Monday, July 25, 2016

Start These Six Healthy Habits Today

Living a healthy lifestyle is not just a single battle you must overcome. It is a constant battle. Each morning you decide whether you will workout that day. Every day you decided whether you're going to eat healthy or not. Each night while you watch TV, you decided whether you're going to eat half a bag of chips or not. There may be days that you slack, but there is one thing you should keep in mind: one cheat meal won't kill you, but...one healthy meal won't save you. To help you win your battles more times than not, I have come up with a few tips that you can slip into your every day routine to make your day a little bit healthier. The little things will really add up. 

Pour Yourself a Cup of Green Tea 

In my experience, there are two difference types of tea people. There are those who prefer it as a boost of energy in the morning and there are those who like to include it in their evening ritual. Whichever way you like it, make it a habit. Green tea has so many great benefits for you. It packed with anti-oxidants, it speeds up your metabolism, and it detoxifies. Try switching your morning cup of coffee for some energizing green tea for a healthy start to the day or sip some decaf green tea in the evening before bed. I have found that it is a great way to curve me from having midnight snacks. After I have had my cup of tea, my mind just knows that nothing comes after that. 

Plan a Fun Fitness Activity with a Friend 

To mix up your fitness routine, try something active with a friend. Go hiking at a park or ride bikes through your neighborhood. Make it a routine thing. Do it once a week or every other week. Working out is always more fun with a friend, so why not catch up and do it together? Also, by making it a routine, it can become something you look forward to each week. You will be looking forward to a workout! 

Plan Your Meals 

If you want to take on the challenge of meal prepping, go right ahead! It works great for so many people. If not, at least take some time to think about your meals. In the morning, check the fridge and make a mental note of what you plan to make for lunch or dinner. Unhealthy eating often goes hand-in-hand with fast-grab foods. You don't want to just grab the first thing that looks good. Instead make a mental note of all of the delicious fruits and veggies you have in the crisper, and plan out a healthy meal for yourself. Once that meal time comes around, it will be just as easy to grab the healthy ingredients you had planned and whip up something delicious. 

Create a Health and Fitness Journal 

When you are forced to write something down, it makes it more permanent. Using this idea, grab a journal and start writing. Write the date, what you ate, and how you worked out that day. This will give you a better perspective of what is going in your body every day and how often you break a sweat. You can buy pre-made food journals anywhere, but you can also just make your own. Customize it with a little section for glasses of water you drank that day. If you love things like planners or organization, you will love creating your own health and fitness journal. 
 
Try New Recipes 

Many people complain that healthy food, plane and simple, just doesn't taste as good as unhealthy food. That may be true if you are sitting there eating raw kale for dinner. This is quite a misconception, though. Find a healthy cookbook from the library and copy down a few of the recipes that sound interesting. There are so many amazing ways to make healthy foods. You just need steered in the right direction. Once you combine delicious fruits, vegetables, and herbs you can create something absolutely mouthwatering. 

DIY Pre-Packaged Healthy Snacks 

When it comes to snacking, I often reach for the quickest thing. That might be a bag of chips. Why not make your healthy foods that easy to grab and go? Chop up your favorite vegetables and divide into small snack bags that you can easily whip out and dip into hummus. Any healthy snack you love that takes a little extra time to prepare, make it in advance and divide it into small snack bags. In just a few minutes, you can have a week's worth of healthy snacks for your fridge that you can easily grab in a hunger-craving crunch. 

Stay healthy! I believe in you. 

Molly Steckler  

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