5 Steps To Taking Back Your Health!
Drink your water
Our bodies need LOTS of water. Water helps with digestion, removes toxins, regulates body temperature, and nutrient absorption. You do not want to waste your time eating healthy, nutrient dense foods with not giving your body the tool to help absorb them! Water helps keep up our energy levels, and level of focus. It has been shown that when you need more water you’re more likely to have fuzzy memory, and a difficult time focusing. Next time you go to grab a soda think about your body’s need for water!!
2. Eat your veggies!!
Vegetables provide our bodies with tons of vitamins and minerals that they want and need. Vegetables may help lower blood pressure and prevent many different diseases including, heart disease, stroke, heart attack, and certain types of cancers. Make sure to eat a variety of different colors to give your body a mixture of nutrients that it needs!
3. Get up and move!
It is recommended to get at least 20-30 minutes of physical activity a day. Whether that be 15 in the morning and 15 at night, it does not matter! I understand that sometimes life gets busy and it seems impossible to do so, but there is a way! Do jumping jacks during commercials, walk/bike instead of drive, do leg lifts while cooking, a wall sit while brushing your teeth. There are days when you are not able to get a full length, go to the gym, type workout in and that is okay! Any movement is better than no movement. I have even heard of people doing squats when they go to the bathroom, or getting up and walking around the office for a few minutes to get out of their desk. The benefits are endless but a few are: improves mood, boosts energy, promotes better sleep, fights off diseases, and it can be fun!
4. Get an accountability buddy!
Some days it can be very hard to motivate yourself, but having someone there with you can make it 100 times better. When you have someone counting on you, then you are more likely to show up everyday and give it your all. Reach out to a friend or family member and take back your health TOGETHER!
5. Eat the cookie, piece of pizza, chip, candy, so on!!!
Out of all of these this one might be the most important. You NEVER have to give something up, restrict, or ban a food to get back to living a healthy life. Find a balance that works for you. Restricting a certain food group only makes cravings stronger, and put you at a higher risk for binging on a food later. Listen to your body and what it wants and needs, sometimes that is a cookie and that is alright. There are no foods that are bad, just bad thoughts around great tasting food. There should be no shame or guilt around food. I promise life is more than fitting into a pair of jeans. Enjoy the birthday cake, going out with friends, the holiday food, and so on. Life is very short, and we should enjoy each moment of it.