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Are you ready to feel stronger, more alive, and live longer? By improving your healthy lifestyle habits, you can feel more energy to show up for your family and actually enjoy life. By improving your lifestyle, and living healthier, you’ll not only help yourself, but you’ll set an example for your family and friends to do the same.
There are many days where life is just ultra chaotic and busy. We’re running errands, attending appointments, on calls, completing work, creating, squeezing in meals. It can feel like life is going a million miles an hour.
At the end of the day though, health is the ultimate wealth. If we aren’t healthy, we aren’t going to be able to function as our optimal self. I’m breaking down for you 10 super easy healthy lifestyle habits you can start TODAY, which will positively impact your health and happiness.
This post is all about healthy lifestyle habits.
1. Stop cooking with canola oil, and start using olive oil
Do you have canola oil in your pantry? Most people use cooking spray for pan cooking eggs, meat, veggies, etc. A super easy and barely noticeable healthy swap is olive oil spray for canola oil, vegetable oil, and butter cooking sprays. Some may argue the flavor isn’t as good, but it’s something you’ll easily get use to in a week or two. And trust me, your body will thank you.
Olive oil is much better for your health because it contains anti-inflammatory properties from antioxidants. Ultimately, extra virgin olive oil can help mediate inflammation and thus reducing the risk of inflammatory diseases like heart disease.
Here are some other benefits of extra virgin olive oil:
- Reduces Inflammation
- Reduces oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol
- Improves blood vessel health
- Helps manage blood clotting
- Lowers blood pressure
Source: Healthline
Bottom line?
This is one of the easiest swaps in the game you can make. Toss the canola oil and start using olive oil when you can.
2. Swap avocado oil for vegetable oil
When I found out avocado oil was a thing I actually got really excited. I love me some avo toast, so I decided to give it a go. After researching the health benefits, of course. Avocado oil has a higher cooking temperature than other oils, which makes it great for cooking meat. Also, avocados are extremely nutrient dense with healthy fats and vitamins, making avocado oil a healthy alternative to most other oils.
Vegetable oil is one of the least healthy oils you can possibly put into your body, so I would highly recommend substituting that asap. It likely has trans fat in it, which hardens in your arteries and can never be reduced. So once you ingest trans fat, it stays in your body forever.
3. Natural Peanut Butter for Processed
Natural peanut butter literally tastes the same, only better, than the processed unnatural ones. The best way to find it is by looking at the ingredients. You’ll want something with only peanuts and maybe salt. If you’re really bold, I recommend trying almond butter, which is even better for you.
4. Almond Milk for Dairy Milk
There’s a ton of research about dairy and the chemicals and cancer-causing hormones in it. Almond milk is a delicious, creamy and smooth alternative. It tastes good with cereal, cookies, and you can even cook with it. I personally recommend Silk or Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla.
5. Grilled Chicken for Fried
Whether it’s in a salad or on a wrap, swapping the breaded, greasy, fried chicken for grilled is a really easy substitute and honestly tastes just as good. I know when I eat fried stuff, I feel so tired and groggy after. Grilled chicken is way healthier and won’t leave you feeling so gross after.
6. Whole Wheat Bread for White Bread
I’ve been told for a while to stay away from anything white. White bread, white flour, white rice, etc. White things are bleached and processed and just not nutritionally good for you at all. Getting a nice hearty, oat and grain wheat bread is the way to go. It may be a bit pricier, but If you’re going to invest your money into something, let it be your body let me tell you. I personally love wheat bread, it’s just another small thing that’ll take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll actually probably prefer it.
7. Brown Eggs for White Eggs
This is another super easy swap to make because they taste the exact same. Brown eggs are packed with more nutrients than white. When buying them though, make sure you buy the cage-free, organic ones. Eggs are similar to dairy in that they are completely packed with antibiotics and hormones, so be careful!
8. Water for Soda and Juice
Okay, this might be the hardest but what I’ve found is that if you create a habit of filling a HUGE water bottle or tumbler in the morning and try to keep it with you all day, the odds of you drinking the whole thing are very big. Water is like a miracle liquid, and most people don’t really understand that. Your body desperately NEEDS water to function properly. And when I say function properly, that means to keep you awake throughout the day, keep your metabolism moving faster so you can continue to burn fat, and even keep your skin healthy, young, and glowing.
I cannot stress the benefits of water enough, and for those who sip on diet coke or apple juice throughout the day, I encourage you to try to decrease your intake of those and increase your intake of water. If you focus on all of the good it does for your body, it actually makes it more enjoyable. You just have to attach more pleasure to the idea, rather than attaching pain. It’s really not bad at all!
9. Dark Chocolate for Milk Chocolate
Another one that’ll take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll come to prefer it! Dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants, and from what I’ve learned, the darker the better. I’ve gotten myself to like up to 85% cacao dark chocolate, which is pretty freakin dark, but I think it tastes good. If you start anywhere from 60% and slowly work your way up, you’ll probably slowly start to like it more and more, especially if you focus on the benefits of it.
10. Fruit and Nuts for Processed Snacks
Easier said than done, I know. I used to grab a granola bar or some other type of processed snack for my break at lunch. But now, I know it’s better to opt for a piece of fruit or some nuts. An apple, a banana, orange, berries, there are tons of delicious fruits out there that are way better than anything chemically made or processed. The same goes for all the great nuts out there, cashews, pistachios, macadamia, almonds, etc.
It helps a lot to premake snacks for work or buy some tubs of nuts and keep them near.
Keep in mind, these swaps do not need to be expensive. Yes, Whole Foods and Trader Joes are both AWESOME, but they can be pricey. You can get most of this stuff from Sam’s Club, Costco, and even Aldi or Walmart.
We’ve been doing the grocery pickup and we are OBSESSED. We order our groceries online from Sams/Walmart and go pick them up later that day. It’s truly lifechanging and I recommend it 100%.
The idea that “being healthy is expensive” is hella outdated. There are no longer any excuses, because this stuff is super accessible now, and even at affordable prices. And like I mentioned before, if you’re going to invest your money somewhere, it should be in yourself, your health, and your body!
PS. Check out one of my favorite easy, healthy recipes that we like to keep in the house to snack on or for lunches: Avocado Chicken Salad