I have spent a lot of time over the last six months working on my health in all different ways. This journey into self-development and my quest to get closer to God have not been rosy and fun. When you tell God you want to be closer to Him, He tends to put you through a fire, which can hurt because you have to make changes to yourself. Creating some healthy habits for myself has been vital for me to help me grow mentally, spiritually, and even physically.
Let me be honest. I am not one to exercise (I am sure you can’t tell that by looking at me – LOL). Instead of jumping into changes feet-first, I decided that only to give up when I can’t do it all, I would instead start small and work my way up. Here is what I did to try to “trick” myself into being healthier physically.
Drink All the STUPID Water
I told myself I could drink at least 60oz of water a day. I did that for a week and increased it to 80oz and then 100oz. Health experts say I should drink ½ of my body weight in water, but geez Louise, that is a lot, so I get around 100oz a day right now. Still a work in progress.
Every Step Counts
I looked at the average of steps I was taking a day, and it was not pretty. June, I averaged 384 steps per day. I told myself that I would first increase it by 1000 steps over the last week per day. Then I went to 2000 steps, 3000 steps, 4000 steps, 5000 steps, and now I am at the 6000 steps level. Yes, I miss it usually one day per week (Sundays are my rest day), but I can really tell the difference in the way I feel.
Fasting for Success
I began intermittent fasting at the beginning of August and went with the 16-8 fast. That means I eat from 11-7 during the day and don’t eat the other 16 hours. It has worked somewhat, but I am still finding myself having huge cravings at night, so I am still working with it. I am starting drinking protein shakes in the afternoon to head off that hunger and give me more energy to combat it.
I really believe that if I can get my physical health on the right path that everything else will fall into place. My best advice to you if you are beginning or working on yourself is this. You are worth it. You deserve to feel better physically, mentally, and spiritually. Take small steps and find your path to wellness.
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Next week, we will talk about some self-development things I have been working on.