4 Core Habits to Start Living Healthier
Sometimes you look around and it seems everyone else is going hard in the gym or eating these amazing healthy meals- and yet you can't seem to get off the couch and are unsure where to start for a healthier lifestyle. Or, maybe you started off great on day 1 of your journey and later failed to keep it up. I know for myself as a mama, after having my baby I most certainly did not have the energy to workout and remember to shower, let alone remember to drink water and eat right. Whether you want to be ripped by summer or just want to improve your health so you can live a little longer:
slow and steady wins the race.
Start with these 4 Core Healthy Habits to jump-start or improve your healthy lifestyle! Below is a FREE printable with a healthy habits tracker to keep you on target.
Drink more water
This is one I used to struggle with myself. Some days I didn't realize I had not had any water until the middle of the afternoon. What works for me is making sure I have a nice 8 ounce glass first thing in the morning. I also carry a water bottle or water jug everywhere with me. When I start to feel empty or hungry, I chug it down and aim to finish the jug by the end of the day. After a while, you start to get used to it. If the taste is the problem, try adding lemon! It's yummy, promotes healthy digestion, and fat loss. You can also add berries, ginger, or any type of fruit that adds flavor.Benefits of Drinking Water
1. Increases Energy & Relieves Fatigue
2. Promotes Weight Loss
3. Flushes Out Toxins
4. Improves Skin Complexion
5. Maintains Regularity
6. Boosts Immune System
7. Natural Headache Remedy
8. Prevents Cramps & Sprains
9. Puts You In A Good Mood
Sleep more, stress less.
As a mama, this one eluded me a while. Most of you moms out there know that for the first few months after having a baby, this task is nearly impossible. It gets better. Once the little ones are on a sleep schedule (hallelujah!) aim to get in those 8 hours of well-deserved rest.
Adequate sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle and can benefit your heart, weight, mind, and more!
Eat more whole foods
Whole foods are plant-based foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible before being consumed. Examples of whole foods include whole grains, tubers, legumes, fruits, vegetables. These are the foods that should be in abundance in your shopping cart when going to the grocery store. I also like to take whole food fruit and vegetable capsules to give me that extra boost of nutrition.
Here is an example of a list of whole foods:
- Dried fruits and nuts:
- Almonds, pistachios and walnuts, to name just a few
- Dried cranberries, fruit juice
- Raisins and other dried fruits such as apricots with no added sugar
- Whole Grains:
- 100% Whole wheat flour
- 100% Whole-wheat or whole-grain bread
- 100% Whole-wheat pasta
- 100% Whole-wheat pitas or tortillas
- Amaranth
- Barley
- Brown rice
- Buckwheat – hot cereal or flour
- Bulgur
- Quinoa (technically a seed, but treated as a grain)
- Rye
- Spelt
- Steel cut oatmeal
- Whole-grain breakfast cereal like millet or Whole Grain Buckwheat Cereal
- Wild rice
- Vegetables (fresh or frozen):
- Artichokes
- Asparagus
- Avocados (technically a fruit)
- Beets
- Bell peppers
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage (all kinds)
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Cucumbers
- Garlic
- Green beans
- Greens such as spinach, chard, collard or kale
- Leeks
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Parsnips
- Radishes
- Rutabagas
- Shallots
- Squash of all kinds (we love butternut, spaghetti squash and sugar pie pumpkins)
- Sweet potatoes
- Tomatoes
- Turnips
- Fruits (fresh or frozen with no added sugar):
- Apples
- Apricots
- Bananas
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cantaloupe
- Cherries
- Grapefruits
- Grapes
- Kiwi
- Lemons
- Mangoes
- Nectarines
- Oranges
- Watermelon
- Strawberries
- Starfruit
- Raspberries
- Pomegranates
- Plutos
- Plums
- Pineapple
- Peaches
- Beans & Legumes (dry or canned):
- Adzuki beans
- Black beans
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- Kidney beans
- Lentils (all types)
- Navy beans
- Pinto beans
- Split peas
- White beans
Get more exercise
And no, you have to tackle the squat rack today. Start with walking, jogging, skipping rope, swimming, or yoga, of course! All of which these are great exercises to get your heart beating and blood flowing. I have a love affair with pumping iron. Lifting weights burns tons of fat and keeps burning long after your workout. Whatever your preference, get it in daily!
Exercise offers incredible benefits that can improve nearly every aspect of your health. Regular physical activity can increase the production of hormones that make you feel happier and help you sleep better. It can also improve your skin's appearance, help you lose weight (and keep it off), lessen the risk of chronic disease, and improve your sex life.
Don’t try to tackle everything at once. Incorporate one of the Core 4 Health Habits today. Add another Core Health Habit each month and track your progress weekly. At the end of four months, these simple changes will add up to big lifestyle improvements.
Get your Tracker here
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Nadine Johnson is an island girl living in sunny Miami, FL with her husband and
daughter. She is a lifestyle blogger and owner of BodyUp BossUp, a health and
lifestyle business. She started her business after the birth of her daughter to change her health and weight by eating clean whole foods and exercising. Nadine describes herself as a big foodie and free spirit at heart. She will try
anything once. Her mission is to help others find happiness by improving their health, wealth, and discovering new
things via her blog.
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