By We all want to be as healthy as possible, and yet this can so often seem impossible to achieve. If you find that you are not quite as healthy as you would like, you might be thinking about making some changes to your lifestyle. Knowing that you need to make some changes can be an important first step, but it is often after that that people get caught up.
Part of the problem is that people often assume they are not really able to make the necessary changes easily. However, this is rarely the case. More often than not, making those changes is easier than you think. In this article, we are going to look at some of the most common problems and hurdles that get in the way of people leading a healthier lifestyle – and some of the surprising ways to get around them.
Over-Drinking
If there is anything which is particularly prevalent in our society, it is the overuse of alcohol. This is so common that many people even stop thinking that it is really a problem. But make no mistake – drinking alcohol excessively can lead to a wide range of health problems, and cutting it out or reducing your intake a little is an extremely good idea if you want to improve your overall health. However, many people find it quite difficult to go for long without a drink, and it is not as though this is a rare phenomenon either. If you feel that you struggle to cut down on your drinking, then it might be worth taking some of the following suggestions in mind.
If your use of alcohol is particularly heavy, it might be helpful to first start to cut down a little at a time, as this will always be easier than cutting it out entirely in one go. In order to be able to do this, you first need to keep track of what you are drinking in an average week and month. You can then see which drinks are probably completely unnecessary, and start to cut those out first. After that, it will be a matter of gradually working to remove the others, until you feel you are at a more healthy level.
What is a more healthy level? There is no one answer for that – it depends on each individual, on what your own health goals are, and how much you currently drink. Either way, you should set yourself some kind of goal or milestone so that you have something to work towards – and a cause to celebrate in the near future. If your drinking is really a problem, you could consider getting professional help, either in the form of a therapist or by attending an AA meeting. With any luck, you will be able to significantly reduce the amount you drink – and this will automatically lead to a much healthier lifestyle immediately.
Smoking
We all know that smoking tobacco is incredibly harmful, but it remains a very popular addiction. Its addictive quality is one of the most dangerous things about it, and many people the world over do find it incredibly difficult to stop smoking. However, there might be an argument for the idea that stopping smoking is actually easier (or can be easier) than most people think. To see how this might be, we need to look at the work of the late Allen Carr.
In his books, seminars, and workshops, Allen Carr put forward a method for stopping smoking which has helped millions upon millions of people do so since its inception. Referred to as the ‘easyway’ to stop smoking, it is a unique process by which smokers come to understand the reasons for their addiction, as well as the truth behind the rationalisations that smokers tell themselves as to why they can’t stop. In short, stopping smoking is about focusing on what you will gain when you do so, not on what you will lose – which is actually nothing. The feeling of relief that a cigarette brings for the addict is not some inherent relaxant quality in nicotine, but rather the scratching of an itch, and this is why most smokers make an essential mistake with how they think about it. Approach it this way, however, and you are much more likely to be able to stop.
Still, many people find that using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) makes the process of stopping much easier. That’s fine, so long as you then move on from that to, ultimately, nothing. It might be patches, gum, or even vaping liquid like chubby gorilla bottles. However you do it, using NRT can help as a temporary means of assuaging the loss of nicotine in the system. When you stop smoking, you will reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, bronchitis, and countless other diseases and health concerns.
Inactivity
Our culture is one which very often seems to reward behavior which we should not reward. This can be seen clearly in particular in the way in which people spend their evenings. Most people get home from work and veg out in front of the television for a few hours before retiring to bed. We all know, deep down, that this is not the kind of lifestyle you want to be living if you are looking to be as healthy as possible. But it can sometimes seem like a real mission to get up and go out and do something active. So what can you do to combat this particular cultural ailment? 
First things first, book yourself in for some kind of class. This doesn’t even need to be a fitness class. The whole point is to just get out of the house once in a while, so even something like learning a language might suffice. Make sure you pay up front and give yourself a reason to get out of the house a couple of times a week. You will find that this alone makes a huge difference. Similarly, when at home, instead of going for the TV remote every time, why not find other things to do? It might be that you want to get into some arts and crafts, or maybe you are an avid whittler or painter. Whatever it is, engaging your mind in this way is much better than tuning out for hours at a time.
