9 Best Things I Ever Did To Improve My Health

Improve your health and well-being with these 9 simple tips that I personally used for a major health transformation.

For the most part of my teen years, I struggled to maintain good health. I had fluctuating body weight, regular acne breakouts, and poor gut health.

Almost all areas of my life were affected because of this. I was cranky, lacking self-confidence, and didn’t quite know who I was supposed to be.

The health game shouldn’t be so hard, but throughout our lives, we fall prey to bad habits and societal pressure.

What’s supposed to be natural (i.e., the art of living), ends up becoming a real struggle for us.

In my own health journey, I had to go through hundreds of changes before finally reaching a mindset that is in perfect alignment with my being.

One thing that really kept holding me back was the overwhelming information on health circulating around me.

It seemed like everyone had different opinions on what ‘being healthy’ looks like. From going to the gym to cutting back calories, I tried it all.

But in the end, it was my own intuition and some amazing wellness influencers that got me to my glow-up.

In this post, I’ll tell you about the 9 simple yet life-changing things I did to improve my health.

These are the wonderful health tips that I wish I had known sooner in my wellness journey. It would have saved me a lot of headaches.

But being able to spread the message now is good enough.

If you’re ready to embrace a healthier and happier version of yourself, read on.

9 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Health

1. Make Yourself Love Hydration

We all know hydration is good for the body, but it can be a hard habit to build. How do you go from drinking 2-3 glasses a day to the ideal number of 8?

I tried in vain for months to level up my hydration intake, but in the end, making it fun and appealing is what worked out.

Since plain water bored me, I got myself a fruit-infused water bottle and it absolutely changed the game for me. Hydration was all of a sudden more colorful, literally!

I also started drinking more soup and set a sweet goal to drink a glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice every day.

Here are the amazing changes I observed within a month:

• Healthier and clearer skin
• Improved digestion
• More energy
• Better mood throughout the day

Making yourself love hydration is the best thing you can do to improve your health. It’s also the easiest place to start.

You do want healthy and glowing skin, right?

2. Strength Training

It happened, you guys, I’m now officially a part of the strength-training club. I never thought it would happen, but here we are!

For so long, I stuck to cardio to keep my body healthy. I would take long walks, go running, and blast my heart to HIIT workouts from YouTube.

It was all good and fine, but my body was getting sick of it, and I knew deep down it wasn’t just a case of boredom.

So, at my brother’s and a friend’s insistence, I got myself some dumbbells and jumped in.

And I’m not trying to be dramatic when I say this, but my life will never be the same again (in a very, very good way.)

Here are some beautiful changes I saw in my health after strength training:

• Toned arms
• No bloating (so happy with this one)
• Stronger body (well, duh)
• Improved metabolism

To anyone who’s new to strength training, I’d suggest going for a pair of 5lbs dumbells and another set of 10lbs dumbells. You’ll be good to go for a few months.

You might want to get a pair of ankle weights to wear on your walks and runs. It’s a great way to introduce strength training to your cardio routines.

In case you’re wondering, I still do cardio. I’ve been aiming for a 50-50 balance of cardio and strength as my body seems to love this combination the best.

3. Instead Of Banning food, Practice Mindful Eating

I know the idea of restricting certain food items is highly acclaimed in the fitness world.

Sugar is said to be ‘poisonous’, and sodas are slowly killing your metabolism. Maybe on some level, all of this is true.

But here is the deal – I don’t want to live a life where I eat a piece of cake on my birthday and stay away from it for the rest of the year.

I tried this, you know (yeah, I did), and it backfired on me.

I was stuck in a cycle where I’d eat healthy for a month, but then something in my life would go wrong, prompting me to buy all the food that I had ‘banned’ from my diet.

This habit was extremely exhausting, both physically and mentally.

But then I came across the most beautiful and wonderful book called Eating In The Light Of The Moon by Anita Gibson, and it healed my thoughts on the deepest levels.

This book helped me shed my identity as a binge-eater and embrace intuitive eating. After reading it, I made many changes to my eating mindset and was able to heal my relationship with food.

Understanding Mindful Eating

To me, mindful eating is all about eating what makes you happy, and saying no to certain food only when you know it doesn’t suit your body.

This practice doesn’t ask you to ban anything from your diet just because it is supposedly bad. Example: I am resistant to dairy, so I simply don’t eat it at all. No exceptions.

But I have a sweet tooth and even though sugar is sad to be unhealthy, I don’t hold myself back from chocolates and sweets. They make me happy and my body doesn’t react badly to it either.

If you were to head over to my ‘About’ page, you’d find this:

I eat my fruits and vegetables but also know how to enjoy a batch of chocolate cookies to celebrate the sweetness that is life.

I’m proud of myself for getting to a point where I was able to write that as part of my introduction on this blog.

Of course, intuitive eating can seem difficult to master, even though it’s supposed to come naturally to us.

My next tip will cover the one hack that will help you gain control over your eating habits and become a pro at mindful eating.

4. Start A Food Journal

I started a food journal at the beginning of last summer.

Prior to this, I used to log my food intake into a food app, and while that was helpful initially, it didn’t feel natural later on.

Since I love writing things down, I didn’t mind trying a food journal to see if it’d help me be more mindful of my meals.

For about a month, I struggled to find my rhythm with this new habit. But the more I logged my meals using a pen and paper, the healthier my eating patterns became.

I’d felt food guilt on countless occasions before this, but for the first time in my life, my approach toward my food habits became gentle and understanding.

If I ate 4 cookies and felt heavier in my gut while writing it down in my journal, my mind automatically made a note to eat less the next time.

A year later, I am now using my fourth food journal. I’ve stopped obsessing over my calorie intake and am purely dependent on my body (and my journal) for food guidance.

As someone who always struggled to find stable ground in the food department, keeping a food journal has been nothing short of groundbreaking for me.

5. Dress According To Your Body Type

One thing I realized early on was that to be truly healthy in life, you need a good amount of self-confidence.

I would tell myself that I didn’t need to dress in any way to feel good and that true confidence comes from within. But I could never get myself to fully embrace this idea.

Recently, I finally came to terms with the realization that confidence is something you have to build, step-by-step and habit-by-habit.

And one of the most important parts of this is the way you dress.

I’ve been through a phase where I dressed bigger than my size, and another phase where I only wore tight clothes.

Then I started observing well-put-together women and found that dressing according to your body type is actually the key to looking and feeling great.

Now, before shopping for any clothing, I first check out some fashion blogs for the latest dressing advice on my body type, and then I follow through on it. It helps me shop for clothes that make me look smart and classy.

When you step outside, there should be security in the way you carry yourself.

The more comfortable you are in your skin, the more inclined you will be toward healthy living.

So, dressing according to your body type to improve your health? Check!

6. Stop Obsessing Over The Numbers On The Scale

The weighing scale was a good friend in the initial stages of my journey, but after a point, it turned into an enemy.

I didn’t even realize when I started associating my worth with the numbers on the scale.

I weighed myself almost every day, and if the number showed to my liking, I felt amazing. But any fluctuations and I’d start panicking.

I knew I needed to let go of this obsession, but the idea of not using my weighing scale regularly felt like cheating on my health.

A few people close to me showed concern and gently told me a few things that I already knew but needed to hear:

• Your body weight is not the most reliable way to measure your health.
• Weight fluctuations happen for a number of reasons, especially in women. There’s no sense in losing sleep over the everyday ups and downs.
• Weight obsession can ruin your body image and affect your mental health negatively.

Hearing all that, I decided it was time to tuck away my weighing scale and focus on my body strength instead. Again, strength training really helped me with this.

Body positivity has never been easier, and I have learned to rely on my instincts to guide me toward healthier choices. It’s a very liberating feeling, trust me.

8. Add Green Tea To Your Diet

I only ever read about green tea in weight-loss articles, and to be honest, weight reduction was the reason I started in the first place.

With time, my health goals changed from my appearance to my overall well-being. But green tea remained a consistent part of my diet, for reasons way beyond fat loss.

Green tea contains an amino acid called L-theanine that is associated with a calming and stress-reducing effect on the brain.

I can personally attest to this. I could be having a terrible day, but the moment I sit down with a cup of green tea, everything seems right in the world.

It is also rich in antioxidants and may help you develop a stronger immune system.

I replaced my regular Indian chai with green tea and have been having a cup every day for the past three years.

I’ve tried 7-8 fancy tea brands, but I keep coming back to the good old Lipton.

I am obsessed with their Blueberry green tea and would recommend it to anyone who’s looking to adopt green tea long-term to improve their health.

7. Listen To Your Body

Your body knows what’s best for you. It’s always giving you clues as to what it needs and what it doesn’t.

To improve your health, you need to start paying attention to these signs and taking them more seriously.

I have sensitive skin, and my face reacts quickly to any diet changes that don’t suit my gut. Whenever there is a painful pimple on my face, I know I am doing something wrong.

Earlier, I’d get stressed over such changes. But now I’ve come to understand that it’s just my body’s way of telling me that I need to change something about my lifestyle.

To become a healthier version of yourself, fine-tune your understanding of your body and start relying on it for guidance.

After all, your body is and always will be the best health coach you can find.

9. Practice Self-Love Without Limits

I tried a dozen different mental tactics to improve my health – tough love, self-beratement (yeah, not proud of that one), and hardcore motivation.

But in the end, self-love is what saved my health.

I realized I don’t have a thousand years on this earth, which means every second I have with myself is precious and a blessing.

I can’t and shouldn’t spend my time on this planet hating my body or judging myself for the way for look. It’s not a wise utilization of my thoughts and my energy.

I am unique, as is each of you who’s reading this post. Our uniqueness and authenticity are perhaps our biggest strengths.

To enhance all the good things about you, you need to first embrace self-love and accept yourself in your current form.

I know this is easier said than done. Self-love takes time and patience, which is why I chose to save this point for the last.

But I am telling you now that you could be the healthiest person on this planet, but it would mean nothing if you can’t love yourself at your low points.

I talk at length about this in my post on self-love habits. Make sure to check that out before you leave. It’s one of the most appreciated articles on my blog.

Embrace A Healthier And Happier Lifestyle

Some of the things that helped me improve my health might not necessarily work for you, in which case, feel free to discard the advice and do it your own way.

We all have different bodies, and it’s important to prioritize our personal needs and do what’s best for us. But I do hope I was able to help you on some level through this article.

If you have any lifestyle tips that you’d like to share or any questions that you’d like to ask, feel free to reach out in the comment box. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you. 🙂

Read next: How To Become That Girl – 11 Amazing Hacks