Change doesn’t often occur overnight. It comes in small changes that you make consistently. If you look at the person you are today, you’re quite different from the person you were several years ago. If you want to make a real difference in your health, you have to keep that in mind. Making a lot of changes at once is tough, but making one smaller change is far easier. If you develop a healthy habit today and stick with it for a couple of months, it truly becomes part of your nature. Do that every few months and before you know it, you’ll be fit, healthy and happy.
Start by cutting out sugar and food with refined flour.
Sugar is one of the hardest things to give up and so are products from refined flour. It literally means you wipe out choices that could fill several grocery aisles. One reason sugar is so tough to quit is that it’s addictive. It stimulates the same opioid receptors as drugs do. Switch to fresh fruit to replace those snack cakes and whole wheat bread for white bread. It’s a small but super tough change, but you can do it.
Build on that change by switching to a healthier diet that doesn’t contain processed food at all.
You don’t have to spend a lot or eat only organic fresh fruits and vegetables to do this. You can use frozen vegetables, too. While you’re making this change, also try to get more activity in every day, especially if you’re out of shape. Walk more, take the stairs, get up and move around at least once an hour. Build on that until you take a half hour walk every day.
Add to that walking with a program of regular exercise.
If you were already in shape, walking wasn’t nearly as important as it was for those who were complete couch potatoes. Now you need to build on that improved fitness by starting a workout program. If you have access to a personal trainer, go for it. Trainers not only can build a workout program that’s designed specifically for your fitness levels and goals, but also be a powerful motivator to go to the gym.
- Check out your sleep habits. Getting adequate sleep is important for your health and for weight loss. Too little sleep boosts the production of the hunger hormone and diminishes the satiety hormone. Set a bedtime and wake up time you stick with even on weekends.
- Drink plenty of water. You need eight 8-oz glasses of water every day to be your best. Mild dehydration can disguise itself as hunger, make you feel tired and make you look older.
- Take time to relax and meditate or time to give thanks. An attitude of gratitude for all you have, puts things into perspective. All these things can help relieve stress, which is bad for your health.
- Be social and smile more. Studies show that people who have a satisfying social life live longer and those that smile or laugh more frequently do too.
For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness