5 Ways to Embrace a Healthy Lifestyle

Sharing five simple ways you can embrace a healthier lifestyle today! From eating better to staying connected with friends and family, read on to learn some tips and tricks that can revolutionize your everyday life.

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Embracing a healthy lifestyle can seem challenging at times.  

There are so many things we can be told are ‘must haves’ for our life.

Eat better.
Get exercise.
Reduce your stress.  

The list can go on and on until your head is spinning.

This post was sponsored by Nature Made^® as a part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. 

As a mother who feels there are many more years of life ahead of her, I want to create the healthiest lifestyle I can.

While I’d love to do everything the ‘experts’ tout will help me live an active and rewarding life, I know that I need to have very clearly defined practices.

As my life is busy, I need those practices to be easy to implement on a consistent basis.

5 Ways to Embrace a Healthy Lifestyle

Living a healthy lifestyle isn’t always easy, but it’s something that is so important for both your physical and mental well-being.

It might seem overwhelming at first to make big changes, but starting with small positive habits each day can help build the foundation of a healthy routine.

1 ~ Up the Nutritional Density of My Diet

When I talk about a diet, I am not usually talking about a set program to follow.  Rather, my diet is what I am eating. To keep my weight in check, I need to make sure that what I am eating is full of all the good stuff and not just a bunch of empty calories.

My personal belief is that there are very few foods that are truly bad for you. Rather, I seek a balance with a larger portion of my diet coming from fruits and vegetables and less from grains. Meats and healthy fats are included as well.

The best way to make sure you are getting a nutritious meal is to plan it out in advance.

2 ~ Get Up and Move

We’ve heard people say that 30 minutes to one hour of vigorous exercise is good for your health. This is true.  However, I have heard that it is equally important to not be sedentary for most of the day. With so many of us spending our days working on a computer, this can be a challenge.

If you have a set workspace, you can consider creating a desk area to allow for work either standing or sitting (a moveable stand for your computer.) I have talked to several individuals who have done just this and are seeing significant improvement in areas like back pain.

3 ~ Engage in Stress Reducing Activities

One of my favorite physical ways to reduce stress is yoga. Sometimes I even do it alongside my husband and boys. The series of poses help to elongate my muscles as well as improve my balance.

I also like to find activities like reading a book or playing the piano that can bring a sense of pleasure which can help to reduce my stress level as well.

Also, make sure you get enough sleep each day. Sleep is when our bodies can do the important job of self-healing

4 ~ Build Strong Relationships

I have shared before that we are social beings.

We need a community to thrive.

That community needs to have a base of strong relationships that help you to be a better person.

While your spouse might be a large part of this, I find that I am a much happier person when I have some close girlfriends who I can talk to when the going gets a little rough.

Since moving to Alaska 6 years ago, I have made a few friends locally.  However, I still stay in touch with long-term friends via email and Facebook.

5 ~ Add Supplements to Fill Needs

As much as I’d love to get all my nutrition from my food choices, it has become difficult to do. Thankfully, there are a lot of options when it comes to supplementation of your diet.  Over the years, I have added a few different supplements to my daily routine after long discussions with both my primary care doctor and the allergist I saw for immune system issues.

Nature Made vitamins, minerals, and supplements can be found at your local Walmart where there’s everyday low pricing available. I like knowing that Nature Made is considered a provider of quality products as shown by their ranking as the nation’s #1 best-selling brand for quality vitamins, minerals, and supplements* to help support nutritional gaps. They are also the #1 Pharmacist recommended supplement brand in 9 categories**

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases.

Both of them strongly encouraged me to add Vitamin D to my daily supplementation schedule. Alaska is beautiful, but living up here leads to a deficiency in an important vitamin.  

I was told to take 5,000 IU year round with it being okay to double that dosage during the darkest months of the year. I was tickled to find that Nature Made offered this exact dosage so I could swallow fewer pills for the same amount.

Other vitamins that I was told to add included a Vitamin B complex and Vitamin C when my immune system seems more run down.  I opted to pick up Nature Made Super B-Complex as it also includes Folic Acid which my doctors suggest I continue taking for now.

I strongly recommend discussing your personal needs with a physician or other healthcare provider when coming up with a supplementation regime.

*Based in part on data reported by Nielsen through its Scantrack Service for the Vitamins Category for 52-week period ending 1/02/2016, for the xAOC Market. Copyright © 2016 Nielsen.

**Based on US News & World Report – Pharmacy Times Survey, Nature Made is the #1 Pharmacist Recommended Brand in Nine Categories – Letter Vitamins, Omega-3/Fish Oil, Coenzyme Q10, Flax Seed Oil, Herbal Supplements, Cholesterol Management-Natural, Garlic, Diabetic Multivitamins and Mood Health Supplements