10 Tips for a Healthier Year and Your Best Life

10 Steps To A Healthier Year and Your Best Life!

1. Thou shall GET REAL!

Ignorance is NOT bliss! It’s time to be open and honest about where we are physically, spiritually and emotionally. Take inventory. Be honest. Once you get everything down on paper you’ll know where you truly are and where you need to be. 

START BY KNOWING YOUR NUMBERS

- Weight: this number is different for everyone based on your height. Check your BMI (body mass index). NOTE: A BMI above 25 is considered overweight and above 30 is considered obese. Also take note of your body shape. If you’re shaped like an apple (carrying the majority of your weight in your middle) you are at higher risk for hypertension, diabetes and heart disease than someone who is shaped like a pear (carrying their weight mostly in their hips and thighs).

- Blood Pressure: below 120/80mmHg is now considered optimal, >140/90 mmHg is frank hypertension and you should be working with your physician to lower it.

- Cholesterol

Total should be below 200 mg/dL

HDL (good) should be above 40 mg/dL

LDL (bad) 100 mg/dL is considered optimal

Triglycerides should be below 150 mg/dL

                - Glucose levels (blood sugar): should be below 100mg/dL fasting

- Waist size: should be less than half your height or less than 36 inches for women (*be sure to measure your natural waist which is the narrowest part of your torso above the belly button).

- Resting Heart Rate: should be less than 85 beats per minute

-         You may also want to get Vitmain D, C-Reactive Protein and TSH (thyroid) levels checked.

           

2. Thou shall DRINK WATER.

       Absolutely nothing takes the place of it. It’s the life source.

Water can help you lose weight, alleviate fluid retention, eliminate constipation & help the liver metabolize (burn) fat stores. It gives skin its luster & resilience, helps fight hunger, rids the body of waste and maintains hormonal harmony.

8 eight ounce glasses is recommended. If you’re overweight, you should drink an extra 8 oz. of water for every 25lbs that you are overweight. Also if you live in a hot climate or exercise intensely you’ll need to drink extra water. As a rule of thumb, if your pee is clear or very pale yellow, you’re drinking enough water. J

        Try water with lemon or orange slices.

I like drinking water when I chew gum. I get the sweetness from the gum and it flavors the water on the way down. I also like to dilute 100% fruit juice with water.

      

*NOTE: Beware of caffeine in things like soda, coffee and tea. It’s a natural diurectic.

3. Happy is the woman that GOES TO BED, for she shall not be sleepy!

Sleep deprivation can lead to a weakened immune system, increased appetite (particularly for carbohydrates, which leads to weight gain), diabetes, heart disease and more. More obvious affects are mood swings, lack of concentration and drowsiness.

Between 7-9 hours is optimal for adults.

        Here are some tips…

        Have the same sleep/wake cycle. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.

       

        Establish a bedtime routine/ritual. (a hot bath, reading, prayer, etc.)

       

Your bedroom should be for sleep and sex ONLY! (Put your TV on a timer or take it  out of the room.)

        The room should be as dark as possible (no ambient light) and cool.

Don’t drink right before bed .

If you have an alarm clock turn it away from view. When it goes off, get up! If you wake up before the alarm sounds, do NOT look at the clock. Try to go back to sleep and if you can’t then get up (maybe God wants you to talk to him ;-))

       

4. Thou shall MOVE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!

       Exercise is cumulative (it does NOT need to be done all at once)

       

        30 minutes most days of the week is the recommendation.

       

Make sure your routine is balanced with aerobic, strength, and flexibility exercises.

Do what YOU enjoy.

       

        Have at least 2 workout buddies. 1 who is stronger and 1 who you can motivate.

Turn everyday activities into mini-workouts (e.g., shopping, laundry, shoveling snow, cleaning, work, etc.)

5. Blessed are those who surround themselves with the right people for they SHALL BE EMPOWERED!

You’ve all heard that expression, “If you want to be rich, hang around rich folk”. Well, I believe that rule applies to almost anything. We are naturally influenced by those around us. I guess we are hard wired that way. But whatever the reason, take advantage of the opportunity to be inspired by positive, healthy people.

Surround yourself with people who will stimulate your creativity and encourage you. People who have your best interest at heart will be honest with you and they will encourage you. They can also help you to see qualities in yourself that you may not realize you have. They often help your reach your full potential.

Remember, healthy fellowships and relationships feed the soul. When the soul is nourished you are less likely to overeat or fall into other destructive behaviors in order to be fulfilled.

6. Thou shall SEEK GOD’s HELP

We rely on God for so many things but we rarely ever talk to God about health and fitness. When we do, it is usually because our health is failing.

God came that we might have an ABUNDANT life. I may not be able to articulate all that that kind of life entails but I do know that being healthy is a part of it.

God will show you the intrinsic value of a healthy balanced life. When you understand the importance of your health you are sure to be successful.

Do your own research and educate yourself but beware- there is plenty of BOGUS health information floating around out there. So ask God to give you wisdom and guidance. Ask Him to place people in your path the will help you reach your goals.

Remember when we live healthy we honor God with our bodies.

7. Thou shalt WRITE THE VISION!

Set realistic goals and track your progress. When you reach a goal reward yourself.

       

Take inventory of your life. Write down where you see yourself in career, ministry, health and fitness. Where would you like to be 2, 5, 10 years from now? Commit your plans to the Lord. Trust in Him with your whole heart.

       Taking this step will lead you to step #8…

8. Blessed is the woman that FINDS PURPOSE AND PLEASURE in her LIFE, for her soul will be fulfilled!

Identify those areas in your life that are lacking. How are your relationships? How is your career? How is your spiritual walk? Many times when are souls are not fulfilled the body will compensate with cravings for food. If you don’t like your career for example, write down the things that you like to do and are passionate about. Find a way to have someone pay you to do what you love. If you can’t change jobs right now, ask God to show you how you can incorporate your interests into your current position. You’ll be surprised at the novelty it will bring to your day.

Taking step #7 leads you to #8! Writing down your vision gives you something tangible to look at. It gives you a sense of purpose and direction everyday you wake up. It will help guide every decision you make. Eventually you will be fulfilled and you won’t turn to food to fill voids that it was never made to fill.

9. Blessed are those that EAT REAL FOOD for they shall be healthy!

         

Seems like common sense right? But consider this…

The US spent $2.5 trillion on health care in 2009 (that’s avg. of $8,047 per person). Preventable illness makes up approx 80% of the burden of illness and 90% of all healthcare costs.

That tells us that this country is unhealthy because of the unhealthy choices WE make everyday.  It is up to YOU to take charge of YOUR health.

FIRST OFF, erase the word DIET from your brain. Instead think about eating CLEAN, WHOLE FOODS as much as possible.

FOOD IS A BILL, TREAT IT LIKE ONE! In 1901, according to a 1997 Bureau of Labor Statistics study, the average family spent almost half of their budget on food. Just 3% of that went to meals away from home. Today, we only spend an average 13.3% of our budgets on food--but 42% of that money is spent in restaurants. When you don’t make your food, you don’t know what’s in it and you are placing your health in someone else’s hands.

Don’t drink your calories (and scrap the diet drinks too!). Why? You're sending schizophrenic messages to your brain. Your brain computes that you've ingested food/calories/nutrients. However your brain sends signals to digest that food & utilize it for energy & nourishment, it can't. THIS is why you crave more- your body is not getting what it needs.

Try to get 95% of your calories from food. Think of sodas and juices as dessert. You don’t eat dessert everyday nor several times a day do you?

Learn how and when to shop the supermarket. Spend the highest percentage of your money on food that is not packaged or processed. You can do this by shopping the perimeter of the store FIRST.

BUY foods as close to their natural state as possible. (These foods are alive. Processed foods are dead.)

Learn portion control. This saves you money and calories.

Buy produce in season. Produce that’s on sale is almost always about to go rotten and not worth the money you’ll save. Buy local and organic- (for thin skinned fruit) and you’ll save money. Also frozen fruits and vegetable no matter the season are JUST AS GOOD as fresh and in many cases cheaper. Look into your local farmer’s markets, co-ops or produce junctions.

Clip Coupons, read your circulars and don’t be loyal to ANY brand!

Get 7-10 good recipes and recycle! (Remember when the rest of your life is fulfilled you will eat to live and NOT live to eat.)

Buy common ingredients for recipes in bulk and on sale of you can.

Eat to live, don’t live to eat. Don’t make food the center of EVERY OCCASION!

10. Thou shalt STOP PROCRASTINATING & START TODAY!

      

…now is the time. Today is the day. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not here yet. So why beat yourself up about what happened yesterday? Is it wise to think that you’ll have time to take care of yourself tomorrow?

GOD BLESS AND STAY WELL!