not cook and prepare some for guests instead of ordering in fast food?
Live within the context of a community.
Get loud with your good intentions, and people will certainly respond and even thank you for it once they see and feel the benefits of living a healthier lifestyle themselves. Of course, all of those good vibes may return to you a hundredfold, seeing that you’ve triggered a positive change in people’s lives. All because you’ve decided once and for all to start making changes within yourself.
These are just a few quirky decisions you can make, but there certainly could be more. The key is to find ways to be sure that you are fully able to commit to a change. This way, you can lead a much healthier lifestyle than ever before.
Make it count, make it stick, make it unconventional.
