Having been raised in a medical family, I’m well aware of how poor and unbalanced diets can lead to various diseases and cancers. And although adding a couple of fruits and veggies to our daily diets isn’t guaranteed to be the “end all, be all” to a disease – it’s certainly a great place to start.
As we begin looking at natural food sources as “natural medicine”, we start realizing that our bodies are made to function a certain way.
Medicine doesn’t always have to be in tablet form.
DAILY FIT CHALLENGE!: Start today by picking just ONE fruit or veggie that you enjoy and add it to what you normally eat each day (See! Who says you can’t enjoy a cookie AND an apple 🙂 )!
Personally I enjoy my fruits and veggies through the form of a smoothie as shown above, but regardless, the key takeaway for today’s Monday Boost is balance and moderation! So let’s take our natural medicine NOW so we can avoid prescription medicine later!
Related Video: How to Eat More Veggies
Key Takeaways:
Natural foods are another form of medicine
Practice balance and moderation by adding one piece of fruit or veggie to your regular meals
You and I are creatures of habits. It’s amazing how many decisions are made in our daily lives without thinking. Some studies even show that subconscious habit makes up 40% of our daily actions! Therefore, in order to keep that ‘40%’ full of healthy actions we’ll discuss how to change unhealthy habits with “mini habits”.
One misconception about habits is that they take a lot of effort to build, but I disagree. Nature shows us that a small snowball rolling downhill will eventually get bigger and stronger with enough momentum. The snowball doesn’t require much “effort” once it gets going. In the same way, we’ll use effortless mini habits to build daily momentum towards our goals.
A small snowball (mini habit) doesn’t require much effort once momentum kicks in.
There’s a saying that goes “success is built upon success”. Fortunately this quote never mentions how big the success has to be! Think of a mini-habit as a daily task towards your goal that’s SO simple that it’s hard not to do it every day. For instance:
If your goal is to improve your gym consistency, start a mini habit of driving past your local gym on the way home each day (nothing more!)
If you want to build a strong core, start a mini habit of simply laying in sit-up position on the ground for a few seconds (yep! that’s it!)
If you want to drink more watereach day, start a mini habit of simply filling up a water bottle (I didn’t even say you had to drink it!)
“Great! But isn’t this a little TOO simple…what’s the catch?”
Mini habits are designed to get you comfortable with taking the first step towards your new goal (a healthier habit).
Therefore, these too-easy-not-to-do mini-habits simply serve as your “daily bare minimum” accomplishment for the day. However, I assure you it won’t be long before you naturally feel compelled to do more simply because you “might as well”. You’ll figure:
“I’m already driving by the gym each day (mini habit accomplished), I might as well go inside on the treadmill for a couple minutes”
“I’m already down here in sit-up position (mini habit accomplished), I might as well do a couple”
“I’ve already filled my water bottle (mini habit accomplished), I might as well drink some”
Remember: The “mini habit accomplished” is your main goal, anything else is an extra bonus.
The power of a simplistic habit checklist goes a long way.
Furthermore, I would seriously recommend making your momentum visible by utilizing a journal or checklist calendar. Keeping track of your progress this way is a great way to see your “success building upon itself”. Seeing your daily momentum gives yourself a satisfying sense of accomplishment every day. The longer your daily “success streak” gets, the more you’ll want to keep it alive.
And boom – you’ve just created discipline without even realizing it.
Let’s get that snowball rollin 🙂
Key Takeaway:
New habits are best acquired through daily momentum
Daily momentum is best sustained through simple, mini habits
A mini-habit (baby step) is something that’s “too-easy-not-to-do“
Keep track of your daily progress in a journal or calendar checklist
In life we know that certain functions rely on specific resources: cars need wheels, cellphones need batteries, kites need wind, trains need tracks, peanut butter needs jelly – and humans need water.
If our bodies act as complex machines then water is our “exercise fuel”.
Not only is drinking water essential for daily exercise and personal development, it also makes up about 65-75% of our bodies. Keeping hydrated helps our body with important functions such as:
Regulating body temperature
Lubricating joints
Aiding in digestion
Taking stress off your kidney and liver
Carrying nutrients and oxygen to your cells
Protecting your tissues, spinal cord and joints
Increases Energy & Relieves Fatigue
Flushes Out Toxins
Increase metabolism
Digestion, stress relief, and alertness are one of the few benefits of drinking water regularly.
If you recall, drinking water is also one of the smarter ways to lose weight. Here are some other drinking tips:
Try to consume at least 2 liters each day.
Drink a glass before each meal to ensure that you feel more “full” after your meal.
Try replacing calorie-filled drinks with water. If it tastes too “boring”, try adding a slice of lemon. The nutrients in lemons also helps to reduce food cravings.
Drink it ICE COLD! When we drink cold liquids, our bodies have to work harder to warm these fluids to body temperature. This process burns calories for you!
Be sure to remain hydrated when you’re exercising and hitting the gym. This allows you to work out longer and harder, and prevents muscle cramps and fatigue.
Use your urine as an intake indicator. It your urine color isn’t close to clear you’re not drinking enough.
Herbal teas (decaffeinated) are another beverage to compliment your water intake.
Be sure to remain hydrated when you’re exercising and hitting the gym!
In the realm of health and fitness, our bodies require this “exercise fuel” in order to function efficiently. Therefore, challenge yourself to stay properly hydrated every day of your journey!
Key Takeaways:
Water is our “exercise fuel”
Try to consume about 2 liters each day
Staying hydrated helps prevent cramps and fatigue while working out
Throughout the years I’ve learned to look at my exercise routine as a daily journey. The past several years of my exercise journey have taught me key values like discipline, consistency and mental focus, as well as a comprehensive understanding of how our body works. These exercise incentives have taught me the value of regular exercise.
This questions unlocks the key to you enjoying your lifelong fitness journey.
Excellent question! People have all sorts of exercise incentives: to fit into that wedding dress they love, a desire to feel stronger, to gain more confidence, to clear one’s head after a long day of work – the list goes on. So with that, I’m going to answer the above question with another question:
How does keeping good health impact the things that are most meaningful to you in life?
Your health affects not only yourself, but also your family, friends, and loved ones.
For instance:
Does the ability to squat down and play with your grand-kids someday have any meaning to you?
How about feeling more energetic throughout your work day?
Do you want to be able to sleep better at night before those big business meetings in the mornings?
How about a stress release at the end of a long work day?
How important is your health for those home & gardening projects you love so much?
Here’s the key: We’ll only commit to a purpose if it adds value and meaning to our lives.
Stop and write down the things that are important to you in life. Really think about it. Your exercise incentives are personalized to you.
Keeping others in mind while exercising puts you into a different mindset.
Whether it’s family, business, hobbies, or personal well-being, there are exercise incentives in just about every area of our lives. This is why it’s so important to constantly remind ourselves of what (or whom) we’re exercising for. Doing so also keeps us consistent on our journey at times where we don’t feel like working out.
Here are some additional exercise incentives:
Increased lifespan
Oxygenated body
Reduced risk of diabetes
Improved memory
Decreased stress
Even if you’ve been putting off exercise for a while – don’t worry about it! Instead, recognize today as a new day and start celebrating the beginning of a new YOU!
Key takeaways:
Your health impacts the quality of those things which are valuable and meaningful to you in life
Your exercise incentives are unique and personalized to you
It’s important to constantly remind ourselves of what (or whom) we’re exercising for
“Glycemic Index (What Is It?)” simplifies the GI Scale in a easy to understand way. One of the main uses of the Glycemic Index scale is to figure out which foods will increase our blood sugar the most. Today’s video “Glycemic Index (What Is It?)” covers why the GI scale is important for diabetics, plus examples on how this Glycemic Index can be used towards your daily energy and fitness goals!
How To Count Macros For Weight Loss is something that can wind up being a key component to your weight loss journey. Lots of people who learn how to count macros for weight loss and you can too with this easy to learn weight loss strategy!
