3 Simple Steps towards creating your Blueprint to a Healthy Lifestyle
When you want to put forth a conscious effort to make positive changes with regards to your overall health, it can naturally be completely overwhelming. There’s a ton of information (and misinformation) out there, diet and exercise fads and lofty expectations that can understandably feel inundating.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Let’s start small and simple, with three key areas to help shift your focus on how to make small changes in your day-to-day behaviour — that result in big results!
1. Start by establishing stronger habits
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
Every day we are faced with choices. And with those sets of choices come their own forms of consequences. We are all faced with the same number of hours in the day, and success in our health and wellness ultimately boils down to every micro choice you make – and understanding what this decision represents.
Deciding to sleep in and skip the workout is a choice. Deciding to get up and go for a walk after dinner rather than lazing in front of the TV is a choice. Deciding to push it that extra mile instead of calling it early is a choice. Establishing stronger habits towards our health and wellness means building it in the calendar – and actually following through with it.
It’s easy to come up with the strategy – but not everyone can execute on it.
2. Make a plan for the grocery store
Figuring out how to build your blueprint for healthy eating can be broken down into three sections.
- Take a top to bottom inventory of your pantry, fridge and freezer. This is ground zero for making any kind of behavioural adjustment in your diet. Take stock of the different types of food you’re consuming. Are you a little too heavy on the red meat? Is there enough color in the form of fruits and vegetables? What about the boxed items that clutter your cupboards? Identify in advance the types of food you have a weakness and of what types of foods you have a propensity for at the grocery story so you have the foresight to plan ahead and not fall prey to the grocery store traps.
- Create a grocery list – and check it twice! Not just for budgeting purposes, but planning the work and working the plan at the store will help you come out ahead by sticking to a healthy list. Aim for the organic sections, and avoid the sugar-heavy, processed foods that tend to catch our eye. Do some meal planning and reverse engineer your week with different meal ideas.
- Stay militant at the grocery store. This is when you execute on your plans. Stick to the perimeters of the grocery store because you will find the fresh foods, clean protein and small batched whole grain breads. Be wary of what you seek on the shelves. It’s also good practice to read the labels on anything you buy. Look for the trans fats, the sodium and sugar levels and what is high in cholesterol – and walk in the opposite direction! You really want to be cognizant of what is exactly in the food you’re putting in your body.
3. Carve out time for activity
The dangers of a sedentary lifestyle have been astronomically crippling – and with the increasing demands on our calendars throughout the day, many find difficulty in finding the time to move their bodies. Working small bits of exercise into your daily routine isn’t that hard. The resulting feeling of how stimulated your muscles feel, while working your joints is beyond measurable.
- Build time into your calendars for family fun at the park after dinner,
- Try something new, like tennis, biking, golf or racquetball,
- Everyday activities that incorporate more walking also can build up your leg muscles,
- Consider group activities like, bootcamps, cardio or spin classes,
- Yoga/Pilates/Stretching: All work wonders on the mind-body connection and helping with your stress management,
- Get up and walk around or march in place during TV commercials
- If you find yourself watching too much TV at night – implement a rule that there needs to be at least one hour of walking (without phones) before TV time.
While these might seem small, squeezing in blocks of time for extra movement, extra attention to our diet and being extra aware towards our habits can really grow towards making a big impact! When you’re looking for a little help on your health journey, try the unique metabolic enhancer designed to work synergistically with your body’s own unique chemistry for maximum effectiveness. COR BOLIC is loaded with powerhouse natural ingredients that will help you start your day off right.