There is power in the small decisions you make every day. With just small change or little shifts in habit, you can change your health, weight, and energy level. Here are 11 choices you can make to embrace a much healthier YOU.
1) Get your body moving.
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Move your body every day of the week and remember to think movement not just exercise. Be active every day.
2) Give up soda and juices with lots of sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
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Don’t drink all your calories. Save calories and drink water, various teas (especially Green Tea!) or black coffee. Skip the whip and chocolate in your coffee, and you can save the calories for food.
3) Keep a food journal on paper, online or with an app.
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What you track, you can control. Tracking keeps you accountable and studies show that people who keep food journals are more successful at losing weight than those who don’t. I love the MyFitnessPal app!
4) Thoughts are powerful; pay attention to yours.
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Shift toward positive thoughts. When you think positively and feel happier, you will make better decisions and attract good things into your life.
5) Eat foods that are closest to their natural state as possible.
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Eat whole, fresh foods in a rainbow of colors. Glance down at your plate and make sure you see lots of different colors.
6) Acknowledge who you want to be.
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Answer two questions: What story does your body currently tell about you? What story do you want it to tell? Use the story of who you want to be as your vision statement to motivate you.
7) Eat alkaline-promoting foods.
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Research suggests that eating too many acidic foods can damage our lungs and kidneys. Balance out the acidity with foods that promote an alkaline body environment. Eat lots of root vegetables, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and brussels sprouts, leafy greens, garlic, cayenne peppers, and lemons and limes (yes, they seem acidic but lemons and limes actually help to alkalize our bodies and balance our pH).
8) Add protein to smoothies.
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I like BiPro protein as there’s no added sugars or artificial flavors.
9) Find a form (or two!) of exercise you enjoy.
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It’s easier to do and stick with the things we enjoy. You won’t exercise if you dread it, so experiment with different forms of exercise until you land on one you love.
10) Reduce the amount of processed and packaged foods you consume.
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Generally speaking, the fewer ingredients, the better the food. You’ve likely heard it before, but stick to the perimeter of the store for fresh produce and lean proteins.
11) Add some muscle building activities to your weekly workouts.
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Choose: Free weights, resistance bands, muscle sculpting classes or body weight exercises with push-ups, planks and squats. Muscles are use or lose, so keep yours strong.