If you’re thinking about improving your health as part of your New Year’s Resolution, first of all, YAY!!!! Good for you!!!, second of all, I know it can be daunting considering you may feel like:
- You haven’t been successful in the past
- You don’t know where the heck to start
- Finding the time will be a challenge
This is where health care professionals like me come into play. Personal trainers, exercise specialists, yoga instructors, nutritionists, and health coaches (along with many other health specialists) are wonderful resources to help improve your healthy lifestyle.
The Past is in the Past
Whether you’ve had one bad experience or multiple it’s never too late to try again. Think about the things that you felt were holding you back:
- Deprived of foods you want
- Hunger
- Lack of knowledge
- Lack of support from friends and fam
- Catering to others’ needs before your own
- No time to hit the gym
Based on your feedback, how can you make changes to what you’ve done before to be successful this time? Instead of feeling bad about your past, reflect on it to help you revise and improve until you find what works.
Where to Start
There is definitely no lack of information on health. But seriously, what does health look like? I’m here to say it’s not a Victoria’s Secret model or GQ underwear magazine man.
Health looks like plaque free arteries, a healthy heart, cancer free lungs, clear skin, strong bones, full range of motion in joints, absence of pain, happiness, energy, and focus.
Abs are Made in The Kitchen???
Have you ever heard “Abs are made in the kitchen”? Well, that’s mostly true. Though weight loss is not the key to health, health is the key to weight loss. A great place to start is with food, in the kitchen.
Not All Diets Equal Health
There are a lot of diets that will help you lose weight but do NOT simultaneously make you healthy. Because lots of diets lack nutrition from fruits and veggies, you may find yourself loading up on caffeine, having energy peaks and valleys, and even find that your blood pressure and cholesterol have increased.
WTF, right? That’s the last thing we need!
My suggestion is to find an eating routine and regimen that is PACKED with nutrients (aka, tons of whole foods like fruits, veggies, beans, and unprocessed grains) that allow you to eat what you want without completely cutting out things you love and keep you feeling satisfied and full throughout the day.
Finding Time
All of the people I know who are uber healthy are busy AF. With work, kids, and travel, staying on a healthy routine only SEEMS impossible.
Time for Food
From a food perspective, restaurants are way more receptive to the “picky” eater because of all the fad diets and allergies these days. Also, nearly every town with at least one fast food restaurant is going to have a salad option on the menu. Grocery stores have healthy prepped options, and raw fruits and veggies are cheap and easy to grab usually right at the entrance.
Time for Exercise
From an exercise perspective, the recommended amount of exercise is only 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week. That’s about 20 minutes a day.
Yes! Health benefits occur with only 20 min of exercise a day!
That’s shorter than most Netflix episodes. That’s less than 2% of your whole day. That’s the equivalent of 2, 10 minute walks. If you’re starting out, just get in the habit of taking progressively longer breaks to go for a brisk walk at work, during the kids’ practice, or after work.
Also, some exercise is better than none so if you can only squeeze in 10 minutes, Go For It!!
Aim for Progress Instead of Perfection
Dealing with past failures, knowing where to start, and finding time to eat healthy and exercise are real struggles that Everyone deals with at some point. It takes time to find that balance and it will NEVER be perfect. Life is NOT about being perfect, rather, it’s about finding balance, peace, and happiness.
Whatever your health goals are this year, believe in yourself and you will achieve heights beyond what you imagined.
Reach out to someone who inspires you to be a healthier, better, more empowered you and own this year! You can do it!
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