What’s the Fastest Way to Get Healthy?
Experts agree the fastest way to get healthy doesn’t have to be difficult or come in a fancy packaged box. Despite claims made by marketing sites that a diet or product can help you get healthy fast, you already know what works for effective, sustainable results is a healthy lifestyle. Yes, you truly can get your body healthy again quickly by incorporating simple healthy habits into your day. Research shows you can make significant physical and health changes in 21 days. Here are 10 tips researchers and dieticians say you should know if you are looking for the fastest way to get healthy. Better yet, it’s not just tips below, its solutions – ways you can sustain your healthy body for years to come.
How Can I Get My Body Healthy Again?
Balancing work, family, and other responsibilities can make it hard for you to reach your health goal. But, don’t fret. It’s amazing how fast your body responds to a healthy lifestyle. It is possible – you can become healthy when your day includes a proven, science-based eating plan, regular exercise, and strategies to manage stress. In fact, studies show it is possible to get healthy in 21 days. Here are what leading health experts know are the fastest ways to get healthy, and stay healthy.
10 Ways to Be Healthy
There are many simple ways to get healthy that take minimal effort. Better yet, combining more than one of these 10 ways to be healthy into your daily routine will give you even better results. Don’t stop there – keep adding in more healthy habits, and soon you’ll be enjoying the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. If you are looking for the fastest way to get healthy, here are 10 things you can easily incorporate into your daily routine that are used by leading health experts themselves to improve health.
10 Fastest Ways to Get Healthy
- Take an Evening Walk After Dinner
- Combine Complex Carbs with Protein
- Hydrate
- Make Vegetables the Star of Your Plate
- Listen to Your Hunger Cues
- Be Physically Active Throughout the Day
- Eat More Plant Proteins than Animal Proteins
- Ditch Processed, Convenience Foods
- Get Sweaty (Exercise) Frequently
- Use a Positive Mindset
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10 Fastest Ways to Get Healthy
1. | Take an Evening Walk After Dinner
Start the habit of finishing dinner and then enjoying a walk outside in the evening. It’s a great way to include more physical activity into your day and is an effective way to get out of bad evening habits, such as staying up late watching television, or the consumption of foods and beverages that are not part of your healthy eating plan. Plus, studies show walking promotes better sleep – when researchers looked at the sleep quality of a group of women in Boston, those who walked more during their day, had better sleep quality. A walk at night is a great way to unwind, connect with a loved one, and add more physical activity to your daily routine. Walking is a particularly great post-work choice if you find vigorous activity inhibits your sleep.
2. | Combine Complex Carbs with Protein
To keep you feeling full longer, combine a complex carbohydrate with a protein at meals, notes Registered Dietitian, Kimberly Gomer. Kimberly is the Director of Nutrition at the Pritikin Center, where she has worked with hundreds of clients hoping to get healthy and stay healthy. Starting the day with a sweet potato and an omelet filled with chopped vegetables is a great example of a healthy meal that combines complex carbohydrates with protein. If you love a salad for lunch, be sure to include beans, lentils, or chickpeas for protein, and a complex carbohydrate, such as barley. You may want to try these recipes: Mediterranean Lentil Salad, or Lemon Herb Barley Salad.
3. | Hydrate
Water is essential for life, yet little attention is paid to the importance of hydration by most of the general public. Research studies show hydration is important to maintain proper health, cognition, reducing kidney stone risk, and managing a healthy weight.
4. | Make Vegetables the Star of Your Plate
When vegetables are the star of the show on your plate, it’s easy to want to eat lots of them. Vegetables are sources of important nutrients that support health, and have a low calorie-density, making them a great choice when trying to lose or maintain weight loss. Plus, research studies show eating vegetables is linked to low rates of death and heart disease. Let vegetables shine as the star of your next meal.
5. | Listen to Your Hunger Cues
With busy lifestyles filled with responsibilities, many people have stopped listening to their body’s cues, particularly to hunger cues. Ignoring early signs of hunger can leave you feeling famished – a state where you are so desperate for energy it can make it hard to want to eat healthy foods which offer a slower (yet healthier) energy release. Sometimes we miss hunger cues while we are eating. How often do you eat in front of the television, or while using your smartphone? Take a little time to listen to your hunger cues – you might be surprised at how great it is at communicating what it needs to be healthy.
6. | Be Physically Active Throughout the Day
One of the fastest ways to get healthy is to move your body regularly. Many professions include sitting at a desk for long hours. Setting an alarm on your phone, or using an app on a watch can help remind you to regularly get up and move a bit. Every little bit can help. In fact, scientists note physical activity directly relates to health status. Evidence shows you gain more health improvements the more physical activity you do.
7. | Eat More Plant Proteins than Animal Proteins
Eating plant protein is awesome! And, it’s good for your health: researchers looked at the consumption of plant protein by over 600,000 U.S. adults (ages 50-71). The study found eating plant protein was associated with lower rates of all-cause mortality. “Love plant protein,” notes Kimberly. “It is great to recover from a workout – try beans, lentils, or tofu.”
8. | Ditch Processed, Convenience Foods
Even one serving of ultra-processed foods can be a problem – an 18% increase in the risk of mortality kind of problem, according to researchers. In the 2020 study, scientists concluded that high consumption of ultra-processed foods was linked to a 62% increase in all-cause mortality, after looking at the eating patterns of over 19,000 adults (ages 20-91) in Spain. What’s ultra-processed food? It’s food with low nutritional value and high-calorie density. These foods are convenient, durable, extremely palatable, and low in cost which is likely why the consumption of them has tripled in the last few decades. But, they aren’t good for you.
9. | Get Sweaty (Exercise) Frequently
If you don’t love exercising, this study will have you texting, ‘I heart exercise!’. Replacing a sedentary activity with some moderate to vigorous physical activity can reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, notes researchers. Pick an active hobby that brings you joy, from dancing to walking – when you love doing something active, it is easier to make exercising part of your regular healthy lifestyle.
10. | Use a Positive Mindset
Could a positive outlook actually make you healthier? According to the World Health Organization, “a happy engaged and fulfilling psychological and social life is not just a consequence of good health, it is what leads people to live a healthy and long life.” Mental wellness is one of three key pillars of a healthy lifestyle. Science is working on calculating exactly how positive mental health affects physical health, but according to John Hopkins researchers, a positive mindset has health benefits that are pretty impressive. Among people with a family history of heart disease, people with a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular event within 5 to 25 years, when compared to those with a more negative outlook. When you notice your thoughts are turning negative, perhaps doubting your ability to cope with a stressful situation, try switching to a positive mindset. If doubt has crept into your thoughts, consider the facts. Are you capable of coping? Yes, you are capable of coping. You’ve done it before, haven’t you? In fact, humans are impressively resilient – you’ve got this!
How to Get a Healthy Body in Days
Looking at all 10 of these ways to get healthy it’s exciting to think there are simple changes you can make that will improve your eating plan, physical activity, and mindset. These are the 3 pillars of the highly successful Pritikin Longevity Program. Research studies have shown the Pritikin Program works within days. Scientists from Harvard Medical School, Stanford University, UCLA, and many other research institutions have applauded The Pritikin Program’s effectiveness to help prevent and reverse the progression of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and metabolic syndrome, as well as promote healthy weight loss and management. Today, the Pritikin Program is approved by Medicare for qualifying health conditions.
How to Get Healthy and Sustain It
Getting healthy is great, but the ultimate goal is to stay healthy! According to a large Australian study, people who had a strong start to their new eating plan and exercise program were better able to maintain their new healthy lifestyle, compared to those who struggled to make the changes quickly. It’s not easy to highjack yourself from your life, and suddenly immerse yourself in a healthier lifestyle, surrounded by healthy foods, a supportive schedule, a positive attitude. If you truly want the fastest way to get healthy, you need science-backed plans for healthy food and exercise, in an environment that is positive, supportive, and offers you the time to focus on getting healthy. Sometimes, that’s hard to do at home.
How to Start Living a Healthy Lifestyle
Come to the Pritikin Center where leading experts have a scientifically-proven program, based on up-to-date research, to help you get healthy fast. It’s the most luxurious place to get your body healthy again – and, stay healthy!
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