It’s a brand new year and you have set some great health and fitness goals to move forward. You’ve been eating healthy by choosing the right foods and have eliminated several nights of drinking. The fried chicken has been thrown by the way side (for the most part) and exercise has been happening on a regular basis. You have achieved or you are starting to accomplish your goals of losing weight, getting toned and feeling great. Your friends are starting to look to you as their inspiration. NOW, you are really motivated and feel like you have got a great hold of life. Everything that can be controlled is, and you’d like to know how to step things up and take your health to the next level.
By incorporating these five simple tips you can boost your health even more and kick your metabolism into high gear. Integrating these habits into your wellness rituals will surely have your body thanking you.
- Drink more water – Yes more! Your body is 60% water and it’s most definitely an essential ingredient to keeping your body working efficiently by flushing out toxins and aiding in digestion. Without adequate water you will become dehydrated and therefore function at a less than optimal rate. You’d be doing your body a major disservice and throwing a major wrench into big weight loss or muscle gaining goals with an ample supply of water.
- Workout outside of your comfort zone – It’s very easy to fall into a systematic approach to exercising. You find a general routine and by human nature you continue to follow that same routine, maybe with some variances, because it’s comfortable. Next time you realize that you’re doing this, force yourself to switch it up. Add an extra exercise into the mix by immediately following one set of exercises with another set of exercises (super setting) before a rest period or integrate an activity to keep your heart rate up in between exercises. You could find a new trail to run, or even scarier, try a new class at your existing gym or someplace brand new where your forced to go all out on everything so you don’t look like a slacker.
- Integrate vitamins – A good multi-vitamin will help provide your body with some of the nutrients that it may be missing. You don’t have to go to a specialty store. You can find a good multi-vitamin at almost any drug store or grocery store. If you feel that your energy is lower than it should be, this could mean that you have a nutrient deficiency. Seek your doctor’s advise for testing and integration of additional vitamins.
- Buy organic – If you haven’t already started, then be sure to look out for organic options at the grocery store. Buying organic will ensure that you’re providing your body with the best nutrients minus the GMO’s and antibiotics that are proven to have negative impacts on humans by compromising the immune system. The FDA has vowed to implement a plan to phase out certain antibiotics but the plan is only voluntary so whenever possible buy organic and encourage your friends and family to do the same.
- Juice it! – Have a juice a few times a week. Have you seen some of the fabulous smoothie bowls and juices that people have been posting lately? It’s been all the rage and rightfully so. Juicing when done right by integrating healthy portions of greens, vegetables, seeds and fruit, is a super easy and fun way to fill your body with the nutrients it needs to run efficiently along with the water you’re giving it. Add a scoop of protein to feed your body extra aminos while flavoring it up with a vanilla or chocolate-based powder. A juice is highly digestible because it’s already been broken down and your body is more likely to absorb those nutrients at much higher rate.
Natasha Sealy is an advocate for nutrition and wellness and studies sports and energetic holistic nutrition. She has been involved in competitive sports and fitness for over 20 years and now enjoys spending time bodybuilding, running and spreading the good word and consulting on optimal nutrition.
For more information on Natasha, please visit her at www.natashasealy.com or connect with her on Facebook.
