10 Offbeat Ways I Stay Healthy (and Ideas For You To Consider, Too)

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Excerpt: Healthy living is more ‘gray’ than it is ‘black-and-white.’ Read on to see my list of 10 offbeat ways to stay healthy that have helped me.

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Introduction: Healthy Living is More ‘Gray’ Than ‘Black-and-White’

For the most part, we all know the “do’s” and “don’ts” of being healthy: Do take the stairs; Don’t take the escalator. Do eat fruits and vegetables; Don’t eat donuts and candy. Do exercise regularly; Don’t count walking from the kitchen to the T.V. as regular exercise.

However, living a healthy lifestyle isn’t as, “black and white” as it is sometimes laid out to be in articles and books. Healthy living is a whole bunch of “grays.”  

That’s why healthy living is a gazillion dollar industry! The magic formula (eat healthy foods and exercise regularly) can be applied in as many different ways as there are people on this earth. That’s how many shades of gray there are in this case.

My intention with this article today is to share with you some of my healthy living, “grays.” I want to go beyond the cliché items that get listed in practically every healthy living article and give you some (hopefully) fresh ideas—beyond just “eat more vegetables,” or “go for a run.”  I hope it finds you well. Enjoy!

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The List:  10 Offbeat Ways to Stay Healthy:

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1) I have completely eliminated certain foods and beverages from my diet. For me, if there is room to compromise, I will. If I allow myself to have “just a little bit of something,” I’ll probably end up having “a lotta bit” of it. If I have certain things, “just this one time,” I will probably end up having it many times thereafter, too. Because of this, I cut out donuts, pop (except ginger ale sometimes), dairy, and sports drinks from my diet altogether. Those were unhealthy trigger items for me and by cutting them out completely, I don’t even think about having them anymore.

2)  I learned to enjoy my coffee black. Goodbye cream and sugar.  Goodbye fancy and expensive calorie loaded caffeine drinks. Coffee is such a ritualistic staple that if you can change the ritual for the healthier, you can really make a big difference on living a healthier life.

3)  I have embraced the power of, “Adding on.”  For example, I don’t eat cereal or granola plain – I always turn them into “power bowls.”  How might one level up a “bowl” to a “power bowl?”  By adding things like: walnuts, almonds, flax seed, cut strawberries, cut banana, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.  I also do this with most pasta dishes.  Never just pasta and sauce – I’m always adding broccoli, carrots, and other greens whenever I can.

4)  I learned that I really like finger foods, so I keep the healthy finger foods stocked and close by.  One of my weaknesses is hummus.  I could eat crackers and hummus every… single… day.  Knowing this about myself, I have learned to incorporate other things that are similar yet healthier.  Things like broccoli, carrots, peppers, and salsa.  Leveled up.

5)  I keep plenty of water around – in the bottle.  There is something about grab-and-go that has always been appealing to me – and I’m sure I’m not the only one.  When you’re thirsty and you open the fridge to find bottles of gatorade, cans of pop, and boxes of juice – where water needs a glass, ice, and pouring – most times people will go for the grab-and-easy.  Having bottles of water always in the fridge really help conquer thirst in a healthy way when you’re feeling lazy.

6)  Whenever a kids asks me to play with them – I try to always accept.  Kids are balls of energy.  The older we get, the less of a ball of energy we become.  But, you can increase the amount of energy your ball has with healthy living.  So, when I’m asked to play with a kid who has more energy than they know what to do with, I try and always accept—regardless of how tired I am—and tap into their energy to feed and recharge from it.

7)  I keep tasty protein bars and TONS of peanut butter around for cravings.  I have learned that these two items are adequate for satisfying my sweet tooth when it spikes and they are some of the healthier of the snacks that I have found.  The lesser of the many other evils so to speak.

8)  I like martial arts – it’s my preferred form of movement.  Knowing this, I try to always blend together martial arts with my cardio or weightlifting workouts.  I’ll rarely ever do a strictly weightlifting or strictly cardio workout.  I couple concepts together so that I get the benefits of both.  Try to incorporate your preferred form of movement in as much as possible.

9)  I always drink a protein smoothie immediately after my morning workouts.  I know I’m going to be hungry after I finish my workout. I also know that my body needs quality protein as soon as possible after a workout is finished so it can start essential repair. So, I buy frozen fruit, protein milk, hemp hearts, green superfood powder, flaxseed, and a B-Complex supplement in bulk and keep them close by so that there’s no question how I’m going to start my day. Easy, consistent, incredibly protein-rich, and satisfying.

10)  I never, ever commit to or follow a diet.  I don’t believe they work out over the long run.  I believe in small lifestyle changes, incorporated one at a time, that you adopt and maintain and compound for the rest of your life.  Diet is short term.  Lifestyle change is “life-term.”

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