Are you trying to enhance your body & overall maintain a good, positive mindset? Does it feel like all you do is start over? Well, you have to start somewhere to get somewhere. Getting yourself on track requires starting out with the minimum. Practice these 5 tips within your everyday life & you will start to see a great amount of overall improvement.
HYDRATION
Let’s be real, it is 2022. If you are not consuming the amount of water that your body needs, you are not treating your body right. You should AT LEAST be drinking half your body weight of water in ounces. So, because we are over achievers here, let’s take it up a notch and start drinking a gallon of water almost every single day. I know, you’ve heard it before & you’ve tried it, but you couldn’t do it because it was too difficult & you went to the bathroom too often. Well, difficult is good, remember? Ease your body into this. Once you overcome that “it’s too hard, I can’t do it” mentality, you will be able to do anything you set your mind to. There are significant benefits of consuming a gallon of water a day vs your norm.
MOVEMENT
Giving your body at least 30 minutes of exercise a day can be rewarding. You want to always keep your body moving so that it has proper & healthy blood flow at all times. Start out with 30 minutes and once you hit 30 minutes, do an hour. Let’s do more because we can, stop letting your mind trick you into thinking you are tired & you’re done, you are not. This is a great start to get on track to doing more for yourself. Even though it may not seem like it at first, it will improve an abundance of things within your health including, boosting your energy, maintaining bones & muscles, aiding in weight loss, promoting a better night's sleep, & so much more. Don’t know where to start? Just start simple. YouTube has a bunch of valuable and helpful resources. Keep yourself off of the couch & minimize the amount of time you are on Netflix. It is time to stop neglecting your own health.
MENTAL BALANCE
Mentality plays a big role in starting your journey to a better & healthier lifestyle. If you aren’t maintaining a positive mindset, this can affect the way you think, feel, & act. Having a good balance in mental health will improve your life significantly.
DIET
If you are not properly fueling your body with the right nutrition, you will lack the energy and motivation to improve yourself. A healthy diet can overall tweak your body and mind in so many ways, I know it and you know it. Now this isn’t to say you can’t give your body the cookie it wants, but that’s just it, don’t keep giving it those cookies. You have to form serious discipline around this. A cheat day turns into a cheat week & then you’re off track & have to start over. Starting over too many times leaves you feeling discouraged, so don't allow it. Once you see yourself achieving this habit of healthy eating, you will then realize that the bad sugars are not benefiting your body at all, it will only make you want more. By saying this, I don’t mean stop eating, you just need to add more whole foods. Eliminate the bad & incorporate the good. Easy tips for achieving this include:
Cooking your own meals. I know it sounds cheesy & you hear it all the time, but when you are cooking yourself, you know the ingredients going into your meals & you are likely saving money by not eating out. It is easier this way to eat more whole, nutrient-filled foods.
Adding color. The first thing I ask myself when grocery shopping is, “what vegetables do I want to eat this week?”. You then choose a protein source and incorporate good carbs as well, like fruits, beans, oats, quinoa, or sweet potatoes because, yes, your body does need friendly carbs. You want to have your refrigerator looking just like a rainbow, because rainbows make us happy, right?
Don’t buy junk food. Avoid the aisles at all costs because you WILL see something that you want, & if it is in your pantry you are going to eat it, so just don’t even bother with it. This is going to be hard, but it will likely help those sugar cravings in the long run. Opt for the healthier options if you find yourself keeping that sweet/salty tooth- dark chocolate, frozen yogurt, homemade smoothies, almonds, etc. can all cure those cravings while still maintaining good health.
SURROUNDINGS
One of the major components in beginning a journey to self improvement is to choose who you surround yourself with. It is important to be in an environment with like minded people, and is this environment draining you or is it building you up? Eliminate the ones who are constantly bringing in negativity. These people are only going to weigh you down & you don’t need those weights if you are trying to turn your life into something greater. If this leads to only having a couple of friends, then that is okay. Surround yourself with success & positivity, it will then start to gravitate towards you & inspire you. Don’t be afraid to join new groups. You have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable if you want to be successful.
All of these things play a key component in the start to self improvement. If you eat well, you feel good. If you are surrounded with good, you do better. If you think like a boss, you will become a boss. Once you become consistent with doing basic things that improve your body & health, you will be able to do more. Start today.