Health and Fitness Tips

 

Health and Fitness Tips That Will Change Your Life: Create a Healthy Lifestyle from Beginner to Winner with Mind-Set, Diet and Exercise Habits

About 1/2 of the US citizens are obese. It’s one of the most critical health threats we face today in addition to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, respiratory problems, high blood pressure, and many more. The reason why obesity rates are on the rise is largely due to sedentary lifestyles and lack of physical activity in our society. There are plenty of healthy ways to stay physically active, but I am going to show you how some of the best and easiest health & wellness tips can help you reach your fitness goals by incorporating this into your daily routines and schedule!

Make Sure You Have A Smart Nutrition Plan

Not all meals should be made up of carbohydrates and whole grains. Carbs should be a staple in your diet, and they’re great for providing energy, improving brain function, managing weight, and supporting healthy bones, joints, and muscle growth.

I recommend eating 7-11+ servings of fruits and vegetables daily to promote overall health and reduce risk of chronic diseases. It’s also okay to eat meat once a week, and dairy products every day, as these have been shown to promote heart health, lower cholesterol, fight cancer, lower the risk of stroke, and even reduce the risk of heart attack.

Include Weight Loss Foods In Your Daily Routine

There are so many delicious foods that promote a good metabolism that have nothing to do with food that you actually need to make them into a regular routine. Let me introduce some of my favorites that I incorporate into my diet each day, which makes them easy to add into any and every meal plan. These include legumes and snacks such as nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, among others. This gives you an easy way to incorporate weight loss meals into your morning brew and afternoon snack. If you don't feel hungry enough to eat a handful of something good that has water in it, like applesauce or spinach, consider putting it in a smoothie or yogurt. For breakfast, try peanut butter toast and sprinkle with honey, almond milk, or almond butter. Or, put sliced berries or raspberries in your coffee. My husband likes his mornings very light with eggs, quinoa, almond croissant pancakes, and almond butter. Not only does he love these foods, but he also loves getting his hair cut, taking the dog out for walks, and working out at home to be present for his wife. Plus, it’s a win-win! You know you’re doing your hard work when you see the look in your spouse’s eyes after hearing what you did for him last night!

Try Some New Activities During Work Hours

This list includes activities, which keep us active and productive each and every day of the week. As someone who hates commuting into work, I find having the opportunity to exercise at least three hours a day pretty much mandatory, to get me through the day and stay focused. So where else can there be activities during your typical workday, than hitting the gym while watching Netflix? Most gyms allow you to join a class of some sort, from yoga to aerobics. However, no matter what gym you go to, you always get a great experience that will challenge you and help you meet your fitness goals. Just like with nutrition and physical activity, sometimes it is simply better to hit the gym late at night to reap the benefits of muscle building. Make sure you're not afraid to turn on your television, listen to music on the radio or podcast somewhere while making the drive! And, remember a little trick that works wonders in your favor: bring a friend or family member along with you to your favorite gym. They might hold a mirror when you enter the room. Allowing your friends or loved ones to witness a great workout, without them noticing they’ve worked out can help to inspire confidence and motivation in the process of reaching those goals!

Make Time To Take Care Of Yourself

Let’s say you need a break every 5 days. Do you really want to spend these moments looking at the same old tv shows that you just watched? Why try to maintain a positive relationship with yourself while you’re constantly being bombarded with bad news from outside? Why not take a few minutes to catch yourself and just breathe? Yes, I know your answer is probably ‘because I’m too busy’ or ‘I have responsibilities at work’, but think about it, how much time are you spending right now? So take time out to slow down, take a breath, and just be alone with you, your thoughts, and your body. Think about how powerful peace and quiet can be to release negative emotions and stress. Give yourself this moment!

Take Advantages Out Of Running

Running can literally change your life for the better. When you run, it puts less strain on your hips and back, helps relieve you of tension headaches, improves blood flow, relieves insomnia, promotes flexibility, increases endurance, and boosts stamina. While running can improve your cardiovascular system, so can walking. Taking 30 minutes to walk can boost your mood and make it easier to fall asleep at night, helping you sleep better. Even if you’re not able to run right away, finding a convenient area to run for a short period each day is extremely important. Whether you’d rather do two, fifteen minutes, or thirty minutes every other day is totally up to you. Don’t allow fear, anxiety, or doubt to stop you from trying new things! Go out and enjoy the beauty of nature and live your biggest dreams!

Create A List Of Things To Eat At Home

I bet you were never taught how to cook at home before. No shame in admitting, learning to cook is a difficult feat, especially if you have limited cooking skills or experience. But it shouldn’t be! Learn how to cook each dish or meal you make, and then let your husband ask for a recipe on the spot! Try setting up a quick, efficient kitchen, with five appliances, four large stovetops, and an oven for easier cleanup! My husband likes to cook all his own meals, which means he is creating all of these jobs on top of having an already-done kitchen. He loves cooking, which is why he wants to create his own recipes along with his own cookbooks. Not only will he save money, which should be at an all-time low, but he will be increasing his knowledge of nutrition and healthy living while teaching your husband how to cook your favorite foods from scratch! Get creative and use a lot of ingredients in different dishes. Use herbs, spices, lemon, tomato paste, rosemary, parsley, garlic powder, etc., to spice up whatever you are cooking. Now that's definitely the idea of cooking at home!

Create A Morning Wake Up Buddy

I love waking up at 6 AM. Because I hate waking up later than that to attend meetings, school, or just the office because it doesn’t feel right. It’s the worst thing when I’m in the throes of having a panic attack before a meeting and have absolutely no idea what I’m going to do or say. The worst part is, it’s a nightmare every single morning. Until that morning, my favorite way to start my mornings is to wake up my husband and pull him into bed. It’s a silly ritual, which may sound gross, and it’s true. But it can be an effective habit to build into your mornings, especially during the early morning hours, to make this happen naturally. After several months of waking up my husband, I started using myself as my morning wake up buddy. Instead of rushing myself to the car or bus station on my commute, I would get up and head straight to my husband, grabbing his hand to help me get warmed up and ready for our day. I realized when I woke my husband that morning and put his hand around my neck, that that was the first step I took towards waking up, while still trying to work myself up before heading to work. Over time, as my mornings became more organized, I began to work myself up before I went to work. I wanted to remind my husband to come over for dinner, and help me out of bed even though it didn’t feel like a major event at the time. Eventually, he stopped waking me up before noon and instead got up and fed himself! I was starting to become more of a morning person, and he was loving it! Soon, I was becoming a morning waker!

Build An Office Space That Works For Everyone

When I opened my small, downtown apartment I thought that I had to start from square one…that's how small it was, and you know what, I am a person of modest needs. Needless to say, working from home while taking care of a child or son or doing my usual cleaning job is exhausting! And now I'm coming off seven years of working six cubicles in a nine-to-five job. Working from home gave me the chance to focus on my children and become an expert mother, while also staying flexible to accommodate my husband’s work schedule. Before I had kids, I always had to wait until 11 o'clock, or whenever he told me he'd be coming. Once I went through my pregnancy journey, I finally felt comfortable and secure living in my own space. The transition really made a dent on the mental health of me and you.