Healthy Lifestyle Steps

For Health and Happiness

How can we decide the most important actions to take?

How can we be successful making changes that stick long term?

Follow the simple 3 Step process below on an ongoing basis to develop a healthier lifestyle, not only to improve our own health and happiness, but also to support those we love and care about.

STEP 1: Notice How We Are Doing:

  • How are we feeling physically?
  • How are we feeling emotionally?
  • How well do we function in our day to day activities?
  • How is our weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels?
  • Do we have chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, or memory issues?
  • How are the people close to us doing in these areas?

It may be helpful to know a few basic Personal Health Numbers. Some you can measure yourself (such as height and weight and maybe blood pressure). Others can be determined by your healthcare provider (such as laboratory tests).

STEP 2: Understand How Our Lifestyle Effects Our Health and Happiness:

  • Continue to seek information about how our lifestyle effects our physical and emotional health.
  • Remember the basic ingredients of the healthiest lifestyle.

STEP 3: Respond With Meaningful Action.

  • Decide whether to commit to just 1 or 2 steps at a time, or to go “all in” with a major lifestyle makeover.
  • Be Specific. Set a Date to Start. Make it Happen.
  • Have a back up plan for setbacks.
  • Get together with friends and family to discuss why this is so important.
  • Make it Fun!

Below is a list of Healthy Lifestyle Steps to consider. Click on the links to learn more:

Enjoy Fruit: 2-4 servings per day (1 cup fruit or ½ cup berries)

Enjoy Vegetables: 3-5 servings per day (1 cup)

Enjoy Beans: 2-3 servings per day (½ cup pinto, black, lentils, chickpeas, soybeans)

Enjoy Whole Grains: 2-3 servings per day (½ cup hot cereal or cooked grain like brown rice or quinoa, 1 cup cold cereal, 1 slice whole grain bread, 1 small corn or whole wheat tortilla)

Add Mushrooms and Onions/Garlic: a couple times of each per week

Add Tree Nuts: ¼  cup each day (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, etc)

Have a variety of Seeds: ground flaxseed 1-2 tbsp each day (also chia, sunflower, sesame)

Have a variety of Spices: turmeric ¼ tsp each day. (also curry, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon)

Eat organic foods as much as possible

Drink Water:  2-3 servings per day (8-12 ounce glass)

Drink Tea or Coffee: 2-3 times a day (green, black or herbal tea, coffee)

Switch to plant based milk (soy milk or almond milk etc, but not rice milk) from cow’s milk

Switch to beans (legumes) from meats 3-4 times a week


Limit white meat (poultry and fish) to 2-4 times a week (or even stop white meats completely)

Limit red meats (beef and pork) and processed meats** to 1-2 times a month

(or even stop them completely)

(**bacon, ham, sausage, hot dogs, lunch and deli meats, smoked dried or canned meats)

Decrease ice cream and/or cheese 1-2 times a week (or even stop dairy completely)

Limit eggs to only 1-2 times a month (or even stop eggs completely)

Limit Salt: less than 2 grams per day (even less is best)

Make sure you are taking the vitamins that you may be lacking. Vitamin D3, 2000 to 4000 units, which is 50 to 100mcg, for most people, unless you are regularly exposed to enough sunlight. 4000 units for nursing moms, 600 units for newborns, 800 to 1000 for toddlers, 1000-2000 for most kids and teens. Higher doses if you are older, overweight or have darker skin color.

Especially for those eating primarily plant-based, Vitamin B12 is essential. 50mcg daily or 2000mcg once a week for most adults, The dose is a bit different for Seniors, Pregnant Women and Kids. Seniors over 65 need at least 1000mcg a day, and over 50 likely need that much too. Pregnant Women and kids over age 10 can take basically the same as middle age and young adults. 5mcg for infants to age 4, and 25mcg for Kids 4 to 10.

Begin walking* or jogging** (Exercise-Lifestylefacts.org)(Exercise-Nutritinfacts.org)

  • Start at 5-15 minutes 3-4 days a week if need to start easy
  • Increase to 20-30 minutes 4-5 days a week when able
  • Work up to 45-60 minutes 6-7 days a week if desired

*or other light to moderate intensity activity like yoga, light housework. Moderate activity  feels like you can “talk easily, but not sing” and may cause a little perspiration

**or other moderate to strenuous activity like biking, swimming, tennis, gardening. Strenuous feels like “you can only talk a few word sentences at a time” and usually gets you sweaty

Start strength, stretching and balance exercises 2 times a week

  • join a gym (or set up a home gym)
  • attend a yoga, tai chi, dance or another exercise class (or do at home with DVD/Online)

Commit to not sitting for over 1 hour without getting up and moving for 5 minutes

Make time each day for mental relaxation and spiritual connection:

Encourage Joy and Avoid Negative Stress:

  • journal about positive experiences. Celebrate and enjoy them. Also explore the more difficult experiences. Identify any counterproductive thoughts and feelings and try to focus on more reasonable and helpful ways to think and feel about them
  • consider what ways you feel joy
  • consider also what ways you feel stress
  • commit to steps you can take to find more joy and less stress
  • can you ask someone such as a friend or family member to join in your journey?
  • would a trained counselor be helpful?

Encourage Healthy Sleep:

  • less caffeine and alcohol
  • more physical activity and outside or in bright light time
  • slow down and dim the lights before bedtime (including TV,computer, and phone screens)
  • have bedroom set up for better sleep (dark, quiet, cool)
  • allow for 7-9 hours of sleep
  • get checked for sleep apnea if you snore, stop breathing, find it difficult to stay awake during the day, have difficult to control insomnia or high blood pressure, or depression or memory issues

Make sure you are challenging your brain to stay sharp by doing complex tasks

  • start reading a book
  • schedule time for making art or playing a musical instrument
  • regularly play a complex game you enjoy
  • learn a new activities such as cooking, gardening, or another craft or hobby
  • seek an opportunity to teach, mentor or lead

Maintain a strong social connection:

  • regularly attend a club, classes, or church
  • commit to strengthening an important family relationship or friendship

Take time each week to consider what gives your life meaning and purpose

Commit to stopping or minimizing harmful lifestyles:

Commit to making a safe lifestyles a priority:  

  • wearing seat belts and helmets, having smoke detectors in place and working, gun safety, caution when using equipment and chemicals
  • eat organic foods as much as possible, and avoid being exposed to pesticides, weed killers and mold.

Here are some links to trustworthy lifestyle guides to help support our healthy lifestyle choices:

Check out the Whole-Foods Plant Based Diet Guide from T. Colin Campbell’s Center for Nutritional Studies and try the free Plant-Based Health Mini Course.

Here is a link to the Plant-Based Life Blog Posts by Dr. Rosane Oliveira. Her foundation educates and empowers people to live happier and healthier lives through positive habit change that includes the adoption of a plant-centered diet and the development of daily wellness practices.

20 Habits For a Healthier, Happier Life. Enjoy this article from the Blue Zones website.

Dr Greger’s Daily Dozen Checklist. You can download free iPhone and Android apps for your phone to help keep track of how you do each day. (This also includes his 21 Weight Loss Boosting Tweaks)

The Oregon Pain Guidance Patient Education Toolkit is a collection of videos and handouts that provide pain management education which is largely lifestyle focused about how to improve health and better manage pain.

Click here for a printable version of Personal Health Numbers.

Click here for a printable version of Healthy Lifestyle Steps.

Click here to go to Healthy Lifestyle Resources.

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