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Starting healthy habits on World Health Day

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Posted at 10:18 PM, Apr 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-07 23:48:56-04

LAFAYETTE — Saying that you're going to start living better and eating right is not always easy, but there are plenty of small things we can do today that can improve our health.

Tess Swastek, the Fitness Coordinator at the UL Recreation Center, says that there are many ways we can define a healthy lifestyle. In fact, she says there are eight different dimensions to wellness. Those include both physical and emotional health, as well as financial, occupational, intellectual, environmental and spiritual.

There are things we can do physically to improve our health, such as exercising and eating better, but some people may find it hard to maintain such a change while also having to juggle their busy lives. Swastek says sometimes its easier to maintain those healthy habits when we integrate them with our everyday activities.

"I have heard some people will take Netflix shows that are common," says Swastek. "There are workouts that you can find online that tell you to do ten squats every time this character says something."

Swastek's advice to stay motivated when creating a healthy habit is to find something that you like and something that you enjoy doing.

"I always say try things twice," says Swastek. "It's always kind of weird the first time, or you might not be sure."

Kelly Goff, a college student and athlete at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, says that her health is very important to her and she is able to maintain it by keeping a planner to get herself motivated.

"I know it's just a little thing, and sometimes you don't always stick with it, but it really helps me to visually see and jot down what I need to do for the day and it helps to check it off," says Goff. "You really do feel more accomplished and motivated to get more things done on that list."

Along with physical activity, changing your diet to something more wholesome is a simple way to start a healthy lifestyle.

"What I like to do is meal prep the week before," says Goff. "That way if I get home late I can just whip up something super quick already prepared out of the fridge."

Swastek says starting a healthy habit isn't something that happens overnight. It takes time, dedication, and patience, but starting with something as simple as drinking more water throughout your day could improve your health more than you think.

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