How I Stay Healthy As A Young Adult

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.

1. 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.
2. 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
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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**