People who follow a healthy lifestyle do more than just manage their diet and make good food choices. They also tend to get regular exercise, keep alcohol in check, don’t smoke and manage their weight.
Positive clusters like these have a beneficial impact on physical and mental health.
But negative actions also can cluster together, which is why people who smoke often tend to drink more heavily, have poor diets and get little exercise.
Being aware of how certain behaviors cluster together and interact can help improve your health and also have significant effects on your diet.
Grace Derocha, a dietitian and national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics based in Detroit, often sees these cluster behaviors.
“On the negative side, it could be that you went to bed too late the night before, then couldn’t wake up in the morning, so you missed your workout,” Derocha says. “Then, you don’t have time to eat breakfast, and you don’t make and pack your lunch.
“Or maybe you’ve had a stressful day, and you have a drink, then one drink turns into two or three, then you go to bed, you are dehydrated, and you don’t sleep well. It turns into a cycle.”
But creating positive habits and behaviors often starts with one simple change.
“When you start exercising even a little, then it’s easier for you to drink more water,” Derocha says. “From there, maybe you increase your exercise and begin adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet, then add high-fiber foods — and you sleep better, too. You begin treating your body right, so you feel better and you want to do more. It takes time, but that’s when the magic happens.”
To improve your health and diet, studies show the most influential and motivating factor is physical activity. Regular exercise can help control when and how much you eat, preventing weight gain and reducing obesity, and several studies suggest that activity can affect the type of food you eat, too.
A study published in the International Journal of Obesity evaluated dietary patterns via a questionnaire given to more than 2,000 sedentary college students before and after a 15-week exercise intervention.
The program consisted of aerobic exercise training three days a week. Despite being told not to change their diet, the researchers found that many participants started eating more nutritious foods, like fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish and nuts, and fewer fried foods, pop and snack foods. The more they exercised, the healthier their diet became.
Other research also has found that exercise motivates people to eat a better diet.
“People who begin to work out and want to see muscle definition or lose weight quickly realize diet does make a difference,” Derocha says. “It’s a matter of nourishing your body and being your best self.”
That doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, consistency and patience. It also means understanding what’s important to you, what drives you and what’s doable for you.
Here are a few other ways to stay on track:
- Be realistic. Food is part of our family traditions, culture and social network. Enjoy eating and sharing meals with family and friends, but don’t go overboard. Track portion sizes, and stay hydrated, especially if drinking alcohol.
- Make easy swaps. Instead of reaching for a candy bar, try a handful of nuts or seeds. Choose fruit over a cookie. Consider having one vegetarian or vegan meal a week instead of meat. When dining out, think about skipping the alcohol.
- Match the messages. Thinking about changing your diet and physical activity? A meta-analysis study looking at the health behavior research found that people are more likely to achieve their goals if the action is the same. For example, increasing exercise, fruit and vegetable intake is more effective than increasing exercise and decreasing fat intake.
- Keep good company. Find a supportive friend or exercise buddy to keep you accountable and help you get through tough times.
- Give yourself a break. Living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing deal. If you miss a workout or don’t eat right, make it up next time. If you eat a high-calorie, high-fat breakfast, have a lighter lunch or dinner.
Following a healthy lifestyle is more than changing your diet. Multiple health behaviors play a significant role.
“Most people know what they should be doing,” Derocha says. “It’s just a matter of motivating them to want to do it and empowering them to apply the knowledge they already have.”
Environmental Nutrition is an independent newsletter written by experts on health and nutrition.
