What comes to mind when you think about making lifestyle changes? Many people get sucked into thinking that the changes they make need to be dramatic ones that completely flip their life upside down, but the best changes you can make are the small ones. The little habits and actions you do that you can stick to and implement consistently across your life.
But what are they? They can be anything and everything, but we have some ideas that might work for you.
Alcohol to No or Low Alcohol Options
The market for non-alcoholic or low alcohol beverages has expanded drastically in recent years, and with more and more people choosing to explore a sober lifestyle, the choice for alcohol alternative drinks has delivered some fabulous drink choices. From the non alcoholic version of your favourite drink, from Guinness 0.0 to non alcoholic gins, wines and Tom Holland’s Bero brand, to brands that aren’t affiliated with alcohol but have different offerings, such as Seedlip and Lucky Saint.
Smoking to Vaping
There are multiple ways for people to stop smoking, but a large majority of those wanting to quit cigarettes choose to switch to vaping. The NHS doesn’t say it’s harm-free; it acknowledges that it’s slightly less harmful, especially nicotine-free vaping.
These days, there’s a range of products that can help you curb your cravings even if you start slowly and build up your usage instead of going cold turkey entirely. Brands like IVG Vapes include both nicotine-free and vapes with nicotine included, so you can adjust your habits in a more sustainable way that leads to long-term results you can stick to and eventually remove cigarettes from your life completely.
Scrolling to Reading
The average person in the UK spends over 3 hours a day scrolling on their devices. That’s a huge chunk of time that can be spent doing literally anything else.
If you’re after an easy swap and you want to break the doom scrolling habit, try reading. You can use a physical book or a reading app on your phone if you prefer. And start by swapping 30 minutes of your scroll time and reading instead.
If you find that’s too much to read in one go, commit to 10-minute reading breaks throughout the day. It doesn’t really matter what you read, either, just that it takes you off social media and gives you something else to focus on.
Takeaway to Meal Prepping
The odd takeaway isn’t really going to do anything. But if you’re relying on delivery services to bring you the majority of your meals, then you’re going to feel the side effects of this quickly in your health, especially if you’re relying on fast food options.
The alternative here isn’t extensive meal planning. You don’t need to dedicate one full day a week to make up all your meals for the week if you don’t want to.
You can simply prep ingredients. For example, chicken breasts in the slow cooker that you season and then shred will last a few days in the fridge and can be used to create multiple different meals. Preparing a whole tub of salad so all you need to do is dish it up is another good choice. Just simple changes that reduce the friction associated with cooking will help.