The health and wellness industry is saturated with buzzwords and targeted marketing that is designed to keep you in the endless cycle of stopping and starting your wellness journey. This can make starting, or even REstarting your health and fitness journey intimidating and overwhelming.
Here are my top 5 tips for getting started or restarting your health and wellness journey that only require the investment of your time and will to change!
Daily movement matters. Before I recommend a workout program I would recommend getting in the habit of walking every day! Did you know that 10,000 steps a day can move you out of the sedentary lifestyle category?!
You don’t have to come out of the gate day 1 with 10,000 steps everyday. As a matter of fact I recommend against it! Start with smaller daily goals, averaging 2,000 more steps that you are currently getting. Each week add 1,000 more until you are averaging 10,000. Easing into the change and slowly building your endurance will help you stay consistent and not burn out before you really get started. I wrote a blog all about the benefits of walking here: Walking For Weight Loss that covers the many benefits of adding daily walks into your routine.
Did you know that water makes up about 60% of your body weight? It has many important roles in your wellness like maintaining body temperature, protecting your organs, joint lubrication, nutrient absorption, and getting rid of waste. So many functions of your body require water you have to drink plenty to replenish it! There is a reason you will have low energy when you are dehydrated, your body simply can’t operate at full capacity!
The amount of water needed by everyone will vary based on many factors such as climate, menstruation, and physical output, just to name a few. While there is no “one size fits all” magic number that you need, there are some minimum guidelines that have been set for general health. You should always start and end your day with a big glass of H20 to help your body operate and regulate. The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends drinking 104-128 fl oz for men and 72-96 fl oz. per day for women. These amounts should serve as a baseline goal that you can adjust as necessary bases on your daily activity and climate.
Nutrition can be a battle, I recommend starting with changing the things that will have the biggest impact! Sugar is the number 1 enemy, and it’s in everything, which leads to craving and over indulging. Start with replacing your sweet tooth cravings with fruit! Fresh fruits have natural sugar and can help a sweet tooth while also adding vitamins & minerals you might be lacking! I love frozen grapes for an afternoon snack on a hot day! You can also add flavors like cinnamon, vanilla, and unsweetened coconut flakes as toppers to your fruit, these are sugar free sweet options. It won’t happen overnight but after a few weeks your sugar craving should reduce and fruit starts to taste a whole lot sweeter!
When it comes to fitness, consistency is key in success. The best way to stay consistent is to find a type of workout that you ENJOY doing! This does not mean you need to sign up for EVERY fitness class and studio in your town. All you need to do is hit YouTube and start searching! There are so many styles of fitness out there, I promise there is ONE that you will enjoy! You can try yoga, pilates, dumbbell workouts, HITT training, Low impact workouts, bodyweight workouts, boxing, jump rope…ect… the options are endless! Try 1 or 2 out a week and see what style works for you! If you want you can check out my YouTube channel, Warrior Goddess Fitness that has tons of free workouts.
Don’t just start the week saying “I’m going to be healthy”. Go into the week with a plan on how you are going to be healthy! Write down your goals for the week and think about how you are going to reach them throughout the week. Look at your schedule for the week and plan what days/times are best for your walk, workouts and schedule them in your calendar. Plan a few meals and get your grocery shopping done on the weekend so you are set up for success for food throughout the week. If you want to get ambitious you can even prep a few meals ahead for the week. Taking time on the weekend to set up your week is a powerful tool for success and all it takes is time!
The hardest part of this journey is going to be GETTING STARTED! Try adding these 5 tips into your weekly routine to start your process! You don’t have to have an “all or nothing” mindset! If you are looking for more guidance and a full program designed to help you build a healthy lifestyle you can check out my Goddess Foundations Program, a new group starts the first Monday of each month!