4 core ways to start living healthier (Printable Tracker Inside)
Hey BuBu Squad,
Sometimes you look around and everyone around you is going hard in the gym eating these amazing healthy meals and you can't seem to get off the couch and not sure where to start. Or you have started off great day 1 and later failed to keep it up. I know me as a momma after having my baby I most certainly did not have the energy to workout, 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 four elements to jump-start or improve your healthy lifestyle. Below is a printable with a healthy habits tracker to keep you on track.
Drink more water
This is one I used to struggle with myself. Some days I didn't realize I haven't had any water till in the middle of the afternoon. What works for me is making sure I have a nice 8oz glass first thing in the morning. I also carry a water bottle or water jug everywhere with me. When I start to feel empty/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, yummy and promotes a healthy digestion and fat loss. You can also add berries, ginger, any type of fruit that adds flavor.
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 momma myself this one eluded me a while. Most of you momma out there know that the first few month after having a baby this task is nearly impossible. It gets better. Once the little ones are on a sleep schedule (halleluiah) 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 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 have a family so add eggs, cookies and chicken nuggets to that list and that's what my shopping cart looks like.
Me I 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 fewDried cranberries, fruit juice sweetened
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
Peaches
Pineapple
Plums
Plutos
Pomegranates
Raspberries
Starfruit
Strawberries
Watermelon
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 I don't mean you have to tackle the squat rack today. Start with walking, jogging, skipping rope, swimming, which are all great exercise to get your heart pumping and blood flowing. Me, on the other hand has a love affair with pumping iron. Lifting weights burns tons of fat and keep 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 from the
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 basic health habits today. Add another Core 4 habit each month and track your progress weekly. At the end of four months, these simple changes will add up to big lifestyle improvements.
