Making any big change to your life can be intimidating, and when it comes to your health, it’s especially easy to get overwhelmed. If you want to avoid frustration and keep your health journey on track, I recommend keeping it simple. That’s why this month we’re going back to the basics and I’m sharing 7 simple health tips that you can use to start/restart your journey!
1: Start with your mindset
Mindset is often the greatest barrier standing between you and a healthier lifestyle. So how do you tackle your mindset and set yourself up for success?
First, be honest with yourself. Acknowledge your current health and lifestyle without judgment. Once you give yourself permission to view your health objectively, you will feel more ready to make changes in your life.
Second, spend time each day reflecting on the “wins” you had that day. Don’t get stuck thinking about the ways in which you feel that you fell short of your own expectations. When you let yourself see your day through a balanced perspective, your mindset will become more positive!
Third, get rid of the “diet culture” mindset. Diet-centric mindsets trick you into obsessing over your weight and appearance, often to the detriment of your overall health.
2: Set Goals
Goal-setting is a vital part of making a major life change, but how you choose your goals makes a difference. Start with small, manageable (SMART) goals with short time frames. Most importantly, get specific and keep them manageable. For instance, instead of “I want to work out more this year,” say “this week I am going to take one more walk than I did last week.”
3: Find support
The people you surround yourself with will naturally have an impact on the success of your goals. Make sure you start your health journey by choosing a support network of people who will support you. This includes friends, family, and even professionals like your doctor or your therapist. Be intentional–let the people you choose know what you are doing, what your short-term and long-term goals look like, and that you have chosen them to be a part of your support system. Be sure to tell your support network exactly what they can do to support you on an individual level. You may want to engage with a coach as a guide on your journey. No surprise, this is one of the services that I offer my clients.
Transformative COURSES & WORKSHOPS that make integrating peaceful living, health and wellness easy, fun and affordable.
4: Educate yourself
Knowledge is your greatest tool. There is a lot of misinformation out there, and it can be daunting to sort through it all. If you are working towards specific health goals, find the right professionals who can work with you to achieve those goals. If your goal is to eat a more anti-inflammatory diet, seek out information about the best foods to support this goal. And if you just need help figuring out what to do next, the internet is an excellent tool to find simple health tips like the ones in this blog!
The more you learn, the better equipped you will be to take your health into your own hands.
5: Fuel your body and your soul
You know I believe (and teach) that dieting doesn’t work. And the way you fuel your body matters. Don’t deprive yourself of food in order to maintain strict diet standards or calorie counts. Instead, focus on how you can improve the quality, variety, and flavor of the fuel you are putting into your body. Add in more vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and high-quality proteins; use more spices; try food combos you’ve never tried before; and don’t give in to the diet culture-driven fear of certain foods. Just focus on choosing the best fuel for your body. This simple health tip can go a long way toward improving your life.
6: Move
You may not always have the time or energy for a big workout, but you can always find small ways to move your body throughout the day. Some days you may be able to schedule a long, soul-fulfilling visit to the gym, but others may require some creativity.
Do some stretches while you’re getting ready in the morning; take a 10-minute walk around the block during your lunch break; do a few jumping jacks while your shower is heating up. At the end of the day, choose movement that fits into your life.
7: Talk it out
You’ve chosen your support system–now it’s time to use that network. If you make a change in your nutrition and you felt better throughout the week because of it, share your good news with your accountability partner. For instance, let’s say you tried cutting dairy out of your diet and found that you had less swelling in your joints. Celebrating this win will help you feel great, in better control over your health, and more likely to keep going.
If, on the other hand, you didn’t meet your goals for the week, you may find yourself disappointed. Instead of giving up, call a friend (or your coach) and talk it through.
Did these simple health tips resonate with you? If so, you may be ready to work with a coach like me!
Are you ready to stop riding the dieting rollercoaster once and for all? Grab my free guide that will help you sort through the nutrition lies out there!
DAWN MCGEE
Dawn McGee is a certified and licensed Nutrition Evangelist and a long-time foodie, she focuses on both the health and joy of food as fuel for your body. She is a driving force in bringing education on healthy eating to more people through her community, my “Reclaim Your Life, One Bite at a Time” programs, and my book “365 Days of Healthy Living”. Her hope for you is that you live a life you love, without being hungry, feeling deprived, or giving up your glass
