Revolution GrayHealthy habits take time, especially during midlife. By implementing one change at a time, the process isn’t as overwhelming. In this article, we’ll discuss how to make changes at home for better health by improving the areas of eating, exercise, and our environment as we age.
Eat Your Veggies
Not only can we shed pounds with a healthy diet, but we improve our general health overall. Start by slowly adding more veggies. Here are a few ideas on how to make that happen:
- Replace your meat sandwich with a veggie sandwich.
- Create salads and store them in the refrigerator for quick lunches. Salad doesn’t always mean lettuce. Quinoa, green beans, and couscous all make great bases.
- When filling your plate, focus on the veggie portion and make it the largest.
As you eat healthier, it becomes easier to eliminate the bad things from your diet, like processed snacks and sweets. Replace those items with nuts and fruit. A plant-based diet is an excellent choice as we get older and at any stage of life. Make it a goal to work your way toward it for better health.
Get Moving
Keeping your body moving is one of the best things you can do for yourself as you reach midlife and older age when making changes at home for better health.
Just like adding veggies to your diet, start slowly and work your way up. Here are some ideas to get moving:
- Take a walk.
- Stretch daily.
- Try an online yoga class.
- Join a gym and try something new, like a spinning class or swimming.
Grab a friend and ask them to exercise with you. The accountability of meeting someone to workout helps keep us on track. Setting goals is also helpful. Listen, you’re getting older, but that doesn’t mean life and adventure has to stop. Rather than reminisce about how you wish you had run a 5k years ago, plan for it now, train, and enjoy the journey. Whatever your fitness dreams are, the version might change a little, but your health is still just as important, so go for it.
Natural Cleaning
There isn’t much sense in getting healthy if we surround ourselves with toxins in our home. Consider replacing chemicals with natural cleaning products. Here are some favorites to use:
- White vinegar: cleans windows, toilet bowls, and countertops.
- Natural dish soap and laundry detergents.
- Baking soda to remove that red wine stain on your white quartz counters.
- Stock up on microfiber cloths. They work well for wiping surfaces and picking up dirt and grease.
- Use lemons to freshen your garbage disposal.
Cook at Home
We all need time away from home and a nice meal at a restaurant now and then but try to cook at home more than you eat out.
Experiment with new recipes and ideas. Grow some herbs right at home for fresh flavor and enjoy tastes and smells in a way you never have before. Need some basil for the sauce? Snip some from your potted herbs. Yum!
Experimenting with new ideas, such as food from different cultures, makes cooking fun. With some planning ahead, time in the kitchen becomes the best time of the week.
As you make changes and continue adding new, healthy habits, you’ll see yourself improve physically, emotionally, and mentally. You deserve the best you can give yourself. It’s never too late to start a journey toward a healthy lifestyle.