The choices that you make every single day influence every area of your health. It determines whether you are hydrated, whether you maintain vitality or whether you up your risk of developing an illness that could shorten your life. It may sound harsh to say it like this, but every single choice that you make every day is going to determine whether you lengthen or shorten the life that you have. You may understand on the surface what you need to do to be healthier and enjoy a happier life. But that doesn’t make it easy to actually do the things you know you need to do.

For most people, the biggest hurdle is boredom. They think about health and fitness, and they think about plain chicken and broccoli paired with a grueling gym session and then a run and possibly a swim afterwards. It’s always tastier and easier to reach for a donut than it ever is to go ahead and make a healthy omelet for breakfast. It’s always easier to say no to exercise because you’re too tired, or too sad, or too sick, or too slow – or you just simply don’t want to.

The thing is, we are now living in a time when getting healthy and fit is easier than ever. There is a gym on practically every corner, there are amazing walking trails that have been carved out for safety, there are fitness apps and trackers and even JustFit – your workout app – you can access any time you want. Making healthy changes in your life and getting a jump on a healthier life where you live for longer is only going to do something good for you. 

So let’s take a look at how you can get a jump on that healthier life you’ve been craving but just can’t quite reach for.

  1. Start with a goal. Are you aiming just to be able to run 5 kilometers? Do you want to be able to add a new vegetable into your diet, or try a new fruit that you perhaps have never tried before? Dragon fruit and Kiwi may have always looked really exotic to you, but because you’ve never tried it, you’ve never leaned into the hype. Maybe all you want to do is just get started with something that fits you and doesn’t make you feel overwhelmed. You are so much more likely to succeed in living a healthier life if you are choosing a priority that is compelling and feels attainable. Running a marathon may not feel obtainable, but running a 5K absolutely is.
  2. Think about why you want to change. Whether it’s because you’ve got children and you want to live longer for them, or because you’re feeling sluggish generally within yourself, there has to be something behind wanting to change your current circumstances and live healthier. Some people decide to get healthier because they’ve witnessed a family member fall to illness and they don’t want that to happen to them. Unfortunately, it does become quite common that people learn from those around them. You have to select a choice and a reason for your change so that you can focus on something and drive yourself forward.
  3. Start small. Earlier we mentioned trying a new vegetable. That can be the thing that you start small with. Adding a new vegetable into your diet once a week is going to feel like a big enough change if everything else is already stressful and overwhelming. Maybe tomorrow instead of driving to work, you could figure out if it’s possible for you to walk there. If you work from home, you could take time to walk for 20 minutes just to be able to get some exercise and get your heart rate going. Small changes like this will feel so much more manageable.
  4. Write down possible obstacles. Do you deal with a lot of noise in your brain so meditation feels unrealistic to you? Maybe it’s hard to eat healthily because you have a gaggle of kids and a partner who enjoys high sugar foods. You need to think about what could trip you up in your healthy goals so that you can also map out ways to get around them. Maybe instead of meditating you could pump up the music and do something in the way of cardio. Maybe if the kids are eating a lot of sugary snacks, you can adjust their diets accordingly and have fewer snacks in the kitchen. Whatever the obstacles may be, there is always a way around them.

These four tips may not seem like a lot, but getting a jump on a healthier life doesn’t have to be something you do overnight. It can just be the decision that you make today and perhaps tomorrow you can map out your goals.