11 Steps to a Healthier You

As someone who has been quite obsessed with their weight since they were 13 years old, I can probably tell you more about what’s unhealthy as opposed to healthy.  Growing up I did fall into extremely bad habits of binging and purging.  Except my purging wasn’t puking my brains out, it was working out for hours on end.  I wouldn’t eat anymore than one meal a day, and when I did eat, it was probably more than the entire football team of my high school combined.  However, I did also fall into bad habits from the other end a few years ago.  In 2016 I had weighed in at almost 200 lbs, the heaviest I’ve ever been.  You see, I had  really hard time finding a happy medium.  I would either diet hardcore and be extremely fit, or binge a shit ton.  I personally don’t think I’ll ever be 100% satisfied with my body, but I’ve come to realize that, that’s ok.  There are ways to become healthier, both mentally and physically with these easy steps.

Drink More Water

I know that I’ve said this in almost every single post, but it’s true.  Water helps with so much.  It helps with bloating, keeping your skin healthy, and your metabolism.  I’ve seen so many memes out there that all have to do with how water fixes everything.  It doesn’t fix everything, but it helps with a lot.

Unplug

We have all become so wrapped up with social media that we have forgotten how to live in the moment.  Several weeks ago I decided to unplug completely.  Although I wasn’t 100% successful, I did try.  I didn’t spend countless hours scrolling through Instagram or Facebook instead of paying attention to life, and that very exact moment in time.  With a blog, I feel the need to constantly be attached to this little space of mine.  I’m not a huge blogger, nor am I really relevant, but I do feel accomplished with what my blog has become.  I’m scared that if I step away, I might miss that chance of “making it” but I also know that I need to also have a life and some mental clarity from this crazy world of the internet.

Eat your Veggies

If we are being honest, I hate veggies.  I have come up with some very interesting ways to make veggies tasty, but I really do hate them.  They are gross, but in order to stay healthy I eat them every now and then.  However, if you do eat veggies, don’t drown them in unhealthy things like cheese and butter because then you’re just cancelling it all out haha!

Treat Yoself

You’re allowed to in the words of Tom and Donna, “Treat Yo Self.”  Whether it’s buying that top you’ve been wanting and you finally feel confident enough to pull it off, or eating that tub of ice cream by yourself in bed while binge watching Netflix.  Obviously, don’t do this every day, but every once in a while, it’s ok to do so.

Find a hobby

I have many different hobbies.  A few of those hobbies have eventually turned into side hustles.  However, in order to be sane, you have to find a hobby that you enjoy.  Don’t forget, that everyone’s hobbies are different.  Some people find it enjoyable to go fishing or hunting, while others enjoy going to shop till they drop.  I find this blog, macrame, and photography to be a great hobby/side hustle because it’s fun for me, and therapeutic.

Surround yourself with the right people

I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but years ago I completely cut off a lot of people.  My circle is small and I don’t have #squadgoals nor do I want that.  I’m happy with the small amount of friends that I have.  The best way to tell if you have a great circle is when you and your friend can go a while without talking and pick up right where you left off.  It’s not always about chatting up a storm with your bestie every single day.  I’m not saying that’s bad, but for some people, they need their space and time to themselves.  The best friendships are the ones that can pick up right where they left off.  I value my friendships more now, so in order for me to let you in and break my walls down, you really have to prove yourself to me.  I don’t trust easily, but I’m also not completely closed off.

Exercise

Personally, Yoga is the best type of exercise for me.  My body loves the movement, and the mind exercise.  When I practice Yoga I also practice meditation.  I love this because of the mental clarity it provides me.  However, Yoga is not for everyone.  Some people prefer to do cardio or weight lifting.  It is all personal preference.

Alternatives to Medication (check with your doctor first!)

Before you read this, just know I’m not a doctor and I’m not liable if you decide to try something without speaking with your doctor first.  Sometimes, there are alternatives to medication.  I’m not talking about serious issues.  However, some conditions are controllable with diet and exercise.  If you watch any commercial about medication nowadays, all of them have the people walking through beautiful fields or laughing/smiling, while having a good portion of the commercial tell you what the side effects are.  The sad part, is most of them actually say “can cause death.”  Before taking that script from your doctor, ask him/her if it’s possible to control your condition with something other than medication.  They might tell you yes, and in that case, if you have to make a few adjustments to your diet, it’s better than being on prescription medication.

Diet vs. Lifestyle

If you’ve been following along for a while, you already know I’ve tried multiple different diets.  I actually enjoy testing out the fad diets.  I know that they are fad diets, but sometimes I just have to try them.  I’m currently on the see food diet, where I see food and eat it haha.  I know, super corny joke, don’t hate me.  My favorite diets have been the 21 Day Fix and Keto, but unfortunately, Keto is not a lifestyle diet.  I do believe that the 21 Day Fix is a great lifestyle diet.  I was able to stick with it for over a year and I did really well.  You are allowed to have cheat days, and the recipes are actually really good.  There is nothing too crazy about it, you just have to use portion control containers.  I found this the easiest as opposed to counting macros.  I did try counting macros for a hot second but failed completely.  Really research diets before starting one only because there are warnings out there saying that some are not meant to be long term.  Yes, you might lose weight, but it might not be good for you.  Losing weight doesn’t mean you’re becoming healthy.  I mean, we all know what crash dieting is and we all know that’s not healthy.

A good night’s sleep

It’s just like Pam said in The Office that one episode where when she gets a solid night’s sleep she feels completely refreshed.  I’m not a morning person, so no matter how much I sleep, if I wake up to the sound of an alarm I’m always groggy, but I have noticed that when I sleep a solid 9 hours I feel much better than when I sleep for 5/6.  With my condition I’m supposed to get 9 hours of sleep a night, but unfortunately life happens and this sometimes isn’t feasible.

Be Lazy

Every once in a while, I’ll decide that I need to be lazy.  This means being a complete and total lump all day long.  I don’t do housework or any type of work, including blogging.  This is the beauty of not having children; I’m actually able to do this without having to find a sitter.  Sometimes I just need one day to hide in my dungeon and reboot by doing absolutely nothing.

How do you stay healthy?

Not everyone can do all of these things, but at least it gives you a good idea of what you can do to be a healthier version of yourself.  Mental health is just as important as physical, which is why you always need to take care of both.  People can sometimes forget how important your mental health is because stress can ultimately lead to death if you end up having a heart attack for example.  What are some steps that you take to stay healthy?

xoxo Monica

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