In a world filled with fast-food options, sugary treats, and sedentary activities, living a healthy lifestyle can be challenging. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to stay on track with your goals and stay healthy. By stocking your pantry with nutritious foods, making smart grocery shopping choices, and creating a supportive environment, you can help yourself to resist unhealthy temptations and stick with your new habits. It’s important to be kind to yourself when you’re making major changes in your life, so try to remember that it can take some trial and error to figure out what works best for you.
Theories that prefer an external interpretation of the concept of lifestyle are mainly sociological and focus on the idea that lifestyle is an expression of one’s social position or belonging to a particular group in a given context (e.g., the models of Weber and Bourdieu) and on the idea that one’s lifestyle can change and evolve in particular phases of life or under the influence of specific sociocultural conditions (e.g., the theories of Veal).
Psychological research on lifestyle focuses on different approaches to the topic. Some authors, such as Alfred Adler and Milton Rokeach, interpret lifestyle as a style of personality, and this perspective is also present in other psychological analyses of the topic. Others, such as Arnold Mitchell and Lynn R. Kahle, develop this analysis as profiles of values and propose that it is possible to identify different models of hierarchically ordered values that can characterise the various lifestyles that characterise a population sector.
The different models developed in relation to the concept of lifestyle differ primarily in their emphasis on the internal and the external dimension, as well as in the type of analysis that they propose for the lifestyle phenomenon. These differences are reflected in the different theories that emerge from them, which can be divided into two broad categories: those that favour an internal interpretation of the concept and those that favour an external interpretation of it.
Developing a lifestyle that promotes health requires careful consideration of a wide range of factors, including nutritional intake, physical activity, mental and emotional wellbeing, and the use of tobacco and other drugs. In addition, it is essential to establish a work-life balance and to make time for relaxation.
While establishing healthy habits can be difficult, it is possible to achieve long-term success. Changing one’s lifestyle is a process that takes time, and it can be helpful to seek inspiration from other people who have made healthy living their way of life. Whether by joining a fitness class or following a healthy eating or exercise Instagram account, it is important to find ways to maintain motivation. It may also be helpful to plan ahead and set realistic goals to achieve over time. For example, rather than trying to cut out all junk food from your diet immediately, you can aim to swap a refined grain for a whole grain in a dish that you cook at home.