Living a healthier lifestyle and bariatric surgery go hand in hand in improving your quality of life. A healthy lifestyle is going to mean something different for each person, so it is important to get an understanding of what that means for you individually. Being “healthy” is not just about eating good and exercising, it is about a positive self-image, positive thinking, and surrounding yourself with the right people. We’ve highlighted four techniques that we think are vital to maintaining a healthy mind and a healthy life and followed that up with a list of 43 more ways to maintain that lifestyle!
1) Purge negativity from your life.
Negativity can come at us from many angles, including yourself, your friends, your job, your family, and even your significant other. What we would like to focus on is ways to get rid of some of those negative thoughts and negative energies. First, let’s start with our self. It is important to understand that negative thinking can be a habit of mind. The only way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a good one, so let’s talk about a few strategies for negative thinking.
- Simply talk your thoughts out with a supportive friend or family member
- Write your thoughts down to get an understanding of what is triggering the them
- Calm your thoughts by taking some deep breaths so you can reset your mind
- Find something you enjoy to do and when you start having negative thoughts you can go and do that thing. Ex: Read a book, go for a walk, go to an exercise class.
- A personal favorite, create a positive go-to statement that you can say to yourself when you are hearing that negative voice in your head
Next is tackling when friends and family are bringing negativity into your life. Unfortunately, with bariatric surgery it is common to have unsupportive friends and family before and after surgery. Some may think you don’t need it, some may think you are taking the easy way out, some may be threatened or jealous, and some may simply be worried about your safety. Whatever the concern may be, it is best to address it directly. This can be a challenge for some patients to address because the people you love most and the people that should be happy for your success are the ones who are bringing you down and the ones you need to address directly. Here is how we divert negativity from friends:
- Try to change the subject
- Limit your time together
- Avoid conversations that have led down a negative path in the past
- Find new friends that have similar interests as you
Now how do we deal with negative family members? Well we all know that we, sadly, cannot choose our family. What you do have the power to do is decide how much time you want to spend with them and how much you let them affect you. You can also set boundaries or where you draw the line when certain family members are being negative and let them know when they are crossing that line. Sometimes it is best to limit certain topics and discussions with family if you know they are going to go down a negative route. This can be a challenge for some, but family might not even be the best audience to talk to about bariatric related things, so remember we are always a resource for you to use along your journey.
2) Get enough sleep
Getting enough sleep is very important for your overall health and well-being. Sleep is correlated to weight, productivity, metabolism, immune function and so much more. A deficiency in sleep is an all too common occurrence in the United States. As part of a health survey for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 50-70 million Americas have chronic (ongoing) sleep disorders. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, this is a problem because “sleep deficiency is linked to many chronic problems including, heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stoke, obesity, and depression”. At a high-level sleep is necessary for healthy brain function, emotional well-being, and physical health. It is so important to be getting between 7 – 9 hours of sleep each night to function your best.
3) Find something you love or have a passion for
If you are someone that has been struggling to find their passion, finding something you love and investing it that will give you a feeling of purpose and fulfillment. For some, that purpose is blatantly clear, but for others, it isn’t as easy to identify. I am going to list a few tips that Jack Canfield, originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and New York Times bestselling author, says will help you find your life passion and true purpose. (“10 Life Purpose Tips to Help you Find Your Passion”, Jack Canfield).
- Explore the things you love to do and what comes easy to you
- Ask yourself what qualities you enjoy expressing the most in the world
- Create a life purpose statement
- Follow your inner guidance (what is your heart telling you to do)
- Be clear about your life purpose
- Conduct a passion test – https://thepassiontest.com/
- Think about the times you’ve experienced the greatest joy in your life
- Ask yourself, when have I felt most fulfilled?
- Align your goals with your life purpose and passions
- Lean into your true-life purpose
By using and focusing on some of these tips and tricks you will be able to start living your everyday life with purpose!
4) Drink enough water
As we all know and are often told water intake is vital to our overall health. Drinking water is important, but most of us aren’t drinking enough water every day. It is needed to regulate our weight and body temperature, remove waste, and carry nutrients and oxygen around our body. Make sure you are drinking enough to keep you hydrated through out the day. Signs of dehydration include dark yellow urine, dry lips, dry mouth, and little urination. If you are someone that struggles with getting your daily water intake or struggles with the taste of water, here 
is a few things you can do to help.
- Add fruit such as lemons and berries to your water to take away that bland taste
- Set a timer on your phone to make sure you are drinking throughout the day
- Always have a water bottle near by
- Eat vegetables high in water content
- Invest in a smart bottle that syncs to a hydration app and glows when you need to drink more water, link below.
As we mentioned before, these are just four tips of the many you can use to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Your four may be different, so here are 43 more ways to live out that healthy day-to-day life.
1. Drink more water
2. Get enough sleep
3. Meditate
4. Exercise
5. Pick exercises you enjoy
6. Work out different parts of your body
7. Eat fruits
8. Eat vegetables
9. Eat fermentable fibers
10. Pick different-colored fruits/veggies
11. Get your macro-nutrients
12. Get you micro-nutrients
13. Cut down on processed food
14. Choose white meat over red meat
15. Go for healthy fats
16. Love yourself
17. Go walking/running
18. Purge negativity from your life.
19. Avoid trigger foods
20. Breathe. Deeply.
21. Improve your posture
22. Address emotional eating issues
23. Eat small meals
24. Stop eating when you feel full
25. Live a life of purpose
26. Avoid deep-fired foods
27. Avoid sugary food/drinks
28. Don’t drink alcohol
29. Watch out on glycemic index
30. Go organic
31. Prepare your meals
32. Learn to say no
33. Bring a water bottle when you go out
34. Eat only what your body needs
35. Stop smoking
36. If you are going to snack, eat healthy snacks
37. Go for routine check ups
38. Enrich your diet
39. Experiment with new and different foods
40. Get out of the house more often
41. Exercise good dental hygiene
42. Join social interact fitness classes
43. Hang out with healthy people
The Bariatric Center of Kansas City wants to encourage and challenge you to focus on a few of the items on the list each week and over time you will see an improvement in YOUR personal version of a healthy lifestyle!
For more information on bariatric weight loss surgery, feel free to contact The Bariatric Center of Kansas City, 913-677-6319. Our specialists can assist you with information and bariatric support.
If you’re interested in starting a bariatric journey soon, sign up to attend a free informational seminar today by registering at: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/the-bariatric-center-of-kansas-city-at-shawnee-mission-health-lenexa-ks-324917613
Chua, C. (2018, August 23). 45 Tips to Live a Healthier Life. Retrieved from https://personalexcellence.co/blog/healthy-living/
Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sleep-deprivation-and-deficiency
10 Life Purpose Tips to Help You Find Your Passion. (2018, May 03). Retrieved from http://jackcanfield.com/blog/finding-life-purpose/
Posted in Bariatric Health, Bariatric Nutrition, Mental Health