3 Steps To Begin a Healthier Lifestyle
by Anna Victoria in Fitness
Many of us want to begin living a healthier lifestyle, but knowing where to start can be difficult! Here are a few simple steps that I took at the start of my journey that helped me get on track – and stay there.
1. Make Healthy Food Swaps
One misconception about eating healthy is that you need to eat less, which is absolutely not true. You actually get to eat A LOT of food because nutrient dense food is naturally low in calories, meaning you get to eat more of it! So instead of cutting food out, all you need to do is make healthy food swaps.
For example, instead of eating cereal, opt for a yummy overnight oats recipe. Or instead of a candy bar, grab a healthy protein-packed granola bar!
If you are like me, and you have a strong longing for junk food, then another key thing that helped me learn to love healthy food was to get rid of all junk food in my house. This is especially important in the beginning stages of learning how to properly fuel and nourish your body.
If you’re home, hungry, and you know there is junk food, it’s all too easy to convince yourself that it’s okay to have “just one bite” or eat it “only this once.” But the problem is it’s very rarely ever “just one bite.” If you remove junk food from your home and you replace it with healthier food, it will help you ease into the routine of eating more fruits, veggies and healthier snacks – and that’s half the battle!
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I will admit though, this isn’t always the easiest thing to do if you live with people that are not interested in making the same healthy food choices. The best thing you can do is talk to them about how important this lifestyle change is to you and ask for their support. Now, this doesn’t mean they need to get rid of their own food, but hopefully they will see how much this matters to you and help keep you accountable if they see you going for something that doesn’t align with your health goals. And how amazing would it be if they slowly started adapting some of the healthier habits you are working so hard to create?
Let’s say you share this new health focus of yours and they aren’t on board whatsoever. What do you do? Honestly, get ready to strengthen that will power muscle. You’re going to have tempting food around you and it’s going to be up to you to say no. If there’s one thing I learned, the more you say no, the more you’ll stick to your guns and keep saying no to junk food. The more you say yes, the more you’ll keep giving in and finding excuses to say yes.
2. Follow A Plan Or Set Routine
We all want to start out on a new journey and have it be a success, and the best way to do that is by setting yourself up to succeed. When first deciding to commit yourself to living a healthier lifestyle, step number one is finding a workout program and meal plan or approach to follow, like the Fit Body Guides or Fit Body app.
Having a set routine and plan will remove any uncertainty about what you should do next or if what you’re doing is even correct! We all have busy lives and we all have reasons for why we can’t fit working out into our routine, or why we don’t have time to cook healthy food. But I can guarantee you, there is someone out there with the same excuses that found a way to make it work.
Something else that helped me is that the FBG workouts are only 30 minutes a day and can be done from home or the gym. Having this flexibility really made getting my workouts done that much easier. I always felt like I needed to slave away in the gym for 1-2 hours for it to be effective, but thanks to the FBG workouts, that’s not the case. I get in a killer 30 minute workout three times a week that targets my entire body to help me both burn fan AND tone up.
Once you download your Fit Body Guides or the Fit Body app, set a routine and stick to it! That means that on the days you just don’t feel like going, you go anyway. One of my favorite quotes is, “Commitment means sticking to what you said you would do, long after the mood you said it in has left you”.
While living a healthy lifestyle is much more about dedication that motivation, it’s also okay to acknowledge you’re human. If you’re sick or have a special event, it’s ok to accept that you won’t always be able to eat perfectly healthy, or get every single workout in. Know that you do NOT need to be perfect to see amazing results. Focus on achieving an 80/20 balance with your food which means you eat healthy 80% of the time, and that way you have wiggle room for 20% to be yummy, indulgent foods.
3. Be Patient
If you are looking for quick results, stop looking. They don’t exist. No pill, or wrap, or drink will ever get you long lasting results. The only thing that will get you results is healthy eating and exercise becoming a consistent part of your everyday life.
Even then, it takes weeks to see physical changes, although you’ll feel a difference almost immediately! I don’t say this to discourage you, remember the time is going to pass anyways! I say this to help you set realistic expectations.
For most people, you will feel progress in about 4 weeks, you will see it in about 8 weeks, and others will notice in about 12 weeks. But even then, this is dependent on your adherence to the Fit Body Guide workouts and principles.
This is a lifestyle change. It’s normal to be excited for results. As long as you commit to eating healthy and exercising on a consistent basis, the results will come, your health will improve, and you will feel and look amazing! You will be SO proud of yourself when you start seeing and feeling all of your hard work pay off.
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So what do you think? Are you ready to commit to being a healthier, happier, and more confident you? Comment below and let me know if you’re starting either the Fit Body Guides or the Fit Body app, and what changes you’re most excited to see!!
For those of you #fbggirls who have been killing it on your journey for some time now, are there any other tips that helped you on your journey that I didn’t mention above? Comment below and let me and the other #fbggirls know!
