Lifestyle habits and behaviors that promote good health can often prevent disease and the need for drugs and medications.

Prescription drugs get widely used in the United States, where 48.6% of Americans have used at least one drug within the past 30 days. If you use at least one medication, it’s vital to know that most medications only treat symptoms and often do not treat the root cause of health problems. When you stop taking drugs, your symptoms will usually reappear and continue to affect your livelihood until you make the necessary positive lifestyle changes.

Healthy daily habits and lifestyle behaviors are critical to maintaining good overall wellness. They can often provide far more health benefits than any pill or drug. Plus, many medications produce side effects that can lead to other health problems.

Continue reading to learn more about the importance of healthy living over drugs and medications and how you can implement these behaviors into your everyday lifestyle.

Controlling Portions

Portion control can reduce many uncomfortable digestive problems. Many digestive symptoms occur due to overeating and overloading your digestive system. Eating smaller portions can often prevent weight gain, bloating, and stomach cramping, and pain. Smaller portions can also help you feel lighter and more energetic and control your blood sugar levels.

Overeating can lead to health problems, including obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. It can also lead to gallbladder disease and the eventual removal of your gallbladder. Medications may reduce your appetite and control symptoms of diabetes and heart disease. However, they won’t cure overeating in the long run.

Talk to your doctor about the best portion sizes for you based on your weight and activity level. Your doctor or nutritionist can help you develop a healthy meal plan and choose portion sizes appropriate for you.

Consuming Macronutrients

Macronutrients are essential nutrients your body needs to function correctly. Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are the three main types of macronutrients. A diet rich in macronutrients can boost your energy and reduce your risk of diseases, including cancer. It can also strengthen your immune system and make you less likely to become ill.

Your diet should consist of 10% to 35% proteins, 45% to 65% carbohydrates, and 20% to 35% fats. Proteins play a critical role in your metabolism and hormonal balance. Carbohydrates provide you with energy. Fats help protect your organs and get used as an energy reserve for your body. They also help you absorb certain vitamins.

Unhealthy foods can zap your energy and increase your risk for a wide range of illnesses. Instead, eat a diet high in macronutrients and reduce your intake of sugars and processed foods.

Healthy protein sources include:

• Beans and lentils
• Nuts and seeds
• Whole grains
• Fish, poultry, seafood, and meats
• Soy products, including tofu and edamame
• Avoid processed meats, including bacon, sausage, and hot dogs

Healthy carbohydrates include:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Beans and lentils
• Whole grains
• Low-fat or non-fat dairy
• Avoid refined carbs, including cookies, cakes, bread, and candy

Healthy fats include:

• Fatty fish, including salmon, sardines, and tuna
• Avocados
• Nuts and seeds
• Olive and avocado oils
• Avoid unhealthy fats, including butter, full-fat dairy, and fried foods

Exercising Regularly

Like good nutrition, exercise can prevent and fight off many diseases, including obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Exercise is a drug-free way to reduce high blood pressure and maintain a healthy weight. There are no pills or medications that produce the same health benefits as exercise.

Try to exercise on most days of the week. Do at least 150 minutes of moderate cardio exercises per week, including brisk walking, running, or bicycling. Combine cardio exercise with strength training for optimal health benefits. If you have a low fitness level, start walking for a few minutes a day. Then, gradually increase the intensity of your workouts.

Ask your doctor for help with developing the best exercise routine for you based on your current health and fitness level. Working with your doctor can help you stay safe, especially if you have a chronic health condition like heart disease.

Many people who start a new exercise routine don’t stick with it for a long time. For example, research shows that the majority of people who make the New Year’s resolution to exercise quit before the end of January. The best way to stick with exercise is to do activities you enjoy. Do exercises that are fun for you, whether it be hiking, dancing, or gardening.

Getting Quality Sleep

Quality sleep is an essential component of good health that gets commonly overlooked. Your body heals and repairs itself every night while you sleep. Sleep also helps you produce specialized hormones like melatonin that reduce your risk of cancer.

Sleep refreshes your body and brain, repairs cells, and reduces stress. It helps your body eliminate waste that can build up to cause illness and disease. Poor sleep can lead to various chronic health problems, including heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It can also lead to constipation, fatigue, and high stress.

Make sleep a top priority in your life. Do whatever it takes so you can sleep better and more comfortably. Hang blackout curtains that reduce noise and light. Invest in a more comfortable mattress and bedding. Consider falling asleep to a white noise machine, or download meditation apps that help you fall and stay asleep.

Sleeping pills may help you fall asleep quickly but usually only work for a short period. Many types of sleeping pills can lead to dependence and addiction. They may also cause rebound insomnia when you stop taking them. Rebound insomnia is insomnia that was worse than insomnia you had before treatment.

Talk to your doctor if you have an underlying health condition causing sleep problems, such as sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is often gets caused by lifestyle factors including obesity, smoking, and alcohol use. Changing these lifestyle behaviors may help you treat sleep apnea and prevent you from needing any pills or medications.

Managing and Reducing Stress

Many people believe that stress affects only your mental health. However, stress can lead to several serious physical health problems. Headaches, obesity, high blood pressure, and digestive issues represent many health conditions caused by stress.

Stress is the body’s natural response to potentially life-threatening situations. Stress usually goes away on its own after the threatening situation has passed. However, stress can become dangerous to your health if it doesn’t go away.

When you’re stressed, your body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol increases your heart rate and blood pressure. When you have chronic stress that doesn’t go away, your heart rate and blood pressure stay high. That can lead to many heart problems, along with weight gain, depression, and muscle pain.

Benzodiazepines and antidepressants are the most common types of medications used to reduce stress. However, these medications are not ideal for long-term use because they cause side effects leading to other health problems. For instance, benzodiazepines can be addictive when used for longer than a few weeks.

Learn how to effectively manage stress so you can avoid taking any medications. Medications will not treat the root cause of your stress. Many of the daily habits mentioned in this article can help you reduce stress. Exercise regularly, get quality sleep, and eat lots of healthy foods. Other ways to reduce stress include doing yoga or meditation, discovering new hobbies, and spending time with loving friends and family.

Not Smoking

Quitting smoking, or never smoking, is one of the best health choices you can make throughout your life. The CDC reports that more than 16 million Americans are currently living with a disease caused by smoking.

Smoking is a leading cause of preventable death. If you quit smoking or never smoke, you can avoid cancer, lung disease, and heart disease. You can also prevent diabetes, stroke, and erectile dysfunction. All these diseases commonly get treated using pills and medications.

If you currently smoke, ask your doctor about treatments that can help you quit. Certain medications can help you stop smoking. However, these medications should only be used for a short time until you can entirely quit.

There are also lots of non-drug treatments that may help you stop smoking. Acupuncture, hypnotherapy, and herbal supplements may work.
​
Exercising regularly can also motivate you to quit smoking. Smoking affects your lung health and can make it difficult to breathe, especially when doing aerobic exercises. Suppose smoking is holding you back from increasing the intensity of your workouts. In that case, you may find that quitting is easier than you think.

​The reasons for exercise and fitness abandonment have been researched quite well in social and health psychology. Here are the top six reasons people quit an exercise or health program.


1. No Time


One of the most common reasons given for exercise abandonment is “I have no time.” Lack of time goes beyond exercise time. It may include the time to go to a gym or time conflicts with other activities.
More often than not this is a perceived barrier, not based on reality. People find time to watch TV for hours in the evening, go for drinks with friends, and surf the internet – if they wanted, they could find 30 minutes a day to exercise.


If someone paid you $1,000 every day to exercise for 30 minutes, would you be too busy?


Don’t stop! There are a number of strategies to deal with lack of time. Preparation is key:
- Schedule workouts/classes beforehand
- Treat the schedule as set in stone (like you would a dentist appointment)
- Get ready the day before: pack the gym bag, put it in the car, get the protein shake ready – eliminate everything that could serve as excuse (“Oh, I forgot to wash my gym clothes, now I can’t go”)
Another strategy is to add social pressure, bring your friends, hubby, son, daughter, that way you’re less likely to feel you can’t go!


2. Want Too Much, Too Quick


People are prone to dropping out if exercise does not meet their expectations. If you expect to lose weight quickly and don’t, you are likely to abandon the fitness routine. If you expect to gain muscle fast and don’t, it’s likely that you won’t stick to the program. If you overdo it (and for complete beginners, aerobic activity of three times per week may be “overdoing it” – twice per week may be better to recover and get used to exercise), you are more likely to quit.


Don’t stop! SMART goals are imperative. They should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. Get feedback on your goals from a trainer or from a peer group. Measure progress.


3. Wrong Kind of Motivation


Motivation is an interesting one. It seems like there is a switch that, when it gets flipped, just makes you do something. Researchers have determined that self-generated and self-determined motivation is more effective than externally imposed efforts to change health behavior.
“I exercise because I personally want to. I like the feelings of progress. I do it because it’s the means to an end that I value.”
If you exercise or eat well because you think it is important or because you value good health, you will be more likely to stick to it than if you start because of external motivation such as shame or guilt.
An important motivation factor is a person’s physical self-efficacy or confidence in ability to do exercise and be consistent with workouts. High self-efficacy is particularly important for exercise adherence among women.
Self-worth (the foundations of a person’s specific values about exercise) is a key factor in exercise adherence for women. If a woman has a belief that she is “worth it” (i.e. I’m worth the cost of a gym membership, the time I spend on myself, etc.), she is more likely to stick to a program.


Don’t’ stop! Find out what motivates you. Educate yourself about the value of physical activity to health and quality of life.
Shift your focus from lofty expectations, like losing 20 pounds, to the positive experiences of exercise, like its effects on mood and the feeling of well-being.


4. Lack of Enjoyment, Experience or Fear of Pain


Common sense already says that if you don’t enjoy an activity, you are not going to keep it up, unfortunately, many end up doing a certain kind of exercise just because they have been told “it’s good for you”. Running may be such a thing. For many it’s simply boring. Coupled with the fact that it’s not very effective for weight loss or strength gain, it’s no wonder that so many give up running come the winter.


Injuries are also a factor in exercise abandonment. If combined with other factors, harmless knee pain can lead people to give up on exercise completely, when they really should work to find alternate or rehabilitating exercises.


Don’t stop! Pick an exercise that you like. Learn how to warm up and cool down to prevent injury. Learn how to exercise with good form


5. Poor Access to Exercise Facilities or Unpleasant Exercise Environment.


It appears that easy access to exercise facilities enhances exercise adherence. Also, satisfaction with a workout facility (i.e. the perception that equipment is safe and the facility is user-friendly) is also highly associated with exercise adherence. Interestingly, watching others exercise also helps motivate people to continue with their own workout plan.


Home exercise programs are generally given up much easier. Our homes are typically associated with relaxation and not with strenuous physical activity. That’s why so many ab-wheels, cross trainers and Insanity DVDs stay in a corner unused.


Don’t stop! Try to fit in your exercise as best as possible into your schedule and don’t be afraid to experiment. Maybe you can use the lunch break to go a class near your office or workplace. Find a class that fits your style.


6. Lack of Support.


Numerous studies show that perceived or real lack of social support from a significant other or meaningful friend is highly associated with exercise abandonment.


Don’t stop! Explain your interest in physical well-being to friends and family. Ask them to support your efforts. Invite friends and family members to exercise with you. Get a workout buddy or join a class.


Top Tips On How to Never Quit a Fitness Program


1. Work on your self-perception and inner motivation. Make it clear to yourself that you are exercising to improve your health and well-being.
2. Reinforce that with social support and professional feedback.
3. Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely).
4. Set up a specific training plan.
5. Go do it.

​If you have ever had the goal to lose weight, you have probably tried to diet. However, there is a difference in watching your diet versus going on a diet. And there is a difference in going on a diet versus changing your lifestyle. If you're looking to lose weight and be a healthier you, it's time to look at your lifestyle instead of the latest diet trend.

The difference between diet and lifestyle

The biggest difference between going on a diet and changing your lifestyle is that a diet will always be short term, no matter how long you stay on it. While you may see the results you want on your diet, chances are that when you go back to "normal living," your weight will come back too. Diets, more times than not, are about restrictions, limitations, and cutting foods from your diet. But when you think long term, cutting out foods permanently doesn't seem like a very realistic option. 

A lifestyle change is long term, completely changing you're life. For example, if you like to enjoy a late night snack, a diet might have you completely cut out that food while a lifestyle change would be figuring out the best way to fuel your body. That might not mean cutting out that food, but maybe not eating it right before bed, and eating less of it. 

If you're looking for results that will stick, it's important that you work towards a lifestyle change.

Why fad diets don't work

Most diet plans consist of short term changes that can lead to fast weight loss. Often times, this means cutting calories, eliminating food groups, and depriving your body of the nutrients it needs to run at its best. And while you may get the results you are looking for, you have a higher chance of falling back into old patterns when you stop following the diet so strictly. 


The basics of diet plans can be cutting calories, carbs, and fats. Your body needs the right amount of calories. It needs carbs. It needs fats. There is no one way to change your lifestyle that will work for everyone, but it's important that that is what it is -- a lifestyle change.

How to change your lifestyle

Your first step should be determining your goal -- why are you making this change? If it's for weight loss, think about what your end goal looks like. Don't settle on the "perfect number" because when it comes to getting healthier, it's not always about the number on the scale. Once you have your goal, think about how you live now and what changes you will need to make in order to reach your goal. This could be drinking less soda, eating healthier alternatives, and moderation. Rather than cutting things from your diet, find out how you can make them healthier or stick to the portion recommendations; don't overindulge. 

Other helpful tips to change your lifestyle include:

• Control what you can. If you eat when you're emotional or stressed, find something new. Instead of turning to food when you're stressed, try going for a walk or picking up yoga. If you eat when you're feeling sluggish, try a short nap or finding an exercise to boost your energy.

 

• Practice mindful eating, not restricted eating. Mindful eating is taking a deeper look into your eating habits. Eat slower so you're body can recognize when it is getting full, and don't let yourself get over-full. Add in new foods like leafy greens or lean proteins. Examine menus for healthier options when out to eat. 

 

• Stay motivated. A long-term change is just that: long term. You will not see results overnight but if you stick with it -- you will see results that will last. One of the biggest differences between lifestyle changes and diets is purpose. Diets can help you lose weight, but if you're goal is to be healthier, finding your purpose can help you stay motivated for a lifestyle change. 

 

• Take charge at home. If you do the grocery shopping, buy things that will nourish your body, not just satisfy a craving. Spend more time in the produce aisles than the processed food aisles. Cook at home, and enjoy trying new recipes. Incorporate more fruits, veggies, proteins, and healthy fats into your diet. Plan ahead of time: meals, what you will eat at restaurants, snacks for a trip, etc.

The results of a lifestyle change are worth it, but it won't be easy. And starting will always be the hardest part of the journey. If you aren't sure where to start, talk to your health care provider about goals and nutritional changes that will work for you.