5 Ways to Look & Feel Healthier: 30 Day Challenge
It can be easy to get down on yourself following an endless stream of perfect bodies on Instagram. Everyone seems to have these amazing figures and perfect lives. Next thing you know feelings of discouragement can consume you. For those of us that like immediate gratification, it can be frustrating to start working out and not see immediate results. It can be easy to give up and fall back into a your same old routine going into a robot zombie mode from day to day.
I used to fall into the trap that I had to completely re-haul my life overnight if I was unhappy with how I felt or looked. For example, I would say to myself ,“I want be thinner, so I will cut out all fat from my diet and count every calorie”- and I did it. I associated extreme measures with making the changes I wanted in my life. There was one problem with this internal belief system- it was not sustainable. Eventually, something would happen like missing out on too many social events, getting sick, mood swings, feelings of stress skyrocketing and more. I realized that I was coming at what I wanted the wrong way. I wanted to make a change in myself, but how I made the change needed to be done differently. I could focus on small choices we all make within a day, day after day. It is these everyday choices- from when we go to bed, how much coffee you drink, what type of sugar you consumed and how much, if your calories come from Chic Fil A or from something homemade, if you sit all day or move frequently, if you read or watch movies. It is all these daily choices that could create a body and feelings I wanted, or did not want.
What I learned is that you can make changes in your life with minimal effort, that cost you no money, take a minimal time investment, and when done will completely transform your world in 30 Days.
Challenge yourself to follow the 5 Healthy Habits for a month, and hold yourself accountable without any excuses.
1-Water: Start your day with at least a cup of water. It will set yourself up to be more energized for the day and help with your digestion. One of the leading causes of daily exhaustion is simply not drinking enough water. Take it a step further and instead of coffee or soda, replace them with water.
2-Workout: As adults we sit way too much- we sit in cars, sit at a desk and sit at home. And no daily recess for us. Give yourself 15 minutes to do anything physical. Take a walk. Dance around your house. Do some squats. Try a push up. Do some crunches. I find it helps to play music and tell yourself something like, I will work out for 3 songs, for example. Whatever you can do to move your body with no excuses, just do it.
3-Sugar: Replace regular dessert with fruit and challenge yourself to no more than one indulgent dessert a week. Sugar is everywhere from the morning coffee drink, the office party, candy on a desk, free donuts someone offered, the cookies at night, the dipping sauces, morning muffin, breakfast time, etc. I had no idea how much sugar I was consuming until I started paying to attention to what I was eating from day to day.
4-Social Media/Streaming: Try to remove streaming entertainment from your life for a month. If that is too much aim to limit yourself to 2 hours for the week. Check social media 1x a week or limit yourself to 5 minutes a day. Have you noticed how much time can be sucked away by nightly zoning out and scrolling staring at a screen… How much did you want to get done, but didn’t thanks to this habit? When you actively track how much time you spend online then take steps to reduce it, you will suddenly realize how much more you could be doing with your time. When you free up your time the result is truly amazing. Imagine how you will feel when you actually have time for goals and items off your to do list.
5-Sleep- Get your 8 hours and feel your energy soar. Your skin looks better. Your eyes look better. Your brain functions better. Your creativity increases. Most of all, your mood improves giving you the power to get through your goals each day.
Change your habits and you change your life
Small choices add up to big changes over time
Discipline equals freedom because you free yourself from the anxiety of how you don’t want to be living your life, and who you don’t want to be