7. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated and feel full longer. Start each morning with a tall glass of water, before you even think about
breakfast. Drinking a lot of water will stop you from mistaking thirst for hunger. Squeeze a lemon into your water once in a while to help keep your system squeaky clean. The cleaner the system, the better the digestion, the flatter the tummy. If you are a number person, and you want to know the exact number of ounces you should be drinking for your body weight, google it.
8. Avoid processed, refined and deep-fried foods as much as possible. Even the humble, hearty and nutritious potato is repeatedly bastardized by modern man. Who doesn’t love a french fry or a potato chip?
9. Avoid added sugar. Sugar in fresh and dried fruit is, of course, natural and perfect. In my experience, a bit of raw honey can actually be beneficial. If you buy soy milk, go for unsweetened. If you buy yogurt, choose plain. But also allow yourself the occasional treat, and harness the discipline to indulge in moderation.
Drink lots of water
Here are a few tricks to help: instead of making a batch of cookies at once, bake one or two at a time and freeze the rest; instead of buying a box of muffins or a bar of chocolate, buy one muffin
from a bakery or an individually wrapped one ounce
portion of chocolate; for a chewy sweet treat that offers a bit of nutrition (in addition to dried fruit), eat a few gummy bear vitamins and vitamin D gummies each day. (My whole family, from toddler to grown man, is addicted to gummy vitamins.)
10. Limit alcohol consumption. That means one drink per day, party people. Maybe two, if you’re a big strong man with a lot of muscle to metabolize the alcohol. I suppose you could save up all of your drinks and imbibe 7-14 in one evening, but be wary of the choices you make while you’re drunk, and hungover for that matter. If your social life depends on alcohol, take a step back. Do you need to drink to have fun?
11. Exercise. Incorporate cardio, strengthening and stretching exercises into your weekly routine. Shoot for three hours per week at a minimum. We’re not lying when we say exercise makes you feel good. Endorphins are nature’s best antidepressant.
Don’t be intimidated by the word “strengthening.” Do a few push ups, lunges, squats, leg lifts, bicep curls, sit ups, and you’ll be stronger in no time. But I do recommend mixing up your routine to keep challenging your body. Lucky for us, the internet has about a billion and one resources for exercise newbies. Google it, my dear.
12. Call on your higher power for help. For will power. For confidence. For patience. Also, call on your most supportive family and friends. Don’t be shy, we are here to encourage you. Taking charge of your health is admirable and brave.
If you follow all of these tips for a week, and you don’t notice yourself looking or feeling different, don’t give up. Please, don’t give up. If you don’t have patience, you don’t have anything. Humans are creatures of habit, and it takes time and determination to form new habits, but once you’ve gotten a grasp on good health, you won’t ever want to let it go.
Lucy Miller Robinson is a mother, stepmother, writer, and health entrepreneur. She founded Herbal Philosophy Teas upon the belief that Mother Nature is mankind’s greatest chemist. Lucy is currently writing her second novel and editing her first novel. She blogs about living for your highest self (or at least trying to) at Lucille in the Sky, and about herbal medicine at the Herbal Philosophy site. Follow her on Twitter and please introduce yourself. She likes making new friends.
