Do you wake up feeling sluggish in the morning? Have caffeinated beverages or energy drinks become a necessity to help power you through the day? If this sounds familiar, it’s time to ditch the quick fixes you rely on, and develop healthier habits. Getting started may seem daunting, but soon you’ll be energized to keep going once you reap the benefits of a happier, healthier and more productive lifestyle.
Get More Sleep
Sleep plays an essential role in good health and well-being during the course of your life. Getting enough quality sleep can help protect your mental health, physical health and quality of life.
During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. Your body works to repair muscle, organs, and other cells. Chemicals that strengthen your immune system start to circulate in your blood. You spend about a fifth of your night’s sleep in deep sleep when you’re young and healthy — more if you haven’t slept enough. The older you get, the less time you spend in deep sleep.
During REM sleep, scientists believe that your brain clears out information that it doesn’t need– think emptying the trash bin on your PC– deleting the trash helps our brains function better, improving problem solving, fact recall and task completion.
Ongoing sleep deficiency can raise your risk for some chronic health problems. It also can affect how well you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others.
You should aim to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Getting on a sleep schedule with roughly the same bedtime and wake time is also beneficial.
Drink More Water
Drinking enough water each day is crucial for many reasons: to regulate body temperature, keep joints lubricated, prevent infections, deliver nutrients to cells, and keep organs functioning properly. Being well-hydrated also improves sleep quality, cognition, and mood.
Many health and wellness experts recommend drinking half your body weight in water daily but this is dependent on your level of activity and water loss throughout the day. If you work a sedentary job sitting in front of a computer screen all day you might not need as much water as someone working construction outside during the summer. At bare minimum, you should aim for 64oz of water per day with the goal of working up to half your body weight. For example, if you weigh 160lbs, you should be drinking at least 80oz of water per day.
I prefer to drink my water in glass bottles or cups, mainly because I add essential oil to my water for additional health benefits and some oils don’t do well in plastic containers. When I am at home, I like to use my 24oz mason jar to measure and drink my water. I start the morning with my 24oz glass and 2 drops of lemon essential oil. The lemon essential oil provides a flavor boost as well as natural cleansing ability for the kidneys and liver.
Move Your Body
Did you know that the average American gets only 1800 steps per day. That is less than a mile per day. (a mile is roughly 2000 steps)
If you want to get healthy, you need to be intentional about moving your body. When the weather is nice, walking outside is an awesome option. Being outside in the sun and exposing yourself to Vitamin D is good for your body, mind and soul.
In the winter months or when the weather isn’t as friendly (I’m a southerner– I don’t like cold!), I enjoy walking with Leslie Sansone on Youtube. She has 1, 2, 3+ mile walks. You use all the muscle groups. It’s an excellent alternative to walking outside.
I am in a walking group on Facebook and there are people who walk in circles around their kitchen table, people who walk up and down the stairs in their homes and even people who walk in place in the kitchen. Sometimes we make things way too complicated. We make excuses about not being able to afford a gym membership or not having the time…when the truth is, we don’t need anything fancy. We can move right where we are. And with Leslie, a mile walk only takes 15 minutes. Everyone has 15 minutes in a 24 hour period for self-care.
Take High Quality Supplements
While there is no complete replacement for a healthy diet and exercise program, today’s modern diet does not provide the nutrients we need to not only stay healthy, but also have energy and prevent premature aging. We just can’t get everything that we need from food anymore.
Many health experts recommend taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement that provides 100 to 200 percent of your recommended daily value. And each and every supplement should be carefully evaluated for purity and safety. Specific supplements have been associated with toxicity, reactions with medications, competition with other nutrients, and even increased risk of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Yikes!!
I have a supplement 3-pack that I love. Taken together, all three supplements provide the antioxidant capacity of 12 or more servings of fruit and vegetables. One of the biggest problems with MANY supplements today is the fact that our bodies cannot absorb the nutrients we are trying to get by taking them. I love that my supplement pack solved the absorption issue by using a glycoprotein matrix to help the body absorb vitamins, and chelated minerals (meaning the mineral is bound to an amino acid). In essence, this process makes the supplement recognizable as food nutrients to our digestive systems. SCORE!
Join Social Media or Local Meet-up Groups
Let’s face it, exercising just for the sake of exercising or losing weight can get boring. Spice things up by joining a local meet-up group or a social media group so you can be part of a team or group of like-minded people. Doing so gives your workouts a new purpose, and it’s fun to be around others, virtually or in-person, who are exercising just like you.
For instance, I am an Intermittent Faster and I enjoy walking. I found groups on Facebook for both things. We encourage each other, do challenges and keep each other motivated. Having a community of support is great for accountability and making new friends.
You can also join a local meet-up group online and get together with people in person. Pick something you enjoy, like walking, biking, hiking, running etc. and join a local group.
I also have a fitbit and my best friend across the country in Colorado and I can do walking challenges daily to help us get our steps in. If you don’t have a fitbit or other smart device to track steps and activity, I highly recommend it. It has helped me tremendously with my motivation, or lack thereof.
If you incorporate these 5 things this week, you will be well on your way to living a healthier, more energetic and more fulfilling life.
