Are you suffering from a bit of a hangover, both literally and metaphorically after gobbling down burgers, hot dogs, and boozy beverages on the 4th of July? While it was fun celebrating Independence Day with friends and family and stuffing ourselves silly with barbecue and treats all day long, it’s now time to get back to work. It’s time to suck it up and start living a healthy life that will guide you toward becoming the best version of yourself. Day 1 begins today!
Summer has now officially landed on us, and while it’s good to continue feeding your mind with positive thoughts, setting goals, and working toward achieving your ultimate desires, your health is something that must not be neglected. We only get one body in our lifetime, so we might as well treat it right. Not only will eating better and exercising help make you look and feel better physically, but it will provide you with that boost of energy and a rush of endorphins that will make you feel like you can tackle any task with ease.
If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live?
–Author Unknown
The Change Must Come From Within
It wasn’t that long ago that I was living off of a constant diet of Jack in the Crack tacos, some deep fried egg rolls, and a heavy dose of monster burritos late at night. What I discovered about myself was that I didn’t even notice what I was doing to my body, or even worse, I didn’t care about what I was doing to my body. I felt my pants tightening, and felt out of breath just walking up a flight of stairs, but it took years for something to finally click inside of me to make a change. I always wondered why the ones closest to me never told me that I seemed to be ‘letting myself go.’ However, now I understand that no matter what anyone told me, it probably would not have been enough for me to change. The change had to come from within.
I can’t be the one to tell you that you need to do this or you need to do that. You must be able to look at yourself in the mirror and ask, “Is this the best version of me?” If the answer is ‘no,’ then it’s time to challenge yourself and make the change. You can work tirelessly at trying to make more money, become more successful, and accomplish the goals that you have set out to achieve, but if you don’t have the health to enjoy the things that you have worked so hard to achieve, then what’s the point?
Here are three easy steps to start living a healthier life:
1. Start slow: Instead of going on some kind of crazy crash diet that becomes a major chore, just start by eliminating certain things like soda and sweets from your diet. The calories and sugars in these alone can affect your health and make you feel sluggish. By simply removing these things from your diet, you will eliminate at least a few hundred calories per day. Do this day in and day out and you will begin to see some weight coming off, and you will also notice that you will have more energy and a boost of self-confidence. No more of those terrible sugar crashes.
2. Begin walking: If you work in an office, it can be difficult to get the proper exercise you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, on your breaks, instead of sitting in the break room and getting that god-awful (but somehow kind of good) cinnamon roll out of the vending machine, walk around the building a time or two. Learn to replace one bad thing with one good thing. Drink one less soda per day…then two less per day. Instead of three donuts per day, start having two…and then one, and so on.
3. Start cooking: Fast food is one of the largest culprits to living an unhealthy life, and if you continue frequenting these types of places, it will be extremely difficult to achieve a healthier lifestyle. However, if you learn to cook or prepare meals at home and take them to work, you will receive more of the nutrients you need, you will cut down big time on calories, and you will soon discover a hobby that you never knew existed. Even if you can barely boil an egg at this time, you will find hundreds and thousands of simple recipes and instructional videos on YouTube and other cooking sites that guide you through the process. Could you go to places like Subway or other healthy eating establishments? Sure, but it will end up costing you a fortune, and eventually you WILL get sick of those places, and you’ll crave more traditional fast food that became such a bad habit in the first place.
The Change is Up to You
Unless you are paying someone to be your personal nutritionist or personal trainer, nobody is going to make you change. If you are truly determined to change and become the best you can, you must be disciplined and understand that this could be a slow process. Things only happen overnight in the movies, and news flash…this is not a movie. This is real life and for you to eventually live a Worry Free Life or live the life you dream about, you must start slow. But before you start slow, the first thing you must do is START!
