6 Basic Tips for Getting Healthy in 2019

I am giving a presentation tomorrow evening to a local group of business women about health and wellness in the New Year and as I was gathering my thoughts, I thought it was worth a blog post. January always makes people start thinking about getting back in shape or getting healthier, right? So what are some things you can do, especially if you are currently not practicing much in the realm of health?

Here are 6 short tips I put together:

1. Drink more water. Aim for 1/2 your weight (in pounds) in ounces daily. For example, a 160-pound person would want to drink a minimum of 80 ounces of water.

2. Move your body! Start small if you have to - take a 15-minute walk during your lunch hour. Sign up for a group fitness class. Try a new home workout program.

3. Reduce inflammation. Some common inflammatory foods include sugar, white flour products (refined carbohydrates), saturated fats, trans fats, monosodium glutamate (MSG), gluten and casein, aspartame and alcohol. I will say that some foods are inflammatory for some people and not necessarily for others, but this is a pretty inclusive list for most people. Try to stay away from processed foods and stick to whole foods or foods with minimal ingredients as a general rule.

4. Practice intermittent fasting. Our bodies were designed to benefit from fasting. Intermittent fasting may mean that you only eat two meals per day instead of 3. The most common form of intermittent fasting is a 16:8 - 16 hours of fasting (which does include the time you're asleep) and an 8-hour window to eat (something like 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.). There are so many benefits to utilizing this practice and you can work your way into it over time - you don't have to start it all at once.

5. Get enough sleep. Aim for 7-9 hours per night. If you find that you're sleeping less than 7 or more than 9 on a consistent basis, it may be time to examine other areas of your life. Sleep is very important for your brain and your body - there are a lot of things that happen on a cellular level while we sleep.

6. Eliminate (or at least limit) stress. Eating healthy, exercising and getting enough sleep will help you minimize stress, but you can also socialize with friends or spend some time on a hobby. Unchecked stress can cause a number of health problems.

Above all, be kind to yourself! Don't expect to get all of these perfect on the first day/week/month. Slowly implement these changes. Eventually, you'll notice that it takes less thought because you'll have developed them into healthy habits.

Happy New Year!

xo,

Jayme