A new year is upon us, which means healthy eating and living is top-of-mind more than any other time of year for most people. If you invest much time with me at all, you know health is a year-round obsession. More than ever before, I believe there are powerful RESULTS waiting for us in every area of life if we can improve our health. It’s that important.
I didn’t always act this way. Years ago, I placed very little importance on my eating. I exercised, but was simply ignorant to the influence sleep, stress, my environment and even food had on my overall success.
Today, I highly value and respect the link of health to every other area of life. I hope you do, too. I consider great health to be a strategic advantage.
I recently started working with a new trainer, and I asked him to bring me quick tips on how to further build on a healthy lifestyle. I ask this of all my trainers so I can learn with every workout. The advice he gave me has already been very helpful, even though the tips were quite simple.
In the section below, I’ve summarized these tips for you. I hope you find them valuable and immediately recognize a couple you can start incorporating into your daily regimen.
I’m all about helping others win. There are few things more important than great health. Let me challenge you to find a next step in your own healthy living, no matter what level you’re at, and commit to progress.
Here’s to your health and your RESULTS in 2017!
Simple Reminders to Keep You Healthy
- Chew your food slowly – think 20 chews per bite.
- Sit down when you eat.
- Do not eat on the go.
- Drink three to four liters of water every day.
- Eat cooked vegetables (to help with gut health; raw vegetables can often upset our stomachs).
- Keep protein sources to sizes you know you can handle and feel good after you eat them.
- Stick with high quality meats (preferably grass-fed and organic veggies – yes, it does matter).
- Implement good fats (in the morning especially).
- Don’t work while you eat – enjoy your meal, don’t introduce stress into it.
- Add curcumin and garlic to your foods.
- Limit tomatoes or salsa to keep acidity low.
- Remove all foods that cause any sort of gut irritation.
- Wake up and go to bed at approximately the same time every day for the next month (changing these times consistently has a substantial impact on food digestion and stress).
- Get sunlight as often as you can, or supplement with Vitamin D (I take 10,000 IUs per day).
- Sleep from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily (again, consistent sleep patterns helps control cortisol production).
- Be deliberate and consistent in doing things that lower your anxiety and stress.
- Meditate/ think daily, preferably within 10 minutes of waking up.
- Lower your coffee intake after noon and consume a source of protein just prior to drinking your coffee in the afternoons.
- Consume passionflower extract just before bed to calm down your brain and body.
- Implement an easy walk or bike for 15 minutes after your training regimen to ensure blood flow is sustained and you are flushing toxins.
- Smell food before you eat it.
- Sit down to eat.
- Put down your fork between bites.
- Cook your food (steamed is best).
- Chew very well…practice it. Can you actually chew a single bite 20 times?
- Stay educated. Constantly feed yourself with health-related tips and reminders.
- Lower your anxiety around eating food. Don’t rush it, don’t multitask during it. Enjoy it!
Awesome advice here. I agree about the sleep habits especially. It is seriously underestimated. Thanks for sharing!