Happy Friday!
This year I have been thinking a lot about health and building habits that will allow me to feel the best that I can. In January I noticed that I had gained more weight in the past few years than I realized and I started working hard to lose some of that weight. Here are the top five tips that have helped me to feel stronger, healthier, and more able to tackle building healthy habits.
1. Move daily. Whether it's yoga, following a workout video, going for a run, or taking a short walk outside, I like to get some sort of movement each day. Some days are definitely more intense than others and that's okay! If I am not feeling up to a hard workout I might choose to do restorative yoga or get some fresh air with a slow walk outside. Even a small amount of movement helps me feel calm and ready to take on the day.
2. Track food consumption. Right now I'm using MyFitnessPal, but I have also experimented with making my own food journals. I love seeing exactly what I am putting into my body. Using something that highlights the good and bad of my diet has been incredibly helpful on my journey.
3. Drink mainly water. As I started tracking my food, and specifically my calories, the one thing I noticed is how many calories I was drinking. Between iced coffee, Gatorade, juice, and soda, I was adding an additional 200-500 calories per day of drinks. Switching to drinking mainly water frees up calories for meals and also helps me feel more energized. At this point I drink iced coffee when I'm very tired in the mornings, and other drinks only as a treat.
4. Limit high calorie sweets. This one is definitely difficult sometimes since I have a huge sweet tooth! However, I have found that limiting dessert to a treat only one or two times a day helps me enjoy the sweets more. I feel excited to eat dessert and I savor it more since I only have a little each day.
5. Cook mostly at home. One of the most shocking things when I started to track my calories was how many calories a restaurant meal totaled. One meal out could count for as many calories as the two other meals that day! I try to mainly cook at home now to avoid the fattening meals I was getting at restaurants. When I do eat out I either structure my meals the rest of the day to account for the filling meal I will have at a restaurant, or I understand that I will be going over my calories that day and I accept that fact. This way there is no guilt in enjoying a night out with my friends or fiance.
Building these habits took some time, and of course there are times when I am not perfect, but overall I feel so much healthier! Mentally and physically I can see the benefits of these habits in my everyday life.
Thanks for reading, I'll see you next time!
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