Good Habits – Bad habits took time to develop; so do good ones. Take it a day at a time and focus on replacing the bad ones with good ones. Jot your progress down in a private journal. Reward your good days and good times with stickers, colour marker smiles, silly colour-pencil sketches, etc. And stick with it! Remember “slow and steady wins the race,” not racing through things like the tortoise!

Be Your Best Friend – Forgive yourself and be a friend to yourself. No one is perfect. Be aware of your inner feelings and take care to find healthy outlets for yourself. For example, find healthy ways to express anger (yes, it’s OK to be angry sometimes!) and healthy outlets for fun (around healthy people and places). Parent yourself by adopting better grooming habits, eating healthier and getting plenty of rest. And have your support network and healthcare professionals on your team help you learn how to handle stress and anything that triggers old addictive behaviours and ways to pop up.Jot down notes for reference, if necessary, but bring them out as soon as you can and face them so that you can overcome them with healthier alternatives. Messed up in the meantime? Forgive yourself and move on. Don’t dwell on the negative. Instead, embrace the positive and your new network, support team and resources.

Stop and Smell the Roses – Life does have a lot to offer. And much is forgotten during stages of addiction. Keep an ongoing list or fun, neat things you’d like to do and USE it. For some ideas refer to the five senses; sight, taste, touch, smell, sound. For example your list can include a walk in the park, collecting leaves, a swim at a local hotel or YMCA, sitting on a porch swing with a friend, singing your favourite songs, whistling your favourite tunes, enjoying a warm bubble bath, buying some fresh flowers, lighting a scented candle, eating your favourite healthy foods, preparing a fun snack and sharing it with a friend, playing a board game and walking the dog. When you’re bored, anxious, or just need a break, grab your list and choose an item to do or plan.

Self-Improvement – Often addiction problems get started and continue because of lack of self-esteem. So reach out and continue your education, either formally or informally. Read motivational materials, listen to self-help tapes, watch inspiring movies, videos and DVDs. Learn goal setting, money handling, business skills, time management skills and more through library articles, local workshops and online opportunities. Take charge of your life and be responsible. With learning opportunities available from free to all variety of budget ranges, the time for excuses is over!

Time-Out – This does not refer to the “time out” punishment, like sending a child to stand in the corner at a day-care facility. This is a time-out for yourself and allowing “bad” stress to take its course. In reality not everything is perfect. And that’s OK. There is no need to get high, drunk or escape in any other unhealthy way every time things aren’t perfect. Acceptance is OK. In other words, it’s OK to feel angry, sad, unhappy or other not so positive feelings sometimes. That’s natural and part of life. However, instead of turning to negative addictive behaviours, get with your support team ahead of time and plan pro-active strategies for handling these sometimes-difficult issues. For example with anger, punch a pillow. Shed some tears when you’re sad. Take a time-out break and rest during heavier issues. Relax with some herbal tea. Tell yourself everything will be OK. And enjoy some relaxing music.

With all the advances medicine has made in recent years it has become much more efficient at treating many health problems that we have. We all know however it is best to avoid health problems all together. By following a few simple healthy living tips you may be able to do this.

MAKE REGULAR DOCTOR VISITS

Men often ignore abnormal health symptoms and avoid going to doctors. This may be part of the reason why women tend to outlive us. Make sure that you have a yearly checkup. Make the appointment and keep it. There are some that need a little push so get a family member involved that will make sure you go to your doctor. It is in your best interest as well as theirs.

EAT A HEALTHY DIET

Avoid eating processed and fast foods. These are the types of foods that are full of sugar, unhealthy fats and salt. Instead include fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean cuts of meat into your diet. Try to eat two meals of fish per week. A good tip when grocery shopping is to concentrate on items that are on the perimeter of the store. This is the area where you will find fresh foods. The aisles, for the most part, is where the unhealthier foods are.

EXERCISE ON A REGULAR BASIS

The leading cause of death today is heart disease and regular exercise is known to be the best way that you can prevent it. Try to exercise at least 30 minutes each day. Choose something that you enjoy doing and it will be easier to stick with your program for the long term. Swimming, walking, softball or other forms of aerobic exercise will give you the most benefit.

KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR WAISTLINE

One way that you can determine if your health is at risk is by your waistline. If your waist is larger than 40 inches this may be a reason for concern. Studies have shown that men with larger waistlines are more susceptible to heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other health issues.

MAKE SURE YOU ARE GETTING YOUR VITAMINS

You can do this in two ways. Take a multivitamin each day and make sure your diet includes vitamin rich foods. Eating foods that are high in fiber will help you accomplish this. One side note here, some commonly prescribed drugs have the effect of depleting our bodies of needed nutrients and vitamins so if you are taking anything for a condition you have it would be a good idea to speak to your doctor about this on your next visit.

STAY AWAY FROM THE COMMON HEALTH SINS

While some of this may be obvious it is still worth mentioning. Don’t smoke. This is one of the leading health risks that we face today. Even second hand smoke can have negative affects on your health and the health of people around you. It is a major contributor to lung cancer, COPD, emphysema and other diseases.

If you drink alcohol make sure that you do it in moderation. While some alcohol consumption has been reported to reduce the risk of heart disease doctors recommend that you do it in more healthy ways such as exercise. Alcoholism has negatively affected many people along with their families.

Stay away from drugs such as cocaine and anabolic steroids. Cocaine has been shown to increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke. It has become all too common for men who are trying to increase body mass to resort to steroids. Unfortunately there is a high price in term of health that is often paid.

By following these simple guidelines you can greatly increase the probability of living a much healthier and productive life. You will not only feel better but look better as well.

Many people believe that in order to have a healthy body, one must spend a fortune. Well, good news. That is not necessarily true. In fact, there are many painless health techniques that can be done without having to dish out a lot of cash. One can actually do this for free and at any given time!

Below is a list of easy tips that can help in promoting a healthy lifestyle:

1. Get an adequate amount of sleep every night. Whenever we sleep, our body regenerates its lost tissue and lets our system do its job in cleansing our body from unwanted toxins. Insufficient sleep gives us less energy and this can affect our mood for the day. Exhaustion can settle over the body and makes its overall function less effective. Every night, 8 hours is the ideal amount of time that one should spend sleeping in order to wake up healthy and rested.

2. Learn from your mistakes by identifying them. Aside from focusing on what you want to achieve, spend some time to identify what were the circumstances and actions that have led you out of your tracks before. Know the things that you can do in order to counter that problem effectively in the future. Having a sound plan is winning half the battle and with a positive attitude, your chances of success will increase as well.

3. Create tools that can manage your emotions. One of the primary causes of gaining weight is eating too much when stressed. A person without the right mindset can trigger unhealthy habits such as alcohol dependency, smoking or avoiding the problem all together. In order to correct this, one should invest their energy in addressing their issues in life and find out ways how it can be solved. Avoiding your problems can create emotional complications in the future.

After every struggle you have overcome, always acknowledge it by celebrating your achievements. Instead of a perfectionist mindset, always think that you are doing your best in whatever situations you encounter. Also, having a positive attitude can start your day right and work wonders for your life.