15 Tips to Get Healthy, Lean and Energized
1. Keep a daily food journal: Track what you eat, when you eat and how much you eat. It is a known phenomenon that where your attention goes, energy grows. Why not put your attention on that incredible body of yours???
2. Ditch the scale: If I have learned anything in my lifetime, it’s to ditch the scale!!! Instead, take weekly measurements and progress photos to monitor your success. It can be difficult to notice changes in your body when you look in the mirror everyday (or 37 times per day), and it can be especially difficult if you aren’t losing weight on the scale (which is likely). Don’t sabotage yourself because your WEIGHT isn’t changing. Pay more attention to how you FEEL, how your body looks, and how your clothes are fitting. For those of you who need to see numbers…take those measurements. Besides, the scale doesn't measure sexiness!
3. HYDRATE: Did you H2O today???? Aim for at least half your body weight in ounces of water each day (for example, if you weight 100 lbs., sup on at least 50 oz. of water per day). An easy way to support your H2O goals…carry water with you! Keep it available, at home, school, work…carry a bottle when you’re running errands. It’s pretty difficult to drink up when you don’t have it with you. Support yourself!
4. ShAkE the sugar: Stop drinking those extra calories!!! There are many alternatives free of sugar (not sugar free), especially to artificial sweeteners and toxic high fructose corn syrup. Not only are sodas and sugary drinks toxic, and bad for your teeth, they severely damage your metabolism, cause belly bloat and pack on the pounds. Go for natural sources of sugar when you need that extra boost or crave the taste…things like dates, honey, cinnamon, cacao, fresh and dried fruit.
5. Get your beauty sleep: Sleep is required for muscle recovery, fat loss, and overall health. It is imperative for managing stress levels (and cortisol levels), impacts metabolism, brain function and of course the feel and glow of your skin. Sleep is just as important as what goes into your body, so snuggle up!
6. PLAN & PREPARE: “Failing to plan is planning to fail”…cliché, I know. But it’s the truth. But seriously, I cannot emphasize enough just how SIGNIFICANT this step is in your success. Plan out and prep your food your own healthy meals and snacks. This really is the vehicle to carry out all the health knowledge you’ve been fed your entire life. This is also where I can come in very handy as your professional meal planner & meal prep-er (were you expecting to read this without at least 1 plug from yours truly??)
7. Treat yourself: At every milestone, every weekly or monthly accomplishment, be sure to treat yourself for all your consistency and efforts to achieving your goal. And PS, treating yourself doesn’t always have to be food-based!
8. Get Support: Surround yourself with support. I promise you, it’s out there. If you can’t find support in your circle of friends...get new friends!!! If you’re feeling like you can benefit from a little more structured support (or non-familial support), reach out to a Health Coach (pick me!!) We are here to guide, assist, support and help you get results!
9. Clean out your kitchen: Set yourself up to succeed and stay on track. Clear the unhealthy kitchen clutter…in your cabinets, fridge and freezer. If the junk food isn’t there, you’re less likely to eat it, duh! Ask me about kitchen clearing support.
10. Motivate yourself: Visualize your perfect body. Hang the jeans/swimsuit you want to fit in, in the kitchen rather than the closet. Watch movies or documentaries that inspire you. Pin your head on the hottest fitness model you can find. Adopt affirmations. Browse through pictures of yourself that get you revved up. Surround yourself with sexy people. I don’t care how corny it is…if it motivates you, do it!
11. Practice portion control: Don't be afraid to measure out your food…whoooooo cares if people think you’re an anal health freak! Be a freak for your health! Support yourself. It’s very easy to overeat. Start reading labels and stick to correct serving sizes. And of course, feel free to holla if you need guidance on correct portions.
12. Dine out smart: Eating out doesn’t have to be the death of all your hard work and consistency. It all comes down to choice and balance. Eat a healthy appetizer at home first, choose to share a meal with a friend, ask for a salad over fries, drink water instead of a cocktail…there are so many ways to dine smart. It all comes down to choice and balance...did I say that already??
13. EAT!!!: EAT MORE, WEIGH LESS!!! It’s the truth! No, not more pizza and cheeseburgers. Eat more of the good stuff…you know, um, REAL food! It's necessary to eat every 2-4 hours to fuel your body, boost your metabolism, keep your energy up, stabilize your blood sugar levels, and GET RESULTS! Skipping meals sucks…so stop. You’ll be hungry, agitated, and won’t see results. Plus, eating is awesome, do more of it.
14. Move that Body: I don’t care what you do, just MOVE!!! Our bodies were made to move!!! If it’s new to you, I get it…it can feel like torture. But, I promise you, if you stick to it, within a matter of days or weeks, you will get over the 'torture' feeling, and it will feel good. But think outside the gym-box. Find your fun in movement. Walk, dance, skip, jump rope, swim, garden, trampoline, run, yoga, bike, whatever. Exercise can mean anything that moves your body, and gets your heart pumping. Enjoy!
15. Take baby steps: It’s not realistic to change all your habits overnight. You’ve probably heard before that it takes 21 days to create a new habit. So, use this information to your advantage. Take baby steps. ADD IN new healthy habits, rather than removing things from your life. Think of one new thing you can integrate each week, and by the end of the month you will have adopted 4 new habits. Add 1 more veggie each week, or gradually increase your number of workouts per week, or add in fresh raw spinach WITH the pizza. There are no rules really. DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU! And most importantly, be kind to yourself in the process.
Stay healthy my friends.
XO
