Five Steps to a Healthier You: No More Excuses!

Developing a healthy lifestyle is not easy; however, there are five simple steps that will help you on your way.   Developing a plan a following through with the plan is easy if you just focus on each step.

Step one:  Whatever you focus on gets BIG.  We have a tendency to get stuck in what is wrong instead of how to fix it.  Change your focus; stop focusing on the problem and start focusing on the solution.  Envision your goal in all its glory—smell it, feel it, see it, make it real.          Schedule in positive rewards, keeping them inline with your goals.  Try keeping a goal sheet that breaks down your goal into bite-sized pieces.

Step two:  Think Lifestyle, Not Diet.   A “diet” is temporary; however, “lifestyle” is permanent.  A “diet” is doomed to fail; a “lifestyle” is blessed to succeed.  Be realistic for permanent change and avoid media pitfalls as to how you should look/feel/eat.  A good way to stay focused on reality is to hire a qualified personal trainer.  Sport and Health has many, highly qualified personal trainers on staff.  Members have the ability to take advantage of a free Smart Start; take advantage of this free personalized assessment and goal-creating session.

Be consistent in creating a lifestyle change to find the balance that works for you.  Try enlisting a “partner in crime” to help hold you accountable.   Also, and most importantly, focus on conscious eating.  Turn off the TV.  Turn off the computer.  Put down the book.  Enjoy your meal fully.  You will feel satiated sooner and you will be in a much better mood.

Part of creating a lifestyle change is to create a positive habit.  This takes work.  It takes 30-40 repetitions to form the neurological pathways that create a habit.  These repetitions must be performed properly with no cheating.  Each time you are tempted to cheat, remember that you will be bringing yourself back to square one.

Step three:  Manage Stress and Hydration.  The solution to pollution is dilution.  Make sure you are drinking enough water that you do not feel thirsty and your urine is clear.  You will eat less, feel more alert, and sleep better. 

Get more exercise by adding steps into your day.  This helps release the “happy hormones”:  endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine.  Work strength training into your day, especially women.  This helps build lean mass, which increases metabolism.  It also aids in prevention or maintenance of osteoporosis.  Importantly, strength training reduces cortisol and stress, which means you sleep better.

Work stretching into your routine.  This helps your body and mind reduce stress through breathing.  MELT, meditation, and yoga are three wonderful stress-reduction techniques offered through Sport and Health.  A healthy fascia means a healthy mind.  A healthy mind means better sleep and productivity.

All of these items—hydration, movement, strength training, MELT, meditation, yoga—are meant to balance your hormones, elevate your mood, and improve your sleep.

Step four:  Eat Real Food!  The closer to the source, the better the food.  An apple is better than applesauce, which is better than apple juice.  Learn to say no to processed foods.  Processed foods are full of sodium, hidden sugars, and watered-down nutrients.  A processed food is any food that has been altered from its original state.

Instead, try for 7-9 servings of vegetables and 2-3 servings of a fruit each day.  Not only will you lose weight, but you will also be increasing the nutrients needed to combat depression and the fiber needed to keep regular.  When you are in the grocery store or at the farmer’s market, aim for in-season fruits and vegetables, and opt for a variety of colors to include a variety of phytochemicals for health.

Avoid added sugar.  Americans consume approximately 150-200 pounds of sugar per person each year.  That is approximately 22-28 teaspoons of sugar each day, or 350-400 empty calories each day.  The American Heart Association recommends we consume no more than 9 teaspoons of sugar each day.  That is how much sugar is found in non-processed, natural foods.

Learn to read labels.  Check labels for items like brown sugar, sucrose, sugar, confectioner’s sugar, HFCS, maltodextrin, turbinado sugar, glucose, dextrose, lactose, date sugar, fruit sugar, honey, corn syrup, molasses, caramel, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, maple sugar, dextrin, fructose, or any “-ose”.  We have no control over how much sugar a manufacturer adds to the food.  If we start taking responsibility and eat whole foods, we can regain control of our sugar intake.

Step five:  You Get Out of It What You Put Into It.  If you are willing to put in 100%, you will get 100% out of it.  If you are only willing to put in 80%, you will only get 80% out of it.  If you are only willing to put in 60%, you will only 60% out of it.  If you put 0% into it, you will get 0% out of it. 

How invested are you in change?