Tips To Kickstart A Healthy Lifestyle

1. Drink Water

Ok, let's cut to the chase. You read everywhere about how drinking eight glasses of water everyday can help to make your lifestyle healthier, but does it actually do anything for you? Well, since your body is about 50-60 percent water, it actually has a lot to do with how your body functions as well as how your skin reacts. Drinking water helps to circulate nutrients within the body and also helps to regulate body temperature. Yet, another impact that it has is that it helps to lose weight. I could quote an article here but I thought it would be better to just tell you my personal experience. In middle school and high school I would drink a lot of soda, but with this I also gained a ton of weight, I would have to keep buying bigger pants and midway Sophomore year I got tired of it, it was slowing me down, taking away my focus, making me extremely tired and would give major headaches, so that's the moment I decided to cut soda out of my life. Although tough in the beginning, I have been soda free now for 6 years and lost a ton of weight, dropping from a 33 waist, to a 26. When you wake up, you are usually thirsty, so drinking one glass of water when you wake up, during the day, and one before you go to bed will help to keep you hydrated, energized, and will also help to burn fat throughout the day and night.

2. Cook More At Home Over Eating Out

When you're in a rush and hungry, the last thing you want to do is cook a meal, so you resort to the easy and "fast" option, which is to go through the drive-thru and order fast food. But, a lot of fast food options that seem healthy, are actually loaded with salt, carbohydrates, sugars, and saturated fats. By cooking at home, you get the luxury of cooking what you want, with it also being healthy and you can control your own portion sizes and not feel like you have to finish the whole meal as you would with a "combo." Even if you just take a snack such as carrots or an apple to work instead of popping open a bag of chips, I get it, they taste good, but your waist won't think so. Your body will thank you for eating healthier, and the benefits will show, and with discipline, it will pay off.

3. Go To Bed Earlier

You've heard about getting eight hours of sleep per night, but do you actually follow this? I know I don't, and if I get six to seven then I'm pretty content, but sometimes during the week, I feel exhausted, as though I am not well rested enough. But, since I don't have the time to sleep in longer in the morning, I've learned to go to bed at least an hour or an hour and a half earlier than what I used to do, which was midnight to one in the morning. In high school I would pull all nighters to finish projects, because honestly, I am such a procrastinator and don't live in a perfect world where I get everything done on time, but this led me to extreme exhaustion, yet I was young then and learned to live with it, but now in my 20s, it's caught up to me. Yet, with this little fix, it has helped me to feel more energized and refreshed in the morning.

4. Get Rid Of Negativity

Everyday you wake up, look in the mirror, and I bet there is at least one thing you wish was different about yourself. You go to work or school and there's always that one person you envy because you believe that they have things you don't or can't have. Instead of being negative, try looking at the positive things within your life, not others. You might think you have it hard sometimes, but you don't know how others peoples lives are, so its best to not judge someone else until you've walked in their shoes. That new game you downloaded? Isn't it fun? Those new shoes you bought? They look so cute and are so comfortable. It's the little things that should have an impact. Another aspect of negativity to get rid of in your life is negative people. At one point, and I didn't realize it, I had a friend who was always so negative, when she wasn't with me she surrounded herself with people who brought her down, made her do things that her parents would be livid if they found out she did them. I get it, live life to the fullest, but when it involves a lot of drugs and alcohol, there's only so much your friends and family around you can take of it. Of course I confronted her, and she cut down on it all as soon as she went away to college in a different state. But as soon as she moved, all of those negative people were gone which helped her to become an overall happier person who taught self-love to herself and embrace what she is and what she has.

5. Set Aside 10-20 Minutes for YOU Time

This can be tough, I understand, but setting aside time for yourself could possibly be one of the most beneficial things you could do for your well-being. Within those few minutes, you could take your dog for a walk, listen to music, mediate, do yoga, nap, read, or much more. When you set aside time for yourself, you are actually boosting your energy and your self-esteem. It allows you to appreciate yourself for who you are and also do the things you love without distracting you from the work you need to get done. It motivates you to want to get your work done so that you then have even more time to do those things that you want to do.

I realize these are only five tips, but by doing these, you will be able to become more energized and feel as though you are getting more done throughout your day. When you feel confident and at ease with your lifestyle, you are more motivated to get things done so you can do the things you love. By doing little things to change your lifestyle, you start to feel more refreshed and happy with YOU. So keep on, keepin' on, and remember to drink more water, cook at home, go to bed earlier, get rid of negativity, and last but not least, set aside some time for yourself.