The Healthy Lifestyle Checklist

People seem to know intuitively that your lifestyle has a big impact on health.

However, we get bombarded with the message that health is determined by genes, germs, and the luck of the draw. So, unfortunately, we can be drawn into a mindset of “what can do I about it anyway?” when it comes to illness.

On top of that, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be challenging when work, family, and other responsibilities come to call. Once unhealthy habits take root, making changes to improve your health can run up against the inertia of fatigue, both mental and physical.

The vicious circle of poor health can be hard to escape…

But not so hard, if we take an inventory of what we’re doing well, what can use improvement, and an action plan to make the changes happen.

The Checklist

As you know, lifestyle encompasses, well, your whole life. Rather than thinking about what’s happened over the years or jumping ahead to the new year, let’s look at a single day in your life, today.

I have compiled a series of questions to ask yourself, with clarification and/or suggestions below each one. Go through the list honestly, making a checkmark in the box where you think you’re succeeding and leaving it blank if you feel that that area needs work.

If, at the end, you feel like your score is so low that the situation is hopeless, fear not. Look back at my suggestions for how to take action.

Diet

Do you have a routine of regular meals?

• For some, this can be 3 meals per day. For others, this may be 1 or 2 meals during an intermittent fasting program. Between-meal snacks should maintain healthy blood sugar levels without spiking them. The main question here is: is the meal routine consistent?

Do your meals consist primarily of whole foods?

• Check this box if your diet consists of no more than 10% packaged or minimally processed foods. Buy organic whenever possible, especially with the most heavily sprayed foods¹.

Do you get several servings of fruits and vegetables every day?

• A general guideline for adults is to get 6-8 servings of vegetables per day and 1-2 servings of fruit.

Are you getting enough protein over the course of a day?

• Most adults require between 1 and 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

Are you getting enough healthy fats in your diet?

• Most adults should get between 1 and 1.5 grams of healthy, natural fat per kilogram of body weight.

Do you drink water on a regular basis?

• For most of us, 2-3 L of clean, filtered water every day is sufficient. If you exercise more intensely, you may require more.

Digestion

Do you give yourself enough time to eat?

• Give yourself 20-30 minutes to eat a meal so that you’re less likely to rush. Sit down while you’re eating – don’t eat and run!

Do you breathe before eating?

• A few slow, deep breaths before a meal activates the “resting and digestion” function of your nervous system, promoting the flow of digestive juices.

Do you eat slowly, making sure to chew your food well?

• Eat mindfully, taking care to chew each bite 20 times. Don’t speed chew – it’s not a race (or it shouldn’t be if you gave yourself enough time to eat).

Are your devices off during the meal?

• Put away your cell phones and tablets and focus on smelling and tasting your food.

Do you make all effort to use the bathroom when you feel the urge?

• When you feel it’s time to go, go! Delaying your stool is a bad habit that can lead to constipation.

Sleep

Do you wind down your daily activities before bed?

• Working late, watching an intense TV show, or even having a late exercise session just before bed can ramp up your stress hormones, making it difficult to fall asleep. Give yourself about an hour before bedtime to brush your teeth, read a book, or do light prep for the next day.

Do you get to bed at a decent hour?

• For most people, getting to bed no later than 10:30 pm and falling asleep by 11 pm is a good rule of thumb.

Do you get out of bed early?

• If you got to sleep by 11 pm the night before, getting out of bed by 7 am should provide enough sleep for most. Somewhere between 7-9 hours of sleep per night is a reasonable range.

Do you turn off screens and other electronics before bed?

• It’s best to avoid screens during this time and turn off cell phones and other devices. If you use your phone as an alarm, put it on airplane mode and keep it at least an arm’s length away from you.

Is your bedroom dark?

• Our bodies can only make melatonin in darkness. Having a TV or a nightlight on while sleeping can decrease melatonin levels. This is bad for sleep but can also lead to other health problem².

Exercise

Do you engage is some physical activity every day?

• This can simply be getting up from your desk every hour and walking or stretching for 5 minutes.

Do you get a cardiovascular workout at least 2-3 times per week?

• A brisk walk for 45-60 minutes or jogging on a treadmill for 30 minutes is a good baseline for most people. Work up to this slowly if you are not used to it or if you have physical limitations.

Do you do light resistance training at least once/week?

• Lifting light weights, push-ups, and crunches are simple examples of resistance exercise that can help keep muscles healthy.

Do you reserve heavier workouts for early in the day?

• You don’t want a burst of adrenaline when it’s close to bedtime. However, a morning exercise session can get the circulation flowing to help set your energy for the day and make it easier to sleep at night.

 

Stress Management

Are you mindful of your current task?

• As when you are eating, it’s important to stay focused when you are doing work or anything else, really. Take breaks if you find your mind wandering.

Do you include deep breathing into your daily routine?

• Several slow, deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth can help to calm the mind for sleep, eating, and to just take the edge off stress.

Is nature a part of your daily routine?

• Don’t underestimate the power of being in a natural setting for healing. Walking a nature trail, swimming in a lake, or just walking on your grass with bare feet can help ground you emotionally and energetically.

Do you do something you enjoy every day?

• Find something simple you like to do (and isn’t harmful, like drinking too much coffee) and try to fit it in every day.

Do you make an effort to maintain social relationships?

• Human beings need social contact. Put in the work to maintain good relationships and consider joining a group to meet others with similar interests.

 

Score (1 point for each check mark)

21-26         Your lifestyle is promoting your health.

15-20         Your lifestyle is generally healthy but could use some tweaks in a few areas.

9-14           You could stand some improvement in several aspects of your lifestyle.

0-9             You could probably use some help to improve your lifestyle so that it promotes your health.

 

Things to Consider About Lifestyle

It’s easy to run through your day without considering whether what you are doing is working for or against your health. This checklist is an opportunity to review your daily routine and ask yourself whether some areas could use some change.

It may seem like staying healthy is complicated. But it’s as simple as leaving behind old, bad habits and adopting new, healthy ones. Some lifestyle choices will be easier to drop than others, but knowing which ones are not helping you is a start.

A healthy lifestyle is an ongoing process that requires work, like anything else. Making changes is not always easy and nobody’s perfect. The key is to keep working at it – things will become easier as new habits slowly replace old ones.

Remember that the suggestions given above should not be considered medical advice. If you’re dealing with a health condition or have persistent symptoms, seek the aid of a qualified health practitioner.

Lifestyle is the most important factor for health that is under our control. You may feel like you are doing many of the things on the list. Whether you are or not, chances are that there is room for improvement. Keep working to make your lifestyle choices healthy ones – your body will thank you for it!

 

1.https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/
2.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3354573/

Book An Appointment With Nardini Naturopathic

Are you concerned that your lifestyle may not be supporting your health?

Or perhaps you’d like a review of your overall diet to see where you could be doing better.

Maybe you have food allergies or intolerances and worry you aren’t getting enough nutrients because of your restricted diet.

I’m Dr. Pat Nardini, a naturopathic doctor who offers nutritional counseling services to help ensure all of those gaps in your diet are filled, and that you’re getting enough of all the important nutrients which your body needs to function at its best.

Contact me today for more information, or book a free 15-minute consultation where I will help you understand how naturopathic medicine can help you.