Stay Calm and Get Back to Your Healthy Habits
By Donna Stark
After overindulging this summer, I now feel blah. My clothes don’t fit right, I have zero energy, and the only motivation I have at this moment is to sit down and binge watch my favorite shows on Netflix. It seems like I had forgotten what healthy eating and exercise was those past few months, and now, it’s all come to this … I’m tired, my stress has skyrocketed, and I am carrying around a lack of patience that even my cat can sense. She used to be the calmest one in the house, but now, she may as well be a long-tailed cat in a rocking chair factory … she’s that anxious when I am around. Fortunately, I know exactly what I need to do.
Healthy Habits for a Healthy Body
It’s important to get back on the healthy-habit track if you ever fall off of it. And if you need some extra motivation or aren’t sure where to start, here are some tips.
- Write down everything you eat - It is easy to lose track of what you are actually consuming throughout the day, so keep a food journal. It’s not only a great way to see how much you are consuming, but it will also give you the chance to see the quality of food that you are eating. And if you have a smartphone, you will be able to find several apps that make it super simple to track your intake.
- Stay active - If you want to stay healthy and still be able to fit in your favorite clothes while eating delicious food, then exercise is a must! But don’t panic! You don’t have to start a complicated fitness routine or join an expensive boutique gym to get moving. Just head outdoors for a walk or run, ride a bike with your children, or work out to some fitness videos in your living room.
- Choose real food - Get back to eating mindfully! Ditch the highly-caffeinated, sugary drinks in the morning, the energy bars at lunch, and the fast food dinners at night. Choose whole, natural foods that are packed with nutrition … you know that your body is craving them right now!
- Indulge, but only once a week - Depriving yourself of what you love will only lead to unhappiness and may increase your likelihood of quitting the healthy habits you are trying to start. So treat yourself once a week, though continue to stay intentional about what you are eating. You can have that tiramisu, just don’t have five servings of it.
Keeping Your Pet Calm
If we lose sight of our healthy habits and fitness goals, our lives can easily go out of whack, and sometimes, that can get ugly. So keep calm. In fact, keep everyone calm around you (even your pet) by getting back on track as soon as you can!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Woodbury, Minn.