Make These Changes For A New You

Most of us want to live lives that are as healthy and as full as possible. Yet, many people are unsure about how exactly to achieve that. In today’s world, there are a lot of mixed messages about how we should live. There is advice from different sources telling you something contradictory to the last. This can make for a confusing time for anyone who wants to improve the state of their lives.

But that doesn’t mean that all is lost. There are still lots of things that are more or less guaranteed to have a positive effect. As such, if you are on a drive to improve yourself, there are plenty of steps you can take. You might feel like your body needs a boost, or that you could do with a little less stress in your life. Whatever it is, there is bound to be something positive you can do to achieve it. With that in mind, take a look at our top tips for creating a healthier you. It is possible that not all of these will apply to you, possibly because you already do them. That’s fine – just take on board anything that helps.

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Go Organic

The food we eat is such an important part of our daily lives. Yet, with the stresses and tribulations of modern life, we often forget to give it a priority. The fact is, what we put into our body at mealtimes is so important to our overall health. We all know the importance of having a balanced diet, and most of us try to achieve that. However, there are some other basic changes that you can make as well. One such change is the decision to switch to organic foods.

Incorporating organic food into your daily diet has many potential benefits. Non-organic produce tends to contain chemicals that are both harmful and unnecessary. Going organic gets around this problem. Eating organic food has been shown to boost your vitamin and mineral intake. The reasons for this are quite obvious. Organic food is just grown naturally, as nature intended, with no added nonsense. As such, it is automatically much better for your body – and your mind.

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Switching to organic food is not so difficult as it might seem. The options for organic produce are plentiful. The only real issue is that it is often more expensive than other food. However, the more people buy it, the cheaper it will become. So there is no reason not to give it a go.

Stop Smoking

Smoking is a real epidemic that we need to quash. The good news about smoking is that its use has diminished sharply over the past couple of decades. Nonetheless, there is still work to do. Tobacco still accounts for roughly one in six deaths worldwide. It is clear, then, that smoking is a real issue that has real consequences.

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The trouble is that stopping smoking seems to be a difficult thing to achieve. While it is true that nicotine is one of the most addictive substances on the planet, it can be overcome. Many people each year do so, and it is possible for everyone. Many smokers believe that they cannot themselves ‘give up’. But this is nonsense. Anyone can choose to overcome a nicotine addiction if they really want to. The good news is that there are many diverse methods for doing so. If you choose to go the nicotine replacement route, then you have many options available to you. Increasingly, people are using an e-cigarette to help curtail their addiction. This may well help you to slow down your addiction. At any rate, give it a go and see.

Ultimately, you are hoping to stop the addiction. Smoking tobacco is incredibly harmful to your health. If you are a smoker, seriously consider trying your best to stop.

Cut Down On Drinking

Another incredibly prevalent drug in our culture is alcohol. Everywhere you look, alcohol is present, in partnership with any social event or occasion. While there are certain social benefits to alcohol, on the whole, it is a futile and damaging drug that destroys lives. Many people can drink socially without it being too much of a problem. Nonetheless, even for those people, alcohol is gradually causing them internal damage. One day, that damage may well catch up with them. That’s why one great step you can take to improve your overall health is to stop drinking. Or at the very least, cut down on your drinking.

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Many of the perceived benefits of alcohol are illusory by-products of the drug itself. Socially, it is seen as a useful lubricant – and indeed, it can be. But if we did not have the drug, we would have to just make do. Increasingly, what alcohol does is it makes itself feel necessary for certain situations. We become dependent on it to talk to one another in social settings. To me, that is quite a sad state of affairs. Remove the alcohol, and believe me, you can still socialize.

Try not drinking for three months. You will notice a significant increase in your energy levels. You will have fewer occasions of depression; you will be more productive. Contrary to popular assumptions, sex will improve dramatically. What’s more, your bank balance will be a little healthier, too.

Sleep More

Your body needs to repair itself. This much is no secret. However, how often do we really give our bodies the opportunity to repair properly? Sleep is when most of this happens, and without it, our bodies will really struggle. Yet, we have become so used to a way of life that effectively shuns sleep. This is a sad testament to the way we live today. We have come to regard sleep as almost inessential. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sleep is as essential a part of our lives as food, warmth, and shelter. It is vital that we orchestrate our lives in such a way that we allow plenty of time for sleep. Everything else can wait.

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But it’s not just about the amount of sleep – quality is important, too. It is in the best interests of your health to make your sleeping arrangements as comfortable as possible. If that means investing in new bedclothes, then so be it. It might also be worth taking the time to wind down before bed. It’s no use going straight from active to sleeping in moments. Your body needs to unwind first.

One last point. Psychologists suggest that the bedroom is kept for sleeping and sex only. This helps to encourage proper sleep throughout the night. That means no television in bed!

Start Meditating

We have constructed a world of meaningless data; it is fighting for your attention at every step. Our minds are struggling to keep up with the pace of a system that they themselves designed. The issue here is that cultural change is significantly more rapid than evolution. Memetically, we are running at a hundred miles an hour. Genetically, we are struggling to catch up.

So stop trying to catch up. You won’t ever get there. Our relatively primal brains need a rest from the confusion. Meditation offers a way to achieve that rest. As a concept, it is something that people have many conflicting and confusing ideas about. However, on the face of it, it is very simple indeed.

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To meditate, still your body first. Sitting, lying down, standing – it doesn’t really matter, after all. Your only task is to focus the mind on one object and keep it focused for as long as possible, as fully as possible. The breath is a good place to start with this. If it seems like a simple exercise or you are a little bored, then it’s working. It is simple. It is boring. That is the point.

For its simplicity, it is also powerful. Carry out the above instructions for thirty minutes a day, for two weeks. You will notice, at this time, an increase in your energy. You will be more able to concentrate. Any problems which arise will be dealt with with a sense of ease. You will smile more, and be happier throughout the day. Your quality and quantity of sleep will improve. People around you will comment on your fantastic complexion. Stress will dissipate.

This is one of the kindest things you can ever do for yourself. Try it out today.

Do Something Uncomfortable

Often, we get stuck in roles that we don’t remember deciding upon. Inevitably, this leads to stress, as we feel trapped in our own lives. To change this, start doing small things to prove to yourself that you can. If you want to increase your self-confidence, this is how to do it. Make small changes that you didn’t believe you could. Do something outside of your comfort zone – it’s the only way we ever truly grow as human beings. If you feel uncomfortable or afraid – it’s working.

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Even if you only make one or two of these changes, you will notice a profound difference in your life.