We are busy developing programs to help people with developmental disabilities and their support providers live healthier lifestyles. But what is meant by healthy lifestyle?  It seems that it is important to first define what a healthier lifestyle is and why it is important. To put it simply a lifestyle is how we live our lives. Our individual lifestyle is composed of a variety of habits. In later blogs we will go more into habits, why they are important, how they are formed, and how to form new healthy ones. But for now let’s just look at the components of a healthy lifestyle.
A healthy lifestyle consists of both making healthy choices and avoiding unhealthy ones. Let’s start first with the healthy choice:

1. Choosing healthy foods
2. Exercising
3. Getting enough sleep
4. Managing your stress
5. Keeping your mind active
6. Maintaining a strong social network

Some of the unhealthy habits to avoid include:

1. Overeating and eating junk food
2. Sitting too much
3. Watching too much TV
4. Smoking
5. Drinking too much alcohol
6. Taking dangerous drugs -- both legal and illegal

• We will go into detail on each component of a healthy lifestyle in future blogs.

• We will cover ideas on how to adopt a healthy lifestyle by developing healthy habits, specifically the "Small Step Approach" to habit formation.

• We will also provide information on how to provide support to the individual with Developmental Disabilities when teaching healthy lifestyle skills. In other words what does it mean to be a Learning Partner and what are the skills the Learning Partner needs to have in order to be an effective support person?

• Visit our Healthy Lifestyle Learning Academy by clicking the link below!

 https://doublesinstructional.teachable.com/