BEING HEALTHY IS THE ULTIMATE LIFESTYLE

Staying active, eating right, and getting sleep make up the foundation of self-care.

If someone asked you to quickly write down all the responsibilities you have in life, all
the things you have to take care of, where would you fall on the list? Many wouldn’t even
make an appearance on their own list, and few would put themselves anywhere near the
top. That’s just how we are. Thinking of others and taking care of our responsibilities is of
course healthy, but to live a truly healthy lifestyle we need to take care of ourselves too.
We usually find out the hard way that when we don’t prioritize self-care it greatly affects
everything else we have going on in our lives.

Stay physically active

One of the biggest things we can do to maintain an overall healthy lifestyle is to stay
active. Most of us spend too much time behind a desk all day, so we have to find ways to
counteract that reality. Adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity
per week, and two days of muscle-strengthening activity.¹

If, like many of us, you only have small windows in your day, break it down into 30 minutes, five days a week. Go for a walk or hike, do yoga, maybe a swim or bike ride. When we’re in the office, 30 minutes is an ever bigger ask. But that’s okay, there’s plenty you can do there in just a few minutes that has big benefits. If you sit at a desk, stand up and stretch once an hour. Instead of a coffee break, take a 15-minute walk. Whenever you can, take the stairs instead of the elevator. And if you don’t have one, ask your company about getting a standing desk—most offer them today.

Eat healthy, but stay away from restrictive diets

Everybody wants to feel good, but we get in a rut, put on a few pounds and then of course
we want to take it off. But turning to restrictive diets is a bad idea. Dieters might shed 10 percent of their starting weight in a matter of months, but there’s a catch: Up to two-thirds of people on diets eventually regain more weight than they lost.²

Often, it’s because adopting a black-and-white mentality with food triggers what you’re trying to avoid—
overeating, binge eating, and falling prey to cravings. The best thing to do is to keep it simple. Eat a variety of foods that include fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Cut back on salt, limit your sugar intake, and avoid unhealthy fats.³ And stay hydrated. There are a million drink options today, and the best one for us keeps getting squeezed out of our lives. We are 80 percent water—and we need to keep refilling ourselves, at least eight glasses a day.

Be good to yourself, get the sleep you need

We need a minimum of seven hours of sleep, yet an astounding 35 percent of us regularly
get less than that, while 10-15 percent experience chronic insomnia.⁴ Not getting enough sleep is bad for our physical and mental health, but it’s something a lot of us consistently overlook and brush off despite its obvious effect on concentration, memory, mood, and overall productivity.

The good news is there is quite a bit we can do about it. First and foremost, set a sleep
schedule and stick to it. Our brains and bodies thrive on routine, if they know when it’s
time for bed every night it makes it a lot easier to fall and stay asleep. Also keep your
bedroom dark, quiet, and cool. And ban devices from your bedroom—when we look at
screens before bed our brain stays active and makes it harder to fall asleep quickly.⁵
Exercise and eating right go a long way in determining the quality of sleep we get as well.
They’re all intertwined.

Don’t forget about other types of self-care

Staying active, eating right, and getting sleep make up a solid foundation of self-care, but
there are a lot of other things that promote a healthy lifestyle too. Make sure to keep up
the meaningful relationships in your life. Socialization gets us outside of ourselves and
helps others know what’s going on in our lives. Explore new experiences or dive back into
an old one—when we discover new things, we discover new selves that keep our brains and
bodies healthy. Have a furry friend? Get outside or cuddle up with them—sometimes they
can do as much for us as we can for ourselves.

Above all, remember to fit yourself into your busy life. That’s the first step toward a
healthy lifestyle.

1. CDC: How much physical activity do adults need?
2. Shape: Why You Should Give Up Restrictive Dieting Once and for All
3. MedicineNet: What are 10 Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle?
4. Sleep Foundation: 100+ Sleep Statistics
5. Health Partners: Nine tips to live a healthy lifestyle — and why it’s important

Important Disclosures
This material is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. There is no assurance that the views or strategies discussed are suitable for all investors or will yield positive outcomes. CDs are FDIC Insured to specific limits and offer a fixed rate of return if held to maturity, whereas investing in securities is subject to market risk including loss of principal. This material was prepared by LPL Financial. Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial (LPL), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer (member FINRA/SIPC). Insurance products are offered through LPL or its licensed affiliates. To the extent you are receiving investment advice from a separately registered independent investment advisor that is not an LPL Financial affiliate, please note LPL Financial makes no representation with respect to such entity.