How to start getting healthy
For a lot of us it can be very hard to get healthy, we are all stuck in front of the television wishing for a body like the ones we see. We don't know where to start. We don't know how to start! A completely new lifestyle started cold turkey can be good for some people. However for others it can be a challenge to keep it up because we are so used to something completely different, sometimes it's been years since the last time we did anything remotely close to healthy. So here are a few tips on how to get started:
1. Do you go to bed at a decent hour?
Say you wake up every morning to go to work at 6am, are you in bed sleeping (or at least trying to sleep) by 10 pm. That's 8 hours right there.
Try to get your 8 hours of sleep to start, you'd be surprised how much healthier you feel and actually are when you sleep enough.
* We have tips on how to get a more restful sleep in our blog.
2. Do you eat often through out the day?
It's very important to have good eating habits. They say eating smaller meals more often through out the day is very important to keep one's metabolism running efficiently. This means that you are constantly burning what you are eating and not putting too much stress on your digestive system, or starving it.
Don't skip meals! This is important.
3. Do you drink enough water?
Taking in enough fluids is very important some people use the 8, 8 ounce glasses of water a day rule. But you can also measure your hydration level by the colour of your urine. It needs to have a pale yellow colour to it. Not clear and not dark, you can actually be over working your kidneys if it's too dark or too clear.
Hydration is very important to help keep your body moving along smoothly. Fluids are like the oil in your car, it keeps things going the way they are supposed to.
4. Do you exercise?
If you are a very sedentary person, you should always take it slow. Try to get the minimum amount of suggested exercise a week to start out and go from there. According to Health Canada for an adult that's a least 2.5hrs of exercise a week. That comes out to just over 20 minutes a day of exercise!
You can gradually increase the amount of time you spend exercising as you go, but for someone who doesn't lee active this is a good place to start.
It's suggested focus on exercises that get the blood flowing. Jumping jacks, dancing, aerobics etc... Choose something that you enjoy.
5. Build some muscle.
So if you already have all this down. Building muscle will help you get rid of any unwanted/unhealthy excess fat. You wonder how come people who are fit can eat "what ever they want" it's because getting fit and having lean muscle actually helps to keep you fit. A well oiled machine runs at peak efficiency.
And women are very afraid of looking bulky, but to get "large" for a woman takes a lot of dedication and a lot of food, and supplementation. Using weights every once in a while will actually tone and thin out your arms and legs rather than make then grow.
6. Be calm!
Stress is one on of the #1 causes of death these days. It causes major complications in the body. Stress can be seen in many ways. Eating things that put pressure on your system, being inactive, under/over sleeping, poor posture etc... It can all make a big difference in your life span and over all health.
Try to take better care of yourself. Take time for you, read a book take a bath do something you enjoy. Go to a yoga class, learn to meditate. It will all benefit you in the long run.
It's important to pick one and stick with it till it becomes second nature and then move on to another and then another. This will help you to build healthy habits for the future. You won't even have to think about what you are doing, you'll just do it. And don't worry if you slip up once or twice, everyone does it. Things take time to become a reality and if you want it badly enough you'll do it. It's all about focus, and strategy.
Keep moving and keep trying any effort you make to take a step forward is still farther ahead then you were yesterday even if you skipped last night's 20 minute work out.
You can do it!
Live Well and Be Healthy,
Renu U Aesthetics
1. Do you go to bed at a decent hour?
Say you wake up every morning to go to work at 6am, are you in bed sleeping (or at least trying to sleep) by 10 pm. That's 8 hours right there.
Try to get your 8 hours of sleep to start, you'd be surprised how much healthier you feel and actually are when you sleep enough.
* We have tips on how to get a more restful sleep in our blog.
2. Do you eat often through out the day?
It's very important to have good eating habits. They say eating smaller meals more often through out the day is very important to keep one's metabolism running efficiently. This means that you are constantly burning what you are eating and not putting too much stress on your digestive system, or starving it.
Don't skip meals! This is important.
3. Do you drink enough water?
Taking in enough fluids is very important some people use the 8, 8 ounce glasses of water a day rule. But you can also measure your hydration level by the colour of your urine. It needs to have a pale yellow colour to it. Not clear and not dark, you can actually be over working your kidneys if it's too dark or too clear.
Hydration is very important to help keep your body moving along smoothly. Fluids are like the oil in your car, it keeps things going the way they are supposed to.
4. Do you exercise?
If you are a very sedentary person, you should always take it slow. Try to get the minimum amount of suggested exercise a week to start out and go from there. According to Health Canada for an adult that's a least 2.5hrs of exercise a week. That comes out to just over 20 minutes a day of exercise!
You can gradually increase the amount of time you spend exercising as you go, but for someone who doesn't lee active this is a good place to start.
It's suggested focus on exercises that get the blood flowing. Jumping jacks, dancing, aerobics etc... Choose something that you enjoy.
5. Build some muscle.
So if you already have all this down. Building muscle will help you get rid of any unwanted/unhealthy excess fat. You wonder how come people who are fit can eat "what ever they want" it's because getting fit and having lean muscle actually helps to keep you fit. A well oiled machine runs at peak efficiency.
And women are very afraid of looking bulky, but to get "large" for a woman takes a lot of dedication and a lot of food, and supplementation. Using weights every once in a while will actually tone and thin out your arms and legs rather than make then grow.
6. Be calm!
Stress is one on of the #1 causes of death these days. It causes major complications in the body. Stress can be seen in many ways. Eating things that put pressure on your system, being inactive, under/over sleeping, poor posture etc... It can all make a big difference in your life span and over all health.
Try to take better care of yourself. Take time for you, read a book take a bath do something you enjoy. Go to a yoga class, learn to meditate. It will all benefit you in the long run.
It's important to pick one and stick with it till it becomes second nature and then move on to another and then another. This will help you to build healthy habits for the future. You won't even have to think about what you are doing, you'll just do it. And don't worry if you slip up once or twice, everyone does it. Things take time to become a reality and if you want it badly enough you'll do it. It's all about focus, and strategy.
Keep moving and keep trying any effort you make to take a step forward is still farther ahead then you were yesterday even if you skipped last night's 20 minute work out.
You can do it!
Live Well and Be Healthy,
Renu U Aesthetics
