How To Start A Health Journey

Starting a healthy routine can be a challenge. However anything “new” that you aren’t currently doing is a challenge. That is because familiarity takes no effort. Since familiarity becomes habit it is important to make your health journey a part of you day to day practice. Doing so will allow you to make good decisions without thinking about it. These are simple (enough) instructions on how to start a health journey.

Losing and gaining weight are of equal ease. Hear me out when I say this, 3500 calories is equal to one pound, cutting out calories (caloric deficit) or eating more (caloric surplus) can cause weight to fluctuate up or down depending on what we consume as well as our goals.  So if you eat 3500 more or take away 3500 calories you will either lose or gain weight. Make sense? Now that the technicality of calories and weight are out of the way this is how to start a health journey 

My main goal should be to get healthy but of course looking fit and fabulous never hurt anyone.

 

Drink more water

I’m sure you have read all the benefits of drinking more water so I will not go into further detail but only tell you that the reason why a cliche is a cliche is because it’s true. Drink your water. There is so much going around the internet suggesting a gallon a day. I cannot and it may not be realistic for many of us to be able to drink that much water (and go to the restroom that amount of times per day). I will leave you with one suggestion, drink your body weight is oz. ex. If you are 110 lbs then you need to drink 110 oz of water or 6 bottles each day. If you grab yourself one of those cool bottles then it can assist you in drinking up.

Create a routine and make it consistent

Habits get you results. It is not important that you focus on the physical result as much as how you feel. I tend to like my workouts early, I’m talking 5am early. Although I like to get my workout in early, I found that my most effective workouts are anywhere between 7am and 9am. This is not a daily realistic time for me because of my work schedule but I do enjoy it when I have the opportunity to work out “this late”. Find a time that works for your schedule and stick to it. Baby step your way into it by just doing 15 minutes today. Tomorrow you can up those minutes to 20 or 30 if you would like but keep upping the time until you are so consistent that it is effortless.

Cut out refined sugar

This can be a difficult one as there is sugar in most things that Americans consume. I am not speaking of natural sugar so much as added sugar. These sugars are scientifically linked to excess belly fat and obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Being of African American heritage and having diabetes on both sides of my family, it is important for me to pay attention to these things and to teach my daughter to do the same.

Cut out empty calories

Empty calories are calories with no nutritional value. They do nothing for you except give you extra unnecessary calories. Refined sugar, as stated above, are empty calories. Empty calories include things such as juice, soft drinks, specialty coffee, yes you pumpkin spice latte lovers, I am talking to you. Just by limiting those empty calories you are cutting down on your calorie consumption which in turn can transfer into weight loss  

Experiment

Try any exercise routine, try every exercise routine. There are so many ways to get your body moving that there is something out there for everyone. Don’t like one program? Move on to the next. You have no excuse not to find something to work for you. This should be fun. 

Get outside

I love fall because it is the type of weather where you can get out and stay out. Going for an evening stroll is amazing this time of year. People usually enjoy hiking this time of year as well. You can take the dog for a longer walk, or partake in all of the fall activities that there are to offer. The point is to get outside. Getting outside is a great way to get moving if you just could not find any “experimental exercise” from the above statement.

Rest, recover and sleep!

When you are trying to achieve your fitness goal (especially if you have a big event coming up) it is very tempting to work out as much as possible. I have found that this is ineffective as it can detract from your goal. There is also more of a chance of injury. Working out helps you burn calories but also breaks down muscle tissue. A tired muscle that hasn’t had time to recover is more susceptible to a serious muscle tear or excessive tissue damage. To rebuild your muscle back it is important to have proper nutrition and rest in order to recover.

Did you know that lack of sleep increases stress hormones? Here is another “not so fun fact” as of 2021, Americans on average get 6.8 hours of sleep while the suggested time is 7-8 hours each night. Resting your muscles is just as important as getting a good night’s sleep. Getting good, uninterrupted  sleep aids in your body healing and rejuvenating. To begin getting a good night of shut eye start by setting a timer every evening. This is your bedtime alarm. Grab a book, hop into bed and get some rest.