Good morning mommas! I am so excited to introduce you to our new Fitness and Health Contributor here at Mine for the Making. Shannon of Fitness Food Diva has a passion for healthy foods and healthy life choices and it shines through on her blog. I am so happy she is apart of our Creative Team this year!

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Five steps to a healthier YOU starts by getting the idea out of your head that you need to DIET to get healthy and/or loose weight.  “Diets”, as it has been said over and over are so restrictive.  As soon as I here the word “diet” I cringe.  No one wants to omit everything in life that is good and puts a smile on your face while you eat it.  Those moments must exist.  Food is crucial to a healthy lifestyle, so do not deprive yourself.  Being healthy consists of setting goals, making good choices (not perfect), getting rest, staying active, and incorporating more water into your day.  These simple yet attainable steps can be accomplished in making a healthier you.

1. Setting goals:  This is such an important part of everyday life, from setting simple daily goals like; reading every night to your kids, paying your bills, calling a friend, etc.  Goals are meant to be reached and acquire a feeling of accomplishment.  Each goal needs to be obtainable and realistic wether it is personal or family oriented.  If you are looking to set goal for a healthier you, make them real to your character.  Write them down, look at them and hold yourself accountable for them.  If you are setting goals for working out, then start with something simple like, join a gym, get familiar with the equipment by asking one of the employees to show you around (if you don’t have a personal trainer).  Try to go to the gym a few times a week and then set another goal for more.  Goals are meant to be set, worked towards and accomplished, which in turn provide us a sense of happiness and accomplishment and a healthier you.

2. Making Good Choices:  This is a hard step and I understand that.  Making good (healthier) choices when it come to food and snacks is not always easy.  We think it is, but when you are in a hurry fast food is always so much easier than going to the store and making dinner but, this is where setting goals can help.  Plan out what you need for the week to provide yourself the healthier choices in meals and snacks so you are less tempted for the fast food or sugary snacks.  Instead of eating out every night, choose to eat in and make a healthy breakfast, lunch, dinner a several times a week.  Try to avoid the high calorie snacks that spike your sugar levels and then leave you crashing, they are not your friend.  Snacking needs to turn into “GRAZING”, eating something “good”every three hours.  For example choose a Quest Protein bar instead of a candy bar or granola bar.  Eat pretzels in place of chips, choose whole wheat crackers rather than white flour cracker.  Replace white rice with quinoa or brown rice.  Drink lemon water or crystal light rather than reaching for high sugar sodas or sports drinks.   Try more fruits and vegetables in lieu of candy or cookies.  Staying away from high fructose corn syrup, which is in a lot of foods is a really simple choice that will help towards a healthier you.

3. Getting Rest:  We always here “we need eight hours of sleep” to be fully rested.  I admit, it is hard to go bed at night especially when there are only so many hours in the day to get things done.  I know I am always trying to fit a million things in after I get off work before going to bed and my night continue to get longer and the morning begins to come quicker.  Sleep is so important to our recovery from the day and how we are able to attack the next day.  When we feel tired and sluggish that is when we start to slip on our goals and go for the bad food choices rather than the good, which really often make us feel worse.  Eight hours is hard and sometimes just unrealistic, but it is essential to rebooting our bodies to a healthier you.

4. Staying Active:  Getting out everyday and just moving can make us feel better and keep our heart and mind strong.  Wearing a pedometer can help you set goals to move a certain amount of steps each day, which can be at home or work.  If you sit at a computer all day it is good to step away and relax your eyes and stretch your body out.  Staying active doesn’t mean you have to run 5 miles everyday or do hours of yoga, it simply means “move!”  Play with your kids, wash your car, vacuum, walk the dog.  Being sedentary is not an option, we must find a way to get our bodies moving to provide a healthier you. 

5. Drinking more water:   Water is truly a big must for me.  I try to drink a gallon of water a day ( a bit obsessive), but trying to drink one 8 ounce glass of water every hour is not unreasonable.  Again, it comes back to setting goals, making smart choices, avoiding fatigue, and staying active.  Drinking water is essential to our health.  It helps us to control calories, if we drink more water we feel fuller and will eat a little less.  Water helps us push through those final sets at the gym by providing energy to our muscles and helps replenish the water we loose when we sweat.  I like to put a little amino acids in my water at the gym to help retain muscle mass . Water helps us have clearer skin by flushing out toxins in our body, it helps avoid muscle cramps from dehydration.  Water keeps all things flowing through our bodies and is a large step in becoming a healthier YOU. 

I hope these tips make it a bit easier for you to becoming a healthier YOU this year! I’d love for you to head over to my blog for great workouts and yummy, healthy recipes.

Shannon {Fitness Food Diva}