Five Easy Ways to Create A Healthy Lifestyle Today
Does it feel like you’re starting from square one when it comes to your health and happiness? What makes you most uncomfortable when you think about what it takes to get started?
There’s no time like the present moment to begin again. By making slow, integrative shifts in your daily routine and creating an abundant and positive mindset, you can learn to establish long-term healthy habits with ease. The key to successfully creating a healthy lifestyle is not only to take actions that nourish your mind/body/soul, but also to observe your current behaviors and patterns in everything you do and to notice what has you showing up in this particular way for yourself and for others. It’s in that awareness that you can learn to push past your obstacles and limits and choose to create the healthy and happy life you want.
Looking for some quick wins that you can start implementing right now?
Here are 5 simple recommendations that will support in optimizing your health and well-being today.
Stay Hydrated By Consuming Adequate Amounts of Water
This will not only help to flush toxins out of the body, but it will boost your energy & brain function. Moreover, it can improve skin hydration and complexion, support the maintenance of healthy tissue and joints, and improve digestion (especially when consumed at room or warm temperature first thing in the morning). On the flip side, dehydration can alter your metabolism and increase hunger as your body requires more energy production. Over time, this can easily cause weight gain.
The rule of thumb, on average, is to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water per day.
Lots of people have trouble drinking plain water because they prefer something with a little flavor to it, but don’t let this stop you from getting all the benefits that water has to offer! It takes less than a minute for you to inject a bit of flavor with nourishing, whole-food additives such as cucumbers and mint or even ginger. Personally, I start every morning with a hot cup of water and lemon, which as mentioned above is great for digestion. And what’s better is that both lemon and lime provide an added boost for protection against inflammation.
2. Eat More Fruits and Veggies
Increasing your consumption of certain plant-based whole foods high in polythenols (aka the micronutrients found in colorful fruits and veggies) has tremendous health benefits such as improving digestion, healthy weight management, and reducing your risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Fruits and veggies are an excellent source of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin C and potassium. Diet’s rich in potassium help to maintain a healthy blood sugar level and offset the harmful effects of sodium.
The USDA recommends at least 5 servings per day.
Confused about which variations of fruits and vegetables are best? Try to opt for berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries), citrus fruits high in vitamin C (Oranges and Grapefruits), and Apples as your first choice. When it comes to veggies, the best sources of fiber tend to be leafy greens and dark colored vegetables such as broccoli, beets, swiss chard, spinach and artichokes. Start by choosing the vegetables that agree with your palette, and then experiment with new varieties when you’re ready. My recommendation, however, is to limit inflammation causing foods like corn and tomatoes.
Choose organic whenever possible, especially when it comes to the Dirty Dozen as they tend to be the most pesticide-contaminated foods. The 2020 Dirty Dozen list includes strawberries, spinach, kale, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomato, celery, and potatoes.
3. Establish A Physical Movement Regiment That Can Be Paired With Existing Daily Habits & Hobbies
As the obesity epidemic continues to grow in the US we’re seeing concern for additional health risks associated with obesity, including heart disease and diabetes. As a population, we’ve become much more sedentary than in years past thanks to technological improvements and growing screen time.
Now more than ever, it’s important to establish a regular physical movement regiment. Experiment with different forms of movement and determine what feels best for your body. Just know that it doesn’t have to feel like a chore. It helps when you find ways to pair your “workouts” with existing daily habits and hobbies. For instance, listen to your favorite podcast or an audiobook while going for a moderate walk. Practice Yoga or stretching during TV commercial breaks. Have a dance party in your kitchen while cooking dinner!
It’s recommended that you spend a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, 5 times per week.
At first, you’ll likely experience immense discomfort stepping outside of your comfort zone, but I promise that if you can find a way to make it fun you’ll eventually find yourself more energized and looking forward to getting your movement in. Take it one day at a time and if all else fails, ask a friend to hold you accountable. If you want to hold yourself accountable, try scheduling your physical movement times into your phone’s calendar with reminders and commit to prioritizing your health.
4. Practice Gratitude Daily
Gratitude is the foundation for a joy-filled life. Establishing a morning routine with 5-10 minutes of a gratitude practice can help you begin your day in a positive frame of mind. How you choose to do this is entirely up to you. It can look different for everyone, so find which practice works best for you. For instance, you can establish a quick journal practice of listing three things you’re grateful for each day or follow a guided meditation. It can even be as simple as becoming present to your immediate surroundings, finding 5 things nearby that you’re grateful for. Consider how they benefit you and how you can ensure you don’t take them for granted.
It’s also pretty life-altering once you make it a habit to express your gratitude toward others. Not only is it a feel-good way to create more positivity and higher vibrations in your life, but you’ll begin to attract even more reasons to be grateful. Beyond that, you’ll brighten someone else’s day and begin to create a ripple effect of joy and appreciation for life.
Begin by practicing a few minutes of Gratitude each day. If you want to take it a step further, commit to a Gratitude Challenge anywhere from 10-30 days long. If you’re interested in starting now, you can sign up for my 10-DAY GRATITUDE CHALLENGE here. Dedicating this small amount of time to a transformational state of consciousness will show you how to connect to your abundant nature and will support you in creating a meaningful relationship with all that you have and all that you are.
5. Continue To Crowd out Your Plate with Nourishing Whole Foods
Crowding out is the concept of adding healthy choices in order to allow unhealthy options to naturally fall out. Ultimately, you want to limit your consumption of processed foods, refined carbs, sugar, soda and sugary beverages. Doing so can support the elimination of brain fog, certain types of acne, inflammation and a multitude of health issues including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. On top of those benefits, you should experience improved weight management, enhanced mood and mental clarity, and better quality sleep.
Processed Foods —> Anything with a food label that’s made up of multiple ingredients. You want to especially avoid things with xxx ingredients
Refined Carbs —> These are foods stripped of essentially all healthy nutrients, fiber and bran. Examples include white bread, white flour, white rice, and pasta.
Consider an action plan to integrate all 5 recommendations into your routine over the next 30 days. If this seems overwhelming to you, begin by adding in at least one of these recommendations. Then when you’ve consistently gotten it down pat, continue to integrate new activities into your routine.
Remind yourself why it’s important to you that you create a healthy lifestyle and choose to make a commitment to yourself. Believe that you are worth it and that you can do it. And if you happen to take a minor step backward at any point, use it as an opportunity for learning rather than to feel guilt or shame over it.
Interested in working with me to further develop your health and lifestyle goals? Schedule your free 50-Min Discovery Call here.
