10 Tips for Living a Healthy Lifestyle, You Can Easily Follow
Tips For Living A Healthy Lifestyle, while losing weight!
Before we dive into the tips for living a healthy lifestyle while trying to lose weight I want to ask: Do you want to know what doesn’t work when you are trying to lose weight?
The answer: Crash Diets, Detoxes, Skinny Teas, Fad Diets, Restrictive Diets. Do you know why these diets don’t work? Because they are all trying to sell you a quick fix. Sure you might see some immediate weight loss, but I can promise, you will gain that weight back. Why? Because they are not teaching you how to properly fuel your body, how to eat in a way that is sustainable for a lifetime.
To Live A Healthy Lifestyle You Have To Create Lasting Habits. Here Are My Top 10 Tips For Living A Healthy Lifestyle:
1. What Is Your WHY?
Ask yourself why do you want to lose weight or change your body composition? Dig deeper than I just want to look good. Find the reason that will really motivate you to lose weight and keep it off. Is it for: health reasons, to live a longer life, to be able to play with your kids or grandkids, to improve a chronic illness? Whatever that reason is, write it down! It has been proven that writing down your goals helps you stick to them, it allows to you see the big picture and stay on track. Write down your goals, list your why, and place them somewhere you will see them each and every day: tape to your bathroom mirror or the front of your refrigerator. Then read them every day!
2. Get Others Involved
Once you have set your goals, talk to your friends, family, and loved ones about them. You might even find yourself a workout partner, a meal prep friend, or someone who simply wants to help hold you accountable. Your loved ones will help motivate you to reach your goals because they too want you to be healthy. So don’t be afraid to share your goals, be proud of them, and let the world know!
3. Self Love
This might be the hardest one…learning to love your body! If you are trying to lose weight you probably don’t like what you see when you look in the mirror. However, learning to accept your body as it is now can actually help you reach your goals faster and more easily. Appreciate all that your body does for you now, and think about how much more it can do for you when you start living a healthier lifestyle. Mental health is key to weight loss and living a healthy lifestyle. Tell yourself every day that you love your body. Look in the mirror and find one thing you love! Build on that self love each and every day!
4. The Right Mindset
Perfection is unrealistic! Know that you might not be perfect every day in trying to live a healthy lifestyle. You will have days where you don’t get your workout in, or you eat foods that you know are unhealthy. But the key is when you have those days is to not give up. Wake up the next morning, read your goals, and get after it! Consistency is key to living a healthy lifestyle, but the pressure to be perfect often leads to giving up. So give yourself some slack, know that you are not perfect. Remember what you do most of the time is key, not what you do some of the time! Consistency beats perfection every time when it comes to weight loss.
5. Continue Learning
Bookmark your favorite resources (like A Dash of Macros, the site you are currently reading), follow people on social media that inspire you, find a podcast, or health-related book. Continuing your education around healthy eating, living a healthy lifestyle, and creating healthy habits. These things will continue to motivate you to stay on track with your goals!
The Next Few Tips For Living A Healthy Lifestyle Revolve Around Your Activity/Nutrition You Feed Your Body!
6. Sleep
Sleep is the number one thing you need to give your body. You need sleep to have a properly functioning mind and body. To have enough energy to get through the day. Without the right amount of sleep your body can’t recover from all that you put it through in a given day. The proper amount of sleep helps to improve your metabolism. When you are sleep deprived you tend to feel hungrier and eat beyond the point of full. So do NOT skimp on your sleep, make time for 7-9 hours of sleep EVERY single night! Try going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day.
Click here to learn more about sleep.
7. Stress Management
Did you know that stress can cause your cortisol hormone to build up, which leads to inflammation and cravings for sugary or highly processed foods? These things will of course cause weight gain. Therefore, managing stress is extremely important. Take time to breathe, clear your mind, and when you feel stress coming on find what works for you to keep the stress at bay. For me, walks and meditation apps help greatly!
8. Water
Drinking the proper amount of water each and every single day is one of the best things you can feed your body! Water helps you stay hydrated, improves your skin, nails, hair, helps to curb cravings, and keeps your body lubricated. How much water should you drink? You should aim for .75 – 1 ounce for every pound you weigh. Therefore if you weigh 150 pounds you should be drinking between 112 – 150 ounces of water every day.
Click here to learn more about the importance of water.
9. Exercise
To live a healthy lifestyle and to lose weight you have got to exercise. Whether that be walking, running, strength training, joining a specialty gym: CrossFit, Kick Boxing, Yoga, Cycling… Whatever it is, find something that you enjoy doing. Make exercise fun! Bring a friend, buy some new workout gear, a new pair of running shoes, or some new workout clothing. The key is to find something that you actually enjoy doing and you will be more likely to stick to it!
10. Ditch The Scale!
You might think that I am crazy when I say ditch the scale, but in actuality, this might be the best way for you to live a healthy lifestyle. Learning that the number on the scale doesn’t matter. What matters is how you feel in your body. You will see and feel your progress in how your clothing fits, in your energy levels, in your photos, and in how much stronger you feel. You do not need a scale to tell you if you are happy with what you are achieving. So toss out that scale, stop stressing yourself out over that number!!!
If you absolutely can’t get rid of your scale, then start with reducing the number of times you get on the scale. Start with only once per week, then reduce it to once every other week, then once per month, then once every other month, and so on. Eventually, you will feel a release and you will be able to let go of the scale and that number. You can do it!
In Sticking With The Theme Of Living A Healthy Lifestyle While Trying To Lose Weight You May Want To Continue Your Education By Reading These Articles:
You should aim for .75 – 1 ounce for every pound you weigh. Therefore if you weigh 150 pounds you should be drinking between 112 – 150 ounces of water every day.
You should aim for 7-9 hours of sleep and you should try to get to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
Make exercise fun! Bring a friend, buy some new workout gear, a new pair of running shoes, or some new workout clothing. The key is to find something that you actually enjoy doing and you will be more likely to stick to it!