Everyday habits for a healthy lifestyle
As a holistic health coach, its about whole-person health. I meet the client where they are in their wellness journey. Together we hone in on aspects of life that feel out of balance and through guidance and support we course correct, make shifts and reach goals.
This is a rather simplified and general overview of the coaching process but I bring it up here to show how each person’s journey will look and be entirely unique and different. What’s out of balance for one, will be a strength for another. A type of food can be poison for one, but a staple for another. We all have our own path. However, there are some key components to a healthy lifestyle that just about EVERONE benefits from. These are lessons learned in nutrition school and lessons we share with every client no matter their lifestyle or nutritional needs.
I’m sure many of you have heard variations of these tips before, but repetition helps you retain the information, so my hope is you’ll adopt several, if not all of these over time.
Use these healthy habits as a guideline for bettering your overall lifestyle, NOT as a pressure-inducing list for perfection. Wellness is forever a balancing act and a journey.
This nifty wellness list of zero thru 10 starts off with reducing your processed food intake as much as possible, and instead opt for real, whole foods. We all could use more produce in our life, a good goal is 10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Think of adding a handful of spinach and a frozen banana in your smoothie. Grab an apple for a snack, berries in your oatmeal and mixing a variety of veg in your chicken stir-fry.
Make sure to get in your daily movement with a walk in the sunshine, stretch breaks during work (I sit for way too long at the desk myself) and bump up your heart rate at the gym. I’m on a weight lifting kick right now and hate to miss days.
Another tried and true pointer is to drink at least 8 cups of water (2 liters) a day and why do we really need to be so hydrated you ask? Well, our bodies are made up of 60-70% water and H2O helps lubricate joints, maintain body temperature, flushes waste, protects and cushions organs and carries nutrients and oxygen providing us with energy. Furthermore, a new study says that well-hydrated folks develop fewer chronic conditions like heart and lung disease.
Next up is quality sleep which we know is vital. Enough rest, typically 7-9 hours for anyone over 18 years of age, provides increased energy, strengthens your immune system, provides heightened alertness, focus and creativity. It also benefits your mood by reducing anxiety, irritability and mental exhaustion and provides increased sex drive.
Did you know that while we sleep, our internal organs rest and recover, repairing tissue, muscle growth and protein synthesis. A release of hormones that help regulate appetite control, stress, growth and metabolism occur, as well as memory consolidation, essential for learning new things.
Remember that laughing and loving is powerful medicine. Help others when you can and practice gratitude throughout the day.
Jotting down a few ways in which you’re feeling grateful can boost your mood, help you focus on the positive and allow you to appreciate the little things each day that we often overlook. Here are a few subjects to get you going:
People
Health Factors
Activities
Experiences/Memories
Environmental Factors
If you’re seeking support along your personal wellness journey, I’m here for you. I offer a 3-month coaching session if you’re wanting to dip your toe into the program and see what its all about. A 6-month session allows for a more in-depth experience with me for palpable progression and growth. I would be happy to offer a free consultation call and send you an initial questionnaire to get us started. Feel free to message me with any questions you may have or check out my FAQ page for additional information.