Healthier Living

It is already February! Are you on track of your goals for the year? If being healthier is one of your goals, how do you want to achieve it? I am trying to become healthier by doing small things each day, with relatively painless effort. Why? Like any other process, persistence is the key. And being persistent is much harder and far more important than the action itself. I found that by minimizing stress and enjoying the process helps me stay on track with my goals.

1. Minimize stress by starting small and being flexible

Starting small means less stress. I want to start with one small thing at a time so that my body and mind don’t get disturbed too much and hence there is less resistance to the change. Once I become comfortable with this change, I start a second one or increase the degree of change gradually. For example, I started eating less salt by reducing my usual salt intake bit by bit. Gradually I hardly use any salt in my cooking. This happened so gradually that I didn’t feel any pain. Now I have become so used to the low salt cooking that any restaurant food is a bit too salty for me.

Being flexible can eliminate a great deal of stress. For example, instead of dropping dessert completely, I will eat yogurt instead. My body is satisfied with this healthier replacement and I don’t feel stressed at all. The bottom line is not forcing my body to let go of a desire, instead, direct it towards a healthier choice. Life is full of choices after all.

2. Enjoy the process and keep yourself motivated

The more I enjoy the process, the more I get motivated. To enjoy the process, I keep my expectations low so any improvement becomes a bonus. Keeping track of even the smallest improvement helps me stay motivated. Even something as small as a good night’s sleep is worth noticing and celebrating. Life is full of pleasant surprises – only when you pay attention to them.

Being creative adds fun into the process. I had lots of fun when trying to modify a recipe to be healthier without compromising the taste. Being able to find fun in the process is a big motivation to keep myself going.

Being healthier is not as hard as most people think. It can be very enjoyable. Wish you all a year of good health.