Excuse my crazy hair but this was taken right after my morning workout. I’ve said over and over that I am going to include some health & fitness on my blog but I just haven’t got to it yet. Since it is a new year and right after the holidays I thought it would be appropriate to talk about how I stay healthy as a young adult. Now I am not certified in health and I am not a nutritionist so I’m not telling anyone what to do but simply telling you how I live and maybe some of what I do you’ll want to incorporate into your life to become more healthy.
- I do not drink sugary drinks. The only beverages I drink are tea and water. I haven’t ever liked Pop/soda the carbonation makes my stomach upset and it contains so much sugar that it makes me extremely dehydrated. So I don’t get bored with the taste of water I like to add lemon, cucumber, or some mint leaves. Infusing your water taste good and helps detox your water. ( I have at least 10 glasses a day!) My favorite tea to drink is just organic green tea with a little bit of honey and sometimes I add Stevia if I’m craving sweets.
- I start everyday with a glass of Apple Cider Vinegar water. On the topic of water every morning when I wake up I drink a huge glass of water with a couple tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar. Then I warm it up for about a minute and sip on that before eating or drinking anything else. Apple Cider Vinegar helps start your metabolism, improve skin health, and enhances weight loss. Now I will be honest it isn’t the best tasting drink but it grew on me, adding lemon and honey will help. Bragg’s is my favorite brand
- I try to buy as much organic food as possible. This is something a lot of people have opinions about and I think that for me it’s about buying the best possible food for my body. Being in college it gets pricey buying organic food but I shop Thrive Market to get good deals and have learned to budget my cost on produce at Whole foods.
- I exercise at least 5 days a week. Depending on how my week goes it could be less than 5 days or all 7 days a week. Working out is something that I schedule into my day so it’s more of a priority. My personal favorite time to go to the gym is right when I wake up. I find that it makes me more motivated through out the day. I also like to schedule out what kind of workouts I do on each day so I’m not just doing random exercises at the gym. Somedays I work more on cardio, others I focus more on strength. My favorite exercises are cardio mixed with body weight exercises.
- Intermittent Fasting. This is new to my health life but it has changed my body in the best possible ways. So I do what’s called the 16/8 method meaning that I don’t eat 14 to 16 hours after dinner. So basically, I’ll eat dinner around 6 p.m and won’t eat again until 8 or 9 a.m. It was very hard for me at first but when I started sticking to it I noticed a huge difference in my digestion. Before I did this I did tons of research and it has a range of possible benefits including lower chances of diabetes, improve metabolism function, effective weight loss, and reduced inflammation.
- Whole Foods. As I have previously mentioned I have had lots of issues with my stomach and digestion so I was forced to change my diet. When I was younger I use to be able to eat literally whatever I wanted and feel perfectly fine. My diet restrictions are no dairy, soy, eggs, or gluten. Now this is something I cheat on sometimes because in some circumstances I can’t be this picky with my food. Everything in my house and everything I buy follows this diet. I don’t eat this way just for fun but because it was instructed from my doctor based on my personal health issues. I actually enjoy eating this way because it makes me feel my best, when I cheat on it I wake up the next day definitely feeling sick and it takes multiple days for my body to bounce back. So what do I eat then? TONS of vegetables, fruits, lean meats(slowly eliminating from my diet), nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
- Eating Out. Going out to eat can be tricky because there are usually little or no healthy options. All I do is try my best. Instead of a side of fries I order a side of veggies or sweet potato fries. I love to order salads when I go out to eat because it’s an easy item to alter, and I always get sauces on the side just in case it contains dairy or eggs. I try to cook as much as I can at home so I know exactly what I am eating. I’m one of those people that would rather have a meal at home.
- Listen to my body. Sometimes I get super stressed about not eating healthy or missing a workout but then I remember that I am human. I cannot be perfect everyday or ever. If I wake up not wanting to go to the gym then I listen to that and let my body rest. If I have a strong craving for a sweet then I have sweets! That was my mistake in the past was not listening to what my body wanted and then it would end in me finally satisfying that craving a little too much. Sometimes I plan to go to the gym and run a couple miles and I end up not wanting to do that so I change it.
**Just try your best and remember to find what makes you happy with health and fitness, that’s when it becomes a lifestyle not temporary living**
