Rule #19: Live a Healthy Lifestyle

Living a healthy lifestyle when you’re in your twenties is probably one of the most obvious, simplest and practical rules to live by, but it’s also one of the most underappreciated and ignored.  Most Quarterlifers are too preoccupied and consumed with school, work, and social obligations to consciously monitor or improve their physical, mental and emotional health.  As a busy young professional or student, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and worn down by all of the external forces that we deal with on a daily basis, but the best preventative strategy against stress and sickness is to make sure we take care of our body, mind and heart.  The best thing about living a healthy lifestyle is that it’s one of the easiest rules to follow and if you develop a few simple habits to help take care of your health, then eventually you won’t even have to consciously put in too much effort to always feel great and perform at your highest level.

A common misconception about living healthy is that it takes a lot of added thought, work and effort, which many twentysomethings feel like they can’t afford in a busy lifestyle.  If you want to live out a dream of being a professional athlete, then you might need to make a few drastic changes and serious commitments. For the rest of us, getting and staying healthy doesn’t mean you need to dramatically change your lifestyle by going on a strict diet and hitting the gym everyday.  Of course eating right and exercising when you can is a pretty great way to stay healthy, but really the easiest and most effective way to keep yourself in good mental, physical and emotional shape is by making healthy choices.  In all aspects of our life we have choices- where to live, where to work, what to do in our free time, etc.  However, sometimes we don’t think about our choices and when trying to be healthy, it can be easy to make the wrong ones.  As busy and preoccupied as you may be, all it takes to be healthy without making dramatic changes in your lifestyle is by simply choosing healthier alternatives in your daily life.  Choose the healthier option when you go out to eat, choose not to have “just one more drink” when you’re out at the bar, choose to go for a walk or a jog on the weekend instead of catching up on TV.  It’s always hard at first to get in the habit of doing anything, but little by little if you start making better and healthier choices, eventually it will become a daily habit and routine in every part of your life.

Being healthy all starts with making the right choices, but there are also many other practical and simple ways to help you feel at your best.  The key is the make it fun and easy, and less like a chore.  There are many resources available to help you stay healthy- most of which don’t cost any money- so no matter how busy and preoccupied you may be with the stresses of daily life, there is often no excuse to make at least a few smart choices in your day.  Here are just a few examples of simple ways that can effortlessly be adapted into any lifestyle to help you stay healthy:

- Get enough sleep: Unfortunately for a lot of busy twentysomethings, sleep is often underrated and ignored which can cause a lot of unnecessary health problems.  If you get a sufficient amount of sleep, you’ll be more energetic, focused and productive throughout your day.  If you think you’re not getting enough sleep, force yourself to go to bed a few minutes early, or (if you can afford the time) set your alarm for a few minutes later than normal in the morning.  Getting enough sleep is the best way to fight off illness and is the first and most important step in staying healthy.

- Take advantage of your health benefits: If you have health insurance (and now if you’re under 26 you can be on your parents’ insurance plan), you should take advantage of it as much as you can and go to the doctor/dentist/etc on a regular basis.  Unfortunately, a lot of people (especially new, young professionals) who have health benefits are not always explained what you can and cannot do with your health plan.  It’s to your best advantage to first choose a good plan that you can afford, and then make sure you understand what you are entitled to with your benefits. With most health insurance plans, you can get quite a lot of health support for whatever you need- from minor illnesses, to physical checkups, medications and even mental health support if you need it- often at little to no extra cost beyond what you already contribute to your coverage. 

- Make exercise a social activity: Sometimes the hardest part about incorporating exercise into our day is doing it alone.  The solution to this is to make exercise a more social activity.  Schedule regular runs, walks or hikes with friends so that you have an easy excuse to exercise more.  It’s a can be a great alternative to meeting for a meal or drinks and will make both of you feel great.  Also join or start sports clubs at work.  Start a hiking club or form a sports (softball and dodgeball are always popular) team or league at your company.  Make it fun and competitive.  It’s a great way to get to know your colleagues and also foster corporate teamwork.

- Take classes at your gym: If you belong to a gym, sometimes it can be hard to motivate yourself to get out the door or spend an hour before or after work to hit the treadmill or the exercise bike.  However, most gym memberships let you take various exercise and fitness classes for free, and they’re offered at all times of the day.  If you’re the type of person who works best on a schedule, find a class at a convenient time and force yourself to go just once and see how you enjoy it.  Not only will attending regular classes keep you on a schedule and give you a reason to go to the gym at a specific time and day, but it’s also a great opportunity to be social at the gym and meet other active people.

- Make small changes in your diet: There are a lot of people who believe that eating right, losing weight and staying healthy means adhering to a strict and rigorous diet.  On the contrary, that can often be the problem and not the solution.  The simple solution is just to make small and simple changes in your daily diet choices.  For example, choose water instead of soda or alcohol at lunch; have wheat bread instead of white on your sandwich; only eat until you’re full instead of feeling obligated to clear your plate; and most importantly, always eat something in the morning, as breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.  You don’t have to stop eating things you enjoy, just make the healthy choice in your diet every now and then.

It’s not an understatement to say that living healthfully can be the most important thing we can do for ourselves to help us be at our best.  The ripple effect of maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be pretty astounding.  If we take care of our bodies and minds and make smart, healthy choices then it’s amazing how easy it is to be stress-free, illness-free, energetic and motivated in our daily lives.  No matter how overwhelmed you might be at this point in your life, if you focus taking care of yourself first and live a healthy lifestyle, then you’ll be even more prepared, willing and eager to take on any challenge that comes your way.

Rule #18: Be Honest

One of the most natural human qualities (especially in our current society) is to be dishonest, both individually and with others.  We do this for any number of reasons, sometimes as a defense mechanism, sometimes to conform to others’ standards, sometimes out of fear and sometimes because we’re not completely comfortable with the person that we genuinely are.  For twentysomethings, there are many aspects of life where we are not completely sure of ourselves or what others expect of us, so we often tend to avoid, ignore or distort the truth about who we truly are in order to become who we think we need to become to be successful and happy in our lives.  While this may be an okay strategy in the short term, eventually what will happen is there will come a moment when you’ll realize that the life you’re building and the path your traveling down is not faithful to your true self.  This will eventually lead to disappointment and a lack of fulfillment in your life.  If you really want to strive towards happiness, success and fulfillment in the long term (and the short term, too), you have to start with honesty.  As kids, most of us were taught that “Honesty is the best policy,” and there are plenty of reasons why this is true.  If you get in the habit of always being honest with yourself and with others, then you’ll find it to be the easiest and the best guidance system to follow to help you get the most out of your Quarterlife years.

The most important aspect of using honesty to your full advantage is to first be honest with yourself at all times.  A big key to being honest with yourself is to always be aware of and acknowledge your emotions.  Trust your instincts when something does or doesn’t feel right. Know your limits and your boundaries, and be honest about when to stay within them and when to push past them. You can’t force a square peg into a round hole, so don’t feel you have to put yourself into any situation that you don’t feel comfortable about.  At the same time, if something does feel right, acknowledge that feeling and pursue it. Whether you’re feeling fear, joy, trepidation, happiness, excitement or any emotion about a person, situation or a choice you face, your emotions will help guide you in the right direction.  You just need to learn to not ignore or avoid those emotions, and instead be honest and okay with them and let them serve you in a positive way.  The only right choice in any decision is the one that’s best for you, so if you make the choice based on your honest emotions, it’s pretty hard to make the wrong one.

While our emotions can help us to remain true in our decisions, no one makes the right choice every time.  A large part of being honest with yourself also means admitting your mistakes when you do make the wrong choice.  This can often be painful since part of being a twentysomething means making a lot of mistakes! You don’t have to dwell on them, but once you can admit your mistakes you can learn from them and move on.  Everyone makes incorrect choices now and then, but it’s how we react to them that will determine whether they will make us stronger or weaker.  If you’re honest with yourself about your mistakes, then you’ll know what to do to ensure that you don’t make them again in the future.

Honesty isn’t just an important rule to follow with yourself, but it can be just as important to follow with others as well.  There are many instances when we might think it’s better to hide some aspects of ourselves or lie to others and tell them what we think they want to hear or be who we think they want us to be.  This can be in any situation, like on a job interview, on a date, or maybe in situations with roommates or friends.  We tell ourselves that it might be easier or more advantageous (for us and for them) to lie or hide the truth, but eventually the truth always seems to come out one way or another.  When that happens, it becomes an even worse situation for both the other person and for you.  Being honest with other people will not only make you feel better about who you are, but you’ll gain more credibility and integrity in the view of everyone around you.  Not only that, but the more honest you are with others, the easier it will be to attract people to you who accept you for who you truly are and will make you feel the most comfortable about your true self.

Being consistently honest can be one of the most difficult rules to follow, not just for Quarterlifers, but for anyone.  There are many times when it requires making hard decisions for ourselves and for others around us.  However, if you learn to be as honest as possible in acknowledging your emotions, admitting and learning from your mistakes, and also being honest with others, you’ll see that honestly is a pretty effective compass that can help guide you to be the truest version of yourself.  The more honest you can be about yourself, the happier and more comfortable you will be with everything that you choose to be, do or have.

Rule #17: Don't Be Afraid To Ask For Help

When you go through life in your twenties, it’s often a rollercoaster of the high points of feeling like you “have it all together,” and the low points of feeling totally helpless and alone.  Part of twentysomething life means making a few mistakes every now and then, and some mistakes might be bigger than others.  For most of us, these mistakes can be hard to swallow, and even harder to admit to others like our friends and family.  As we’re constantly trying to prove to ourselves and to everyone around us that we do have complete control in our lives, when we do occasionally fall we’re reluctant to appear vulnerable and ask for support when we might need it most.  Many twentysomethings are often so focused on themselves and how they appear to others, that it can be easy to remain stubborn and refuse to show any weakness.  While it might be hard at times to show weakness and vulnerability by asking for help and support from those around you, if you do ask for help and support when you need it the most (and even when you don’t), you’ll find that not only do you have a wealth of people around you eager to help you through the difficult times, but also that you are not unique in struggling through the ups and downs of Quarterlife.  No matter how strong and confident you might be in your life, even the strongest people can’t always do it alone.  As the saying goes, “you can’t get what you don’t ask for,” and if you’re not afraid to ask for help in the good times and the bad, not only will life in your twenties be easier but it will also be more fulfilling and rewarding knowing you had help from others to encourage you to be at your best.

Although at times twentysomethings may be reluctant to draw upon it, one of the best and most reliable resources for help and support is our parents.  Through our teenage and college years, we spend a lot of time trying to prove we can be independent from our parents and can oftentimes be stubborn in the pursuit of that independence.  In your twenties, however, when many of us do gain some semblance of freedom and independence, you can often find yourself torn between feeling like you can do it all on your own and feeling totally helpless.  When you do need help and support, it might feel a little embarrassing to admit to your parents that you don’t have it all together as much as you tried to prove it to them. Luckily for most of us, our parents will always be the first ones to help us when we need it most and also the people least likely to judge us when we do make mistakes.  While they probably can’t fully sympathize and understand with everything you’re experiencing, they most likely have experienced some of your same trials and tribulations when they were in their twenties and will want to help make it easier for you in any way that they can. Even if you don’t happen to have the best relationship with your parents, find the closest mentor or parental figure you do have nearby.  It might be a former professor, a co-worker or even your boss.  The least you’ll get is some helpful wisdom from those who have been in your shoes before and can help guide you on your way.  Whether it’s emotional, financial or psychological support we need, we might not always get exactly the help we are looking for from our parents, but for most twentysomethings our parents will often be the most willing and eager support system we can rely on for help when we need it the most.

The other major resource that can be invaluable in times when you need advice and assistance is from your fellow Quarterlifers. While it might be difficult at times to ask your parents for help and support, for many twentysomethings it can be even tougher to ask for the help and support of your peers.  Many times we don’t want to reveal our weaker sides to our friends and colleagues and also might be afraid to ask for help for fear of rejection, and in fear that it might burden them or turn them away. However, what you’re most likely to find is someone who can sympathize with you more than anyone else can, and is willing to help you out or at least lend an open ear to your troubles.  Most often, they are going through the same stresses that you are and want someone to identify with and who can sympathize with them, too.  For the most part, the problems that Quarterlifers are facing are common to one another, and who better to ask for help from than someone experiencing the same ups and downs that you are.  If you have the courage to be honest and ask for help from a peer, not only will you feel better about your situation, but also both of you will feel better knowing that you are not alone with your problems.  In many cases, knowing we are not alone is all that we need to give us the motivation to move past our down moments.

In finding our way in our Quarterlife years, it’s important to strike a balance between knowing when we can face our toughest moments completely on our own and when we might need some help along the way.  It’s not always easy to reveal our vulnerabilities to others in those times of need, but it’s also good to remember in those times that we’re all human and that no one person has all the right answers.  Sometimes we need a helping hand to get us over some of the speed bumps we encounter in life, but that help won’t always come to us on its own.  Reaching out for help in the times when you can’t or don’t want to be alone in your struggles will show you that you are never truly alone, and will bring out the inner strength that you may never have found without the support of those who are willing to help you the most.  All you have to do is ask!

Rule #16: Express Your Creativity

When some twentysomethings think about expressing creativity, they believe that it means being creative in a strictly artistic sense, which might mean being a good writer or musician or painter or photographer, for example. If you asked these same people if they thought that they were creative themselves then you would most likely get a negative answer.  However, the thing about creativity is that whether we know it or not, it’s something that we all express in our daily lives, from the most mundane activities to the most challenging ones. Being creative just means there is no limit to finding new and different ways to get the most out of expressing who you are as an individual, whether you are artistic or not. If you really want to get the most out of life in your twenties and discover your true individuality, then you have to get creative about how to be creative. When you are truly creative, you are just approaching all aspects of your life differently and thinking in a way that expresses your own individual uniqueness.  If you approach life in your twenties with this mindset, then you’ll discover how to enjoy your life the most you can.

If you don’t consider yourself an artist, expressing your creativity can be something as easy as finding new ways to enjoy even the simplest of daily activities. From the moment you get up in the morning until the moment you go to bed at night, there are countless ways to make your day more creative and exciting.  If you’re someone who is used to a routine everyday, change it up now and then.  Try a different cereal for breakfast, drive a new way to work, workout at a new gym (if you go to the gym), find a new website to explore every day, check out a new bar or restaurant once a week, rearrange the furniture in your apartment.  All it takes to be more creative in your daily life is to get out of your comfort zone every once in a while.  Sometimes being creative just means finding a different way to enjoy the things in our lives that we are most used to.

If you are someone who is artistically minded, there is never a better time to explore that aspect of your creative self than when you are in your twenties. There has never been a time when there have been as many simple, cheap and easily accessible ways to share your creativity with the rest of the world as there is now.  If you’re an aspiring filmmaker, then all it takes is a small digital camcorder and YouTube to share your creativity.  If you’re a wannabe writer, then all you have to do is create a blog (which is free).  If you want to be a radio host, start a podcast.  There really aren’t any limitations except your own excuses.  If you have the desire and the passion to be artistic and creative, there is no reason for you not to share your talents with the world.  Even if it’s just expressing your creativity for yourself, the important thing is to take advantage of the freedom and available resources you have as a twentysomething in today’s world to be creative.

Although changing up your daily routines is a great way to be creative and bring some more diversity into your life, being creative also means challenging yourself.  Sometimes, in order to be truly creative you need to break boundaries, test limits, take chances and not be afraid to take on more responsibility for pushing yourself further.  Don’t be afraid to do this in any area of your life.  At work be creative by taking charge of new projects or finding more efficient ways for your company to do things.  During some free time, take a vacation to a country or a city you never thought you would visit.  Be creative in your social life by exploring new places and going to new events in your area that you never had before.  All of these are just examples of potentially hugely rewarding ways that you can bring more creativity into your life.  If you just think outside the box and take some risks when you have the opportunity to as a Quarterlifer, then you’ll see how bringing creativity into your life can make it more exciting and interesting than you ever thought it could be.

As Quarterlifers today, we are constantly creative in the way we live our everyday lives more than any generation before us.  In the way we communicate, the way we work, the way we relax, the way we consume media, and in countless other ways we are creative in the way we shape our individual worlds.  To get the most out of life in your twenties, you need to find a way to not only use this creativity to make your life easier, but to also make it more fulfilling.  Take the time to explore and express your individual creativity and you’ll discover the world around you is more dynamic, fun, exciting and rewarding than you knew it was before.