I am officially starting back on my quest of being healthy {body, mind, and spirit}
But the question that first needs to be answered is: What are YOUR reasons for becoming healthy? The motivation to be healthy is not for others; it's not to change your appearance into a Victoria Secret model. Your motivation should be centered around YOU. It's all about you and the desire that you have to change yourself into the person you want to be!
This is my eternal problem, I constantly compare myself to other women, in every category {body, looks, style, personality} But I've always known, even as I was analyzing and coveting the flat stomached; slim legged girl walking past me, that I was wrong in comparing myself! It's time to give myself an encouraging wake-up call and change the way I view myself, and my inspiration for becoming the healthier me. It's time for me to stop competing with others and start competing with myself. It's time to make me happy, and gain back the confidence in myself that I once had!
So here's some things that I am beginning to implement in my life to make that healthy change! I'm not a nutritionist, personal trainer, or health researcher; but I do know a thing or two about being healthy and ways to reach the health and fitness goal you've always wanted :) ENJOY!
Take your VITAMINS girls! Vitamin A; that stuff fights cancer and helps maintain your vision. Vitamin B; there's tons of them, but mainly they help in changing the food you eat into energy {we all want that right?}. Vitamin C; that bad boy helps produce collagen, and is used to fight diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Vitamin D; you want strong bones? This one works with calcium to give you them! Basically, vitamins are pretty dang important, and I don't think people really realize how much we come short of the recomended amount of these in our daily diets. I started to take a women's one a day vitamin. It's packed with all of these healthy vitamins and will keep me healthy. And if you're like me, and aren't crazy about milk, the calcium in these daily vitamins will keep your bones strong and your posture beautiful!
Besides my vitamins, I have invested in taking fish oil twice a day. Fish oil contains Omega 3 essential fatty acids. What do these bad boys do for you? Well not only does fish oil slim your waist line by improving your exercise efficiency {giving you greater results}, but it also makes you beautiful from head to toe by keeping your hair and skin glowing and your acne visibly improved.
I know, I know, it's an obvious one. But it truly does have soooo many benefits and people should really start taking it seriously. I think we tend to over-look the blessings of water! Water is what we're made of {75% of us!}. Your muscles hold more water than fat; it means that water is crucial to your health girls! Every system of your body depends on it and it's the most important nutrient {besides oxygen} to stay alive. Water helps you lose weight by flushing by-products of fat breakdown, essential for digestion, keeps you full, and increases metabolism! It's also makes that beautiful face of yours forever young by working as an anti-aging genius and making skin supple. The advice is simple: DRINK WATER.
CARDIO, CARDIO, CARDIO! I'm a firm believer in it, and I know that the health experts out there are too. Get 30 minutes of cardio in 3-5 times a week {but make sure to give your body a rest}. Those abs you're coveting, or that space between your thighs will not appear by crunches and squats alone. You need to run, jump, walk, dance, or bike them off! Anything that gets you moving!
So you think that you're going to look "bulky" and "manly" if you lift weights huh?! Well think again! Yes, we are women, and we all want that sleek, lean look. But ladies, you get that by lifting!! The secret to weight loss is lifting weights. Why? The more muscles you have, the faster metabolism you have. Cardio alone will not keep the weight off or maintain a healthy body mass index as effectively as cardio and lifting combined. Do high intervals with lighter weighs to achieve those lean, gorgeous arms!
I strongly believe in the motto that "your body is made in the kitchen; not the gym" it's 20% exercise and 80% diet. Eat clean, and you will become lean! Always choose whole grains over any other kind of carb - including wheat. People who eat whole grains have significantly less belly fat than those who don't. Eat some fruit! They are full of fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants among many other things vital to your health. I am absolutely smitten with fruit, it's almost like dessert for me! Tip: reaching for that cookie? Grab some strawberries instead! Are you starving, and feel like you could eat a feast when lunch roles around? Before you hit the Chinese buffet, eat an apple! It fills you up and you'll be less likely to eat things that are not so good for you :)
Think before you eat! I am ALWAYS grabbing for things that are sweet, salty, loaded with calories, fats, sugars, and just plain horrible things for you. Before you reach for that piece of cake; count to the number of years old you are. When I'm thinking about reaching for those cookies, I'll take a few moments to count to 20, chances are I'll make a smart decision before I even get to that number!
Finally, surround yourself with people who will support you in your goals to become healthier! Someone who is there to encourage, and keep you in check is one of the best ways to be successful. Let's admit it, we can all be weak to food and exercise and may make excuses, or think, "that cookie didn't have that many calories." But in reality, it really DID. So find a friend, join a group, or just speak up and let people know what your goals are and how they can help you succeed!
I hope that this little bit of info can get you started and inspire you to start some new things to better your health! I am working on practicing what I preach and implement ALL of these tips in my daily life as well :) Happy Tuesday!
