6 Ways to Get Back on Track With Your Health
Looking to get back on track with your health?
Whether you’re looking to build more healthy habits, have been putting your health on the back burner for the past year, or you’re simply ready to start your health journey from ground zero. This article is for you!
Too often we focus on doing more and more. We buy the latest supplement that’s supposed to cure everything, or try a new fad diet because our neighbor next door is having success with it.
Being in the health industry for over 14 years, I’ve found that when you focus on the basics and have them become your lifestyle, you’re going to notice the biggest changes to your health.
One of my favorite quotes is by Gretchen Rubin that says, “What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.”
So instead of trying a cleanse for the next 6 weeks, or cutting out all the foods you love – focus on daily actions that are sustainable and will get you closer to your health goals.
Ready to get started? Okay, good.
6 Ways to Get Back on Track With Your Health:
Eat a protein, carb & fat at every meal
The Standard American Diet is very carb heavy and lacks protein and nourishing fats. When working with clients, focusing on balancing their meals and snacks is always the first thing we do, because when your meals are balanced, your blood sugars are balanced. Why is that important? Balanced blood sugars help support energy levels, metabolism, hormonal balance, reduces sugar cravings, anxiety, stress and keeps you feeling full for longer. See why it’s kind of a big deal?
Example:
Instead of a granola bar + banana for breakfast (which is mainly carbs and lacks protein or nourishing fats)
Try hard boiled eggs (protein) + banana (carb) + almonds (fat)
Nourish your body with hydration
Not only is it important to focus on how your nourishing your body with food, but also how you’re nourishing your body with the beverages that you’re consuming. Aim to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water daily. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink at least 80 ounces of water daily.
Working with hundreds of clients, I’ve seen a lot of women struggle with their water intake, so here are a couple of tips to help make it easier:
- Spread your water intake throughout the day. Using the example above, if you need to get in 80 ounces of water each day, focus on 20 ounces by 9:00am, another 20 ounces by 12:00pm, another 20 ounces by 3:00pm, and the rest by the time you go to bed.
- Buy a cute glass or stainless steel water bottle and keep it on your desk at work or in the kitchen where you can see it often.
- Drink a large glass of water first thing in the morning (before you have your cup of coffee!)
- I often recommend adding in electrolytes or making mineral mocktails to help with hydration. Not only does it help switch things up from plain water, it helps your body to utilize the water more effectively. Learn more HERE.
Move your body daily for 30 minutes
There’s so much research on the benefits of exercise including decreasing your risk for several diseases and chronic conditions, increasing your lifespan, balancing your blood sugar, supporting your hormones, lowering stress, improving your energy, and supporting your mental health (1).
Focus on finding movements that you actually enjoy doing (no, not everyone needs to do endless hours of cardio!) This could be yoga, taking a morning walk, or doing a strength training exercise in your living room.
I know exercise has been something that often gets put on the back burner during busy seasons, so if you need to break it up into 3-10 minute increments, that’s okay too!
Plan out your meals & snacks
It’s hard to make progress on your health journey if you don’t plan ahead for it. That’s why I encourage you to schedule time to plan out your meals and snacks each week. This not only helps you to focus on nourishing your body well, it also can help save you a lot of money, time and stress.
Here are some ways to help you plan ahead:
- Each week take inventory of the foods you already have on hand, pick out several recipes you want to make for the week, and then make your grocery shopping list with the ingredients still needed.
- Pick out recipes with similar ingredients to help you cut down on cooking time.
- Use resources like Instacart to save time on grocery shopping.
- Stock up on things like nitrate-free jerky, cheese sticks, fresh fruit and veggies, nuts and seeds to have on hand if you’re in a hurry.
- Keep snacks at your work desk or in your purse. You’ll often find Larabars, nitrate-free jerky or nuts in mine!
I offer a sample meal plan, shopping list, tools to make meal prepping easier, and recipes to my clients in Mom Life Academy. Learn more HERE.
Schedule time for stillness & stress reduction:
One of the most helpful things I’ve been doing in my own health journey is to make stillness and stress-reduction a higher priority. You’re probably bombarded with noise, activities, and to-do lists all day long, so setting some time for stillness can be extremely helpful for lowering stress. It can also help decrease anxiety, energize you, and help center yourself. Even five to ten minutes each day can have a big impact!
Unsure of where to start? Here are some tips:
- Use apps like Insight Timer or Calm to help you practice meditation.
- Set a timer and lay on your floor in a quiet room for 10 minutes.
- Stretch first thing in the morning and focus on breathing in and out through your nose.
- Journal or write down a gratitude list at lunch.
- Turn off the radio in your car and focus on the sights and noises you hear around you.
Get accountability
Too often I see women struggling with their health because they’re trying to do it alone. The truth is, we can’t do it alone, and research proves this. Studies have found that having accountability and peer support increases your chances of reaching your goal by 95%. Those are pretty good chances, aren’t they?
So whether you get an accountability buddy, post it on your social media, or seek professional help – don’t try to do this alone.
My program is focused on providing personalized support and accountability on a daily and weekly basis. Learn more HERE.
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