I know with the start of the New Year, plenty of people are making those resolutions about getting back into shape or losing weight. I think whatever your goals are anytime in your life, the best starting point is really with the basics. Overlooking those basic things is something that I think can hurt a person’s success in the long run. This goes for anything, not just something about fitness or weight loss. When you don’t have those fundamentals solidly in place, it’s easier to find yourself back at the beginning where you may feel like you’ve made no progress. So when it comes to someone wanting to get healthier or get in shape, my recommendation is to start implementing the basics and really practice them so you have a great foundation. Today I’m going to share 5 easy steps to start living a healthier life so you can have a good idea of what you should implement!
Step 1: Drink More Water
I realize this sounds extremely cliche and possibly just extremely obvious, however you’d be surprised how many people are not getting the water intake they need everyday and they are walking around chronically dehydrated. Every single one of your bodily systems needs water to function properly and thrive. When you’re dehydrated you are in a mental fog and won’t be thinking as clearly. Any workouts you do will suffer because of dehydration, and then you won’t be able to recover properly without putting the water you lost back into your body. So drink more water…approximately half your body weight in ounces is a good rule of thumb. More if you sweat a lot from your workouts. I carry this water bottle around with me everywhere and I try to fill it up 4x a day.
Step 2: Eat More Greens
Approach this step as something you can add into your life, not necessarily that you’ll have to take something else away. I try to eat a salad for either lunch or dinner each day OR have a smoothie where I’ll just throw in a ton of spinach because you can’t taste it anyways (swear). But without changing your diet at all, you can easily start drinking smoothies or juices to get more greens in. New to green smoothies? Try this recipe: 1 cup almond milk, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 spoonful peanut butter, 2-3 handfuls spinach, 1 banana, and a few cubes of ice (you may need to add more almond milk for the proper consistency). I promise the spinach flavor falls away behind the peanut butter and banana.
Step 3: Get More Sleep
Again, and obvious step to some (even to me) but sometimes you just REALLY have to work at getting in bed earlier. I know it’s so easy for me to procrastinate getting in bed, doing absolutely nothing important instead, when I should be trying to get more sleep. Like dehydration, sleep deprivation can affect us on a variety of levels and impact how effective we are at doing even the most basic of tasks. Aim to get 8 hours, and if you need help falling asleep earlier: put away the phone, get comfy in bed in your PJs, grab a book and make some Sleepytime tea. I also like to mix in a spoonful of CALM magnesium supplement. It’s flavorless and supports a healthy magnesium level plus it’s anti-stress.
Step 4: Move More
I’m not saying you all have to exercise every single day. I think you should find a schedule that works for you and stick to that routine as much as possible so it’s engrained in your lifestyle, but I know working out 6 days/week isn’t realistic for everyone. It’s what I’ve been doing for years and it’s what works for me, but if what works for you is only 3 days, then great! But just be sure you’re moving more each day, workout or not. Walking is so so good for you, so be sure to find ways you can sneak extra steps in throughout the day. Make sure if you sit at a desk, that you’re getting up at least once an hour, doing some light stretching, and moving around. If you’re doing step #1 properly, you should have to stand up to go to the bathroom at least that much anyways! Win-win 😉
Step 5: Do Something Everyday That Makes You Happy
Even if it doesn’t do anything for anyone else…you should try to find even small things to do every day that bring you joy. Being “healthy” is so much more than physical, and we need to make sure we are taking care of our mental health, too. So doing something like reading, taking a bubble bath, listening to a podcast, exercising, painting, lighting a candle, calling a friend to catch up, meditating, or drinking tea by the fire is perfect. Those are all just examples, but find what brings YOU joy and makes your heart feel light. Replacing things like stress or anxiety in our hearts and minds with something that makes us happy does wonders for our mental state and perspective.
Don’t Just Say It, Really Do It
You may be thinking that these were some of the most obvious tips ever…but then I would simply ask you: Are you doing these things? There’s a huge difference between knowing you should do something and actually doing it. Don’t just talk about it, y’all. Be about it. You’ll see change and you’ll build those dreams on a stronger foundation than you could ever imagine.
PS: I know I shouldn’t have to say it, because this post is more about what you can add IN to your life, rather than what you need to take away in order to be healthy, but if you smoke or use tobacco products, you need to stop that ish. Sorry (not sorry) to be blunt, but you can have all the green smoothies in the world, they won’t make one lick of a difference if you’re using tobacco. Nor will anything else. For the sake of your health, and of those around you, please stop. Find a tobacco cessation class (many hospitals offer free ones to the community) and sign up. That is my best advice to you <3
What are some of your healthy foundations?
xo,
Bess
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