4 Lifestyle Secrets You Should Adopt – Care2.com

Posted by on Jul 23rd, 2016 and filed under Lifestyle News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

4 Lifestyle Secrets You Should Adopt – Care2.com

Many of those close to me have lived in Europe for years at a time, and each of them says the same thing: Europeans know how to enjoy life. While this is a very general statement, compared to the average American, the everyday habits of our friends across the Atlantic can work powerfully to improve your health, reduce your stress and help you feel younger.

While the following may be simple suggestions, incorporating each of them into your life can have a profound effect on your wellbeing. If you’ve been wondering why you can’t shed those excess pounds, let go of your stress and anxiety or figure out why you don’t feel fulfilled in life, odds are these tips can at least help.

Walk more.

How can something so simple and attainable be so powerful? Oftentimes, it’s the small changes that matter. Many European towns are highly walkable, which is terrific because our bodies are designed for that slow and steady movement.

Walking offers numerous benefits, including reversing the damage caused by long-term sitting, boosting the immune system, reducing stress, improving blood sugar levels and so much more. While it is often easier (and sometimes safer) to drive everywhere with America’s current infrastructure, try to walk as much as possible. Forgo the elevator, park at the back of the lot or take the fifteen minute walk to the coffee shop instead of the four minute drive. If nothing else, go on a long nature walk every evening after work to reap some of the benefits of walking.

Mindful consumption.

Those who live seemingly effortlessly healthy lifestyles know how to feed themselves while still treating themselves to foods they love. When you eat quality foods in moderation, everything seems to fall into place. Okay, you have a bakery-fresh croissant and coffee for breakfast. If you enjoy it, really taste it and don’t gobble it down, what’s the harm? The issue with the way most of us eat in the U.S. is that we are plagued by guilt anytime we lick something that is categorically considered “unhealthy.” But, we can’t eat carrot sticks all the time either. Life is about moderation.

If you are healthy to the extreme, you’ll end up breaking down and binging on your unhealthy favorites time and time again, only to feel immense guilt and self-loathing thereafter. If you simply eat what you want to eat in modest, satisfying quantities, not only will your body begin to look the way you want, but you’ll feel happy, whole and feel like you’re not missing out on living.

Avoid all that is processed.

While mindful eating is important, processed foods should be avoided. While the EU has worked to ban GMOs and limit processed foods, America has created a food environment that is loaded with processed foods.

A highly processed diet is known to be inflammatory and causes your body to function less than optimally. According to a recent study published in BMJ Open, a surprising 60 percent of the average American’s calories come from ultraprocessed foods. That means packaged stuff that includes high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, preservatives, artificial colors, et cetera.

Essentially, 60 percent of our diet isn’t real food. In contrast, less than 1 percent of our daily calories come from vegetables. Overseas, there is much more of a tradition of whole foods. I’m not saying they don’t have processed foods, but one the whole, Europeans have a less accepting attitude towards ultrprocessed “foods.”  They are significantly more conscious of them. Take a page out of their book and ditch the processed stuff.

Have fun.

If you keep waiting for tomorrow, it’s never going to come. Those of us who claim that they will enjoy life once they’ve retired need to stop fooling themselves. Life is short and fun is a habit. You need to make time for fun. Otherwise, life becomes nothing but stress, work and anxiety. As a matter of fact anxiety can become such a serious condition for some people, that some form of anxiety treatment must be employed to help them manage it. It would be much better if you don’t let it come to that. Instead, make time for vacations, make time for silly excursions, make time for your dreams and passions. Otherwise, it’s likely that they will never come to fruition. Looking back on your life, don’t you want to feel that you truly enjoyed it?

None of these tips are really secrets, but they do represent the small corners of wellness that we often glaze over. Live life to its fullest! Making small changes to the way you think and act can really add up in the long run.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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