We all aim to lead a clean and healthy lifestyle at the start of the year. But what does it really mean?

According to Paige Waehner, a healthy lifestyle is having a vibrant and active life due to having a healthy mind and body. It encompasses taking care of yourself through regular physical activity, eating healthy foods, and avoiding risky behavior.

In addition, a healthy lifestyle means looking after your mental health. This can include meditation and yoga to help manage your stress.

If this is something you want to achieve this year, listed below are x simple ways on how you can start a clean and healthy lifestyle at home:

1. Make Smart Food Swaps

They say that the key to healthy living is to replace bad habits with good ones. The same thing goes with the food you eat.

However, healthy eating does not mean eating salad three meals a day, every day. It only means giving space to more nourishing food without giving your meal plan a major overhaul.

For example, instead of drinking soda or any sugary drinks every meal, consider replacing them with fruit-infused water. Doing so can lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes and prevent weight gain.

Another example is swapping your usual breakfast with smoothies. This is an excellent way to include more vegetables and fruits into your meal.

2. Get Inspired to Move

Another way to start a clean and healthy lifestyle is to stick to a fitness routine.

Again, it doesn’t have to be drastic. You can start with morning yoga or run three kilometers every Sunday morning. What’s important is that you start moving.

To do that, Julia Kailus advises that you shift your perspective from that of a couch potato to an athlete. If you are an athlete, what should you be doing now?

The key here is to view exercise as a way to be strong. After all, you cannot function and do your day-to-day activities if you aren’t.

Lastly, add fun and variety to your routine. If Sundays are for running, consider alternating yoga with jumping rope. Of course, do not forget to have a rest day.

3. Learn to Manage Your Stress

Stress is not a bad thing in and of itself. It allows you to activate your survival instincts when needed.

However, chronic stress can lead to high blood pressure, burnout, anxiety, and depression. This is where stress management can come in handy.

The first step to stress management is to recognize the signs. This could be difficulty in concentrating to some, while it looks like tightness in the shoulders for some.

Once you see the signs, identify what’s making you stressed. Perhaps it is the mountain of bills that you have to pay or the mess that your kids made while playing. Identifying the underlying causes of your stress can help you categorize them:

  • A stressor that has a practical solution
  • A stressor that can get better over time
  • A stressor that you can’t do anything about

When you do this, it lets you shift your focus from the underlying cause to the solution.

4. Get Rid of Toxic Thoughts

In addition to the previous point, it’s also essential to manage your negative thoughts. That’s because the way you think can impact your mood for the day, affecting your quality of life.

That said, you must learn to observe your thoughts.

Practicing Mindfulness allows you to recognize whenever you have negative thoughts. The key here is to catch yourself and treat these thoughts as passersby. This can be an excellent way of practicing loving-kindness and self-compassion.

5. Create a Toxin-free Home

Our bodies absorb toxins every day. It can be through the food we eat or environmental toxins that make their way to our system. That said, it is imperative to make our home as toxin-free as possible.

You can start with the food you consume. If possible, buy organic produce and consider how you prep and cook your food. For instance, studies show a correlation between cancer and consuming grilled meat. This means that you should also opt for toxin-free cookware if you can.

Another way is to go for natural cleaning products. Doing so reduces the amount of chemicals that you introduce into your home. Luckily, plenty of natural and toxin-free cleaning products are available on the market. Otherwise, you can opt to make your homemade all-purpose cleaner.

Here’s the thing: Living a clean and healthy lifestyle does not mean you need to make drastic changes. That said, do not get caught up with an all-or-nothing mindset. Instead, you can build one good habit at a time.

Jacky Xu is the Chief Operating Officer at Maid Sailors Home Cleaning Services NYC. Maid Sailors takes pride in providing unparalleled cleaning services at affordable prices and will help transform your house into a home.

NutriFusion

Just 1 in 10 adults meet the federal fruit or vegetable recommendations, according to a study published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). This report highlights that very few Americans eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables every day, putting them at risk for chronic diseases.

Studies have shown that supplementation with extracts from fruits and vegetables may improve inflammation and oxidative stress.

NutriFusion develops all‐natural fruit and/or vegetable powders that are nutrient dense for use in foods, beverages, supplements, and pet foods.

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