In the hustle-bustle of today's hectic lifestyle it can be increasingly difficult to donate enough time to make sure that you're at your absolute healthiest. Let's be honest here, most of us are a lot better at keeping our cars running efficiently than we are at taking care of our minds and bodies, but just a few subtle adjustments to your everyday routine can make the world of difference in your overall feeling of wellness. We can't all afford a pricey gym membership, or a few sessions with a nutritionist, so below are a few simple steps which you will be able to easily insert into your daily routines that should have you feeling like a new person in no time at all.

STAY HYDRATED

Water is the lifeblood of almost every organism on the planet so it makes sense that you should want lots of it in your system, right? You've doubtless heard recommendations on TV or in magazines which tell you that you must drink ungodly amounts of H20 every day, but the truth is there's no fixed amount of water which would suit everyone. Each individual's personal intake is dependent on numerous factors, like your age, height, weight, where you live and what your lifestyle is like. The simple rule is that you should probably drink more water than you are already doing, particularly a big glass first thing in the morning.

EXERCISE FREQUENTLY

You don't have to be a gym rat to maintain a healthy lifestyle but it is a good idea to break a sweat every once in a while. Road running is a great way to get yourself in shape but make sure that you get a pair of decent running shoes on your feet, otherwise your knees and ankles will complain. A lot of people find running to be a bit boring, so there are plenty of other activities which you should be able to add to your lifestyle without too much hassle. Five-a-side football, yoga, tag rugby, spin classes, Zumba - you just have to find something that you're interested in and there's no more fun way of getting fit.

EAT HEALTHILY

You could follow all these steps to a tee but it's not going to matter worth a damn unless you give your body the fuel that it requires. You do this by maintaining a healthy, balanced diet. A healthy breakfast such as Kellogg's All-Bran provides you with the energy you need for the first stage of the day. Eating healthily doesn't mean to you have to survive on a diet of celery and spinach though; there are plenty of tasty ways to prepare whole foods which are high in nutritional content. A varied and balanced diet should include a variety of foods from all the major food groups - no one food provides all of the nutrients that we need.

RELAX

See? Not all of the items on this list are hard to do; this one requires you to do absolutely nothing at all! Relaxation is a very important part of keeping a healthy mind and, let's face it, it's not very beneficial to have a healthy body when you're brain is melted and pulling you in a thousand different directions at once. Different people have different methods for calming themselves and soothing their minds. Some turn to yoga and meditative breathing, while others will retreat to a couch with a cup of tea and good book. Some will play chess, other will play guitar so it's just about finding whatever works for you and making some time for it.

SLEEP

Much like nutrition, if you're not doing this correctly it will undermine any other positive changes you've been trying to make in your life. It has been recommended by numerous studies that we should get eight hours of sleep per night but, as we all know, sometimes that's just not realistic. An average of seven hours per night should be fine but one thing you want to avoid is getting only a few hours per night on weeknights and then 'catch up on your sleep' at the weekend. This will just leave you feeling tired and fatigued and will generally play havoc with your sleep cycle. If you have trouble nodding off, consider turning off your TV, phone or laptop a good hour before you go to bed as the blue light emitted from the various screens has been shown to reduce sleep quality.