Hi friends! Happy Monday and I hope you’re having a wonderful day. We’re finishing cleaning and organizing our closets (they were an epic mess lol) and enjoying the day with the crew.
For today’s post, I thought I would share some simple but powerful health tips from myself and Mia (a Registered Dietitian). It’s easy to think that changing your health requires a huge overhaul at once, but the beauty is in creating small habits and building from there. If you haven’t read Atomic Habits, I highly recommend it!! It explores the power of habit building and how to use small habits to make huge changes.
Here are some of the things that come to mind that you can use to build on over time. I’d love to hear if there’s anything else you’d add to the list!
10 tips you can use to transform your health
5 tips from Gina, a Precision Nutrition coach, NASM certified Personal Trainer and Women’s Fitness Specialist
1. Meditate
Meditation is one of the most powerful habits I’ve added to my personal health routine. When I meditate, it immediately affects how I feel on a mental level (more calm, patient, less anxious, more present) and it also affects my blood glucose when I’m wearing a CGM. The days that I meditate, I notice that I sleep much better that night and have vivid dreams. If you’re not sure how to start a meditation practice, check out this podcast episode.
2. Hydrate yourself throughout the day.
Even better? Sip on some LMNT electrolytes or another electrolyte you love. Hydration affects so many processes in the body, from digestion, skin tone, immune function, hormones, satiety, etc. I like to aim for at least half my body weight in ounces, and definitely have one serving of electrolytes each day, especially when it’s hot outside or I’ve had a longer or more intense workout.
3. Swap out frequent high-intensity exercise for low-impact or lower intensity options.
If you’re currently doing lots of high impact and high intensity workouts, assess your routine and make sure that you have some lower intensity days and at least 1-2 days completely off each week. After a certain point, you will experience diminishing returns with super intense workouts, usually through hormonal issues (exercise is a stressor for the body and it really comes down to how we recover from exercise!), and potentially overtraining symptoms or overuse injuries. If you’re not sure how to balance your workout plan, join us for Fit Team here! You can try it out for 7 days and see how you like it. June workouts just went live this weekend so you’re ready to rock and roll!
4. Track your protein and fiber intake.
Protein is the building block of our cells and many women aren’t eating enough protein to preserve muscle as we age. If you have goals to build muscle, you also need to make sure you’re eating enough protein! Protein intake suggestions depend on a variety of factors (age, body composition, activity levels, goals, diet, how much protein you’re currently eating, etc.) but a good rule of thumb is to aim for at least one palm-sized serving of protein in each meal.
5. Sauna
The sauna blanket has been a game changer for me! It helps with stress relief, can help to reduce soreness and inflammation in the body, and it feels SO good to sweat.
Here’s what my sauna blanket routine looks like:
- I use it 2-3x a week on non-consecutive days, usually when I’ve had an easier workout or an off day
- I wear a long-sleeved cotton shirt, long joggers or sweats, and two pairs of socks
- Preheat the blanket to level 8, and by the time I’m ready, it’s nice and toasty. I’ll turn it down to level 7 before crawling in
- I’ll put a small washcloth under my booty (otherwise I feel like it gets too hot on my tailbone)I set a timer for 35 minutes (my favorite amount of time because I get nice and sweaty) and use this time to watch a show, meditate with some binaural beats, or study for IHP. (Note: you don’t want to sauna for longer than 45 minutes. I think 20 minutes is a great starting point to get the benefits and usually feel great around 35 minutes)
- After I get out, I use a body brush and immediately hop in the shower. You don’t want everything you sweat out to be reabsorbed by the body. I’ll take a lukewarm to cool shower to rinse off and know I’ll get awesome sleep that night!
You can check out my full review of the HigherDOSE sauna blanket here and use FITNESSISTA15 to get 15% off the sauna blanket, PEMF Go Mat (I use this for meditation every day), red light face mask, and copper body brush.
5 tips from Mia, a Registered Dietitian and professionally-trained chef
6. Get some zzz’s!
A minimum of 7-9 hours of sleep per night is ideal for most adults.
Benefits can include:
– A decrease in cravings
– Mentally alertness and sharpness
– Increased energy
– Better mood and feeling happier
– Smaller waist circumference
– Muscle growth
– Improved cardiovascular health
– Improved immune system function
– Improved blood pressure
– Improved hormones and stress response
Make sure that you set yourself up for sleep success each day and have a solid wind down routine at night.
(PS this pillow mist is one of my favorite things ever!)
7. Go for a walk!
Taking a 30 minute walk first thing in the morning helps to set your circadian rhythm and benefits cardiovascular health. In addition, taking a 15-20 minute leisure walk after meals can help with postprandial glucose response, weight loss and overall metabolic health.
8. Start adrenal cocktails.
The adrenal cocktail can is beneficial, especially for anyone who has extra stress in their life, whether mental, emotional, physical, food, or even intermittent fasting. You can read more about the adrenal cocktail here! The adrenal cocktail helps to replenish the minerals lost when our adrenal glands are taxed and under stress. The adrenal cocktail provides essential vitamins and minerals, specifically potassium, sodium and whole food vitamin C, not ascorbic acid.
What does this look like in whole food form?
½ cup of fresh squeezed orange juice or pineapple juice
½ cup pure coconut water (no additives)
and ¼ tsp Redmond’s real salt. Stir and drink at 10a and 2p daily. Kinda like a little tropical oasis in your day.
9. STOP taking synthetic multi-vitamins and try desiccated beef organs.
Beef organs are rich in B vitamins, protein, copper, Vitamin A, Folate, and Zinc, just to name a few. They are beneficial for hormonal balance, thyroid, digestion, physical and mental energy and skin. Get a boost from real food that can feel similar to a cup of joe without the cortisol spike.
10. Laugh!
Laughter decreases pain and stress making hormones in the body. Laughter has positive benefits on mental health, the immune system and helps to decrease anxiety. It secretes endorphins, which can transform your mood. It is a non-invasive form of therapy that is great for treating stress and depression. Open a book of jokes, read the comics, turn on your favorite movie, or flip through old photos and enjoy a good laugh.
So tell me friends: what habits in your day have made a huge positive impact on your health? What would you add to this list?
xoxo
Gina
Source by fitnessista.com
