Top 5 Tips On Starting a Healthy Lifestyle

I can’t believe that today is the first day of 2019! It’s how time seems to pass by so slowly on a day to day basis, but the months fly by so quickly! If I were to sum up 2018, I would say it was one of recovery, healing, both emotionally and physically, and lots of learning. Perhaps one day I will share my health and fitness journey with you all, but today, I wanted to share with you some of the things that I learned during this past year and give some tips on how you can start your fitness journey well!

1) Drink a Quart of Green Smoothie Everyday:

This is where it all started for me. Due to lots of emotional and mental stress I experienced during the better half of 2017, I started to experience some physical issues. My hair, which is very thick, began to fall out in large clumps, my nails started to peel, and my body hurt so badly during my workouts that I would have to stop halfway through. It was sort of scary. I had never gone through something like this and I was worried there was something seriously wrong with me. I decided to take a step back and take a serious look at both my diet and my workouts. I did tons of research on green leafy greens and looked at ways I could incorporate more veggies in my life. Making green smoothies was one of the ways I had seen this done and I began looking at smoothie recipes. Thus began a long process of trial and error and experimentation. Fast forward a year later and I now crave these amazing green glasses of goodness!

The results have been amazing as well! My digestive system operates smoother, my hair is now as thick as ever, and my nails are super strong. I have also lost a tiny bit of weight, which is an added bonus! I swear by these things and I highly, HIGHLY suggest that you start incorporating more greens into your smoothies. It’s such an easy way to get more greens into your diet, without it tasting horrible, especially if eating raw greens is new to you. I like to drink them for breakfast, but you can drink one anytime that is most convent for you. This is a great way to start your fitness/health journey (Click Here for My FREE Smoothie Recipes!)

2) Drink More Water:

This is something I’m sure you’ve heard before and I probably sound like a broken record. It’s pretty much everyone’s number one beauty or fitness tip. After a while, I started to get a bit annoyed that EVERYONE was saying the same thing. But I heard it so many times that I decided to give it a shot. I learned very quickly that drinking lots of water was difficult. Who remembers to grab a water bottle as you are flying out the door? Not me, that’s for sure. I also found drinking plain water pretty boring, which didn’t help my case. So, to make it more enticing, I started putting different things into my water. I tried lemons, strawberries, cucumbers, mint, and blueberries. I did this for about four months, by this time, grabbing a water bottle before I left for work every day was almost second nature. Now, I feel sort of undressed without it and honestly get a bit anxious if I don’t have one with me. I also get pretty bad dehydration headaches if I don’t drink enough, which I suppose is a good thing. I must admit that I had no idea that actually trying to drink more water was as difficult as it was. It sounds so simple, but it did take a long time for me to implement this into my everyday routine. But I have noticed a huge different in my skin (duh) and in my physic. I rarely get bloated now and my stomach is a lot flatter than it once was. Not only does it improve your digestion, flushing out toxins from the body, it also hydrates your skin. I used to struggle with dry, cracked lips regularly, but that rarely happens now. I suggest that you start with trying to take a water bottle with you. Once this starts to become a habit, it will eventually lead to drinking more water on a regular basis.

3) Create/Set Goals That Are Achievable:

I personally have never set “New Year’s Resolutions”. Instead, I would make a list of goals that I wanted to achieve that year. But they never actually became a reality. My health and fitness journey really began when I was a sophomore in high school. I got so excited about the whole process, but I didn’t quite understand that it takes time to reach certain goals. Being the competitive and overachiever that I am, I made some pretty unrealistic ones and pushed myself pretty hard. While I did see little results, I wanted more, thinking that if I only tried harder, I could do it. I soon developed an unhealthy relationship with food and didn’t allow myself to take any rest days. The more I pushed, the more frustrated I became. I then decided that goals were pointless and gave up on myself. I still continued to exercise and over analyzed everything I ate, but I was convinced that what I wanted to achieve was something I could never do.

That all changed towards the beginning of this year. I started to make smaller goals, which sort of bothered me. However, overtime, I found that I was ticking them off my list faster than before. I slowly added others and saw more results. This process became one of excitement, not one of frustration. I’m not only stronger physically, but I’m also more toned and leaner. I think that one of the reasons why this works so well is because you are actually seeing the progress you are making and it encourages you with everyone you check off. While starting out small really bothered me in the beginning, I now recognize that taking smaller steps is better in the long run. Instead of taking a huge goal and trying to tackle it all at once, break it up into little ones. Ones that you know you can accomplish on a daily basis.

4) Slowly Switch Out Unhealthy Foods for Healthier Options:

I must admit, this one is still one I’m working on and I’ve working on this for almost a year now. I learned way back in high school that completely changing what you eat at one time is really hard to commit to. Your body needs time to adjust to all the new delicious things you are feeding it and if you change everything at once, the cravings for all the bad stuff is hard to resist. Now, I do realize that there are some who are able to make this change and stick with it. But I am not one of them. There were many times where I was so impatient that I’d cut multiple items from my diet, only to find myself several weeks later binge eating and devouring all those foods. It was a long and viscous cycle and one I don’t want others to experience. I would beat myself up in the bathroom at the end of the day, claiming that I would do better the next day. I went through that for about 4 years. My tip? Give yourself a bit more grace and choose to replace one or two items at a time. Once you’ve got that down, then choose a couple more items. It’s a long and tedious path, I know, but trust me, it’s better to do it little by little, than to be struggling with the same things for years and years.

5) Be Patient with Yourself:

This, in my mind, is the most important tip I can give you. If this is the only thing you get out of this blog post, then I’ll be happy. Cultivating a healthy lifestyle is a long journey and everyone walks at a different pace. What may take years for me, may take a few months for you. And that’s okay. Everyone works at a different pace and everyone’s body reacts differently to different things. This past year, I learned to be patient with myself. I also learned that stressing out about the little things, like missing a workout due to work or eating a bit of chocolate, is not worth it. You’re not going to enjoy life if you continue to beat yourself up. What one person does, may not work for you and that is okay! I spent all of this past YEAR learning and listening to my body and I’m STILL learning. It doesn’t happen overnight and I think that we have gotten so caught up in this “instant gratification” thing that we forget we are human. EVERYONE makes mistakes and having a little chocolate isn’t going to kill you. If you have a whole bar, then that’s an issue. But having a little bit from time to time is a great way to reward yourself for a job well done. It’s going to be difficult, but if you are actively striving towards your goals on a daily basis, then you are well on your way to accomplishing them.