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Ever wanted to have your dessert and eat it too? Yeah, me too! Truth, is you can achieve amazing health, reach your goals and it can actually involve dessert. 🙂

First know….

Good health is all encompassing – it includes your mind, body & soul. Take these 5 principles into practice to achieve amazing health! You can even enjoy your dessert on the way! 

  1. Stop complaining – Seriously, when it comes to grumbling we’d all benefit from keeping our mouths shut more often. But the truth is complaining can actually be hazardous to your health. According to a study out of Stanford University School of Medicine, pointed out that persistent angst negatively impacts the area of the brain that is associated with memory and learning as well as raised cortisol levels. But this doesn’t mean you can never get something off your chest. There is a distinct difference between blowing smoke and talking vulnerably and honestly about hard truths. Being factual and seeking council is okay and, often necessary and therapeutic.
  1. Drink water – when striving for a health goal it’s easy to make things a lot harder than they’re supposed to be. Because so many people don’t drink enough water and our bodies require it for proper function, simply drinking more water can be the key to conquering obstacles and reaching just about any health goal faster.
  • Need an appetite suppressant? – Drink water.
  • Have a serious sweet tooth? – Drink water.
  • Tired or fatigued? – Drink water.
  • You have constipation or digestive issues, you say? – Drink water.
  • Ah, dry skin? – Drink water.
  • Moody? – Drink water.
  • You have headaches often? – Drink water.

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Studies have shown that all of the above issues can be eliminated, or at least improved, all by drinking water! The easy way to calculate how much water you should be drinking every day is take your current body weight and divide that by two. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs you should be drinking approximately 75 oz of water every day.

 

  1. Get all the junk out of the house – Getting and staying healthy is way harder than it should be if your house is full of unhealthy foods. If you know it’s not good, or it’s a weakness of yours, don’t keep it where every time you open the cupboard or the pantry it’s there, in your face, begging to be eaten. Keep your shelves stocked with the good stuff – if you STOCK health food, you’ll EAT healthy food. If you want a treat or some other food that’s not on your diet, go out and get it. Restricting will only lead to over-eating, so allow yourself to splurge now and then. Enjoy a piece, a portion, a slice, whatever it is, but do not bring it home. You won’t feel neglected and you’ll keep the house the healthy hub. 
  1. Be active – no, it doesn’t have to be at a gym, or a certain time, or a certain method. Just MOVE and get your heart rate up. Whether you’re big, small, skinny, chubby – everyone needs to exercise. This rule is really important if you’re not so good at the eating part just yet. Proper diet & exercise are essential to living a healthy lifestyle, but if you’re still far from perfecting your diet, then make sure not to skip out on workouts. A simple 30 minute workout can improve sleep, improve mood, boost sex drive, improve circulation and blood sugar control, and even though it may sound exhausting it actually increases energy! shutterstock_152714603
  1. Reject busyness – Our society thrives on being busy. It’s become like a badge of honor or something to be proud of. Our world has us in a place of “busy” as a default answer and expectation. Listen carefully – busyness is nothing but a self-destructive recipe for no downtime, no decompress time from stress, no time for real human connection, no time for contemplation, and increasing stress levels that are all, plenty of data shows, will kill us off quick! So, ask yourself, what exactly are you busy doing? Is it all that’s on your to-do list necessary? Or vital? Or is it all supporting your hopes and dreams and happiness? Did you know that the average person spends 4 HOURS on the internet, social media and TV per day? Yes so many complain of the lack of time! 

As always, making small changes every day will snow ball and you’ll be living a healthier life before you know it. Don’t get overwhelmed changing your lifestyle, it’s progress, not perfection, that will get you there and keep you there.

 

References:

http://www.webmd.com/