I started with the most basic knowledge of what healthy meant - which is probably what most of the world still believes as well. I believed silly things like carbs are why people get fat, if you want to lose weight you have to eat a lot less and do a lot of cardio. Weights are only for men. Skinny people are always healthy. Natural sugar was equal to processed sugar. Any weight loss is good weight loss. And you know this list goes on and on. I believe some of this until I was about 18! What's scary is that these were not ideas that I came up with on my own. It's what adults taught me, it's what the media and the world taught me and it's what some of them keep reinforcing literally until today. Raise your hand if you've heard that "1200 calories" are ideal for a woman. As you all know, I decided to change and besides the usual better eating and exercise, there are other things that can change to make you live better. It might not be the same for everyone and you need to figure yours out for yourself, but since it's been requested, here's the changes that affected my life the most: 1. Early To Bed and Early To Rise Basically we all know we should go to bed earlier and we should wake up earlier but not everyone does it. I love being a night person. And I also love getting up at 7am. It's a tough choice, but I gave up my late nights of staying up basically wasting time. Now I try to get into bed about 30-45 minutes before I should be asleep. And that helps me get up earlier and feel better about it- which I enjoy much more than staying up till 2am then struggling to get up on time in the morning. 2. Make The Most Out Of My Morning I get up, have a glass of water, put my runners on and go for a walk or a run. Sometimes with my little man! (perfect if you have dog!) And if the weather is bad, I stay home and do some yoga. Then I get ready for work and have an amazing, healthy breakfast. Oats, nana ice cream, acai bowls, Smashed Avocado & Vegemite on toast. This works so much better than sleeping in till I absolutely have to get up, have a crappy breakfast like cookies or cake (like i used to) and still feel lazy all morning. A good morning can change your mood for the whole day. 3. Take Advantage of The Sun I work from home - which seems amazing. But that made me really lazy to get outside. I would literally spend days just in my house without ever leaving because I didn't need to. That really does affect a person, so when I decided to go on morning walks, it realised within a week how it changed my mood, how much energy I had and how much more satisfied I felt with my day. You don't all have to take walk in the morning, but find some time to get outside. Have lunch in the sun, take a break and just enjoy the breeze, whatever it is, find at least 15 minutes in your day to get outside and do nothing but enjoy it.
5. WATER Everyone knows they need to drink more water. And I hated it but since I started working out, I noticed the differences. It helps clear my skin, I don't look or feel as sleepy or dehydrated. I don't feel hungry as often and generally don't get as bloated as I used to when I swapped water with sugary or dairy filled drinks. With the exception of tea (no sugar and no milk) or the occasional vegan coffee, all I have is water. It might seem like common sense, but all those drinks people replace water with just aren't worth it. You will feel better if you make sure you're having enough water throughout the day. Now, I have an app, Plant Nanny, to help me remember to drink water, it was actually very helpful when I first got it, and now I keep it because I like growing plants on the app! Download Plant Nanny 5. Got Rid of Toxic People (and found new friends) Everyone says to do this, but not many actually take that step. Some people are ignorant, old-fashioned or rude and others get mad at any kind of progress you make. You do not need these people in your life. It's not great doing this alone, but it sucks when people around you try to discourage you and bring you down. Whether it's friends or even family, toxic people are no good and the best thing to do is to kick them out of your life. I did, not immediately but eventually I got rid of them and replaced them with people who actually knew what this lifestyle is about. I found friends who loved the same things I did, they supported me, understood what I did and we had shared experiences. That made me feel so happier, better about myself and it made this whole journey so much more enjoyable. 7. Stopped With The Self Hate This is definitely the biggest one. Though I've mentioned it countless times, I have to keep saying it. When I looked in the mirror and forced myself to see things I loved instead of judging my own body, I felt better. I loved myself more, I was more confident, I wasn't so harsh on myself. You should be able to look at yourself, smile and mean it. The worst habit you could possibly have is hating your own body. Learn to love the body you're in, and show it just how much you love it. BIKINI FEATURED: "CARA" BANDEAU REVERSIBLE BIKINI [LONG ISLAND LEMON / LYON LILAC] I made these changes for me, and they have effected my life dramatically. I feel better, I look better, I'm confident and happy and I love my life and my body so much more than I ever used to.
If it wasn't for my own interest in health and my body, all the research I did and all the effort that I put into educating myself on what health really meant, I would probably be the same overweight, unhealthy, unhappy and clueless person I once was. I never want to go back to being that person and I can never see myself giving up the wonderful changes I've already started. If anything, I hope that this would work to encourage some of you to make some positive changes of your own,
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