I’ve had a long health and fitness journey and I’ve pretty much hit every obstacle along the way. My journey still continues as I get closer to my goals and these goals have actually changed along the way. As I’ve accomplished one goal, I’ve set another to strive for. I think I’ve been successful because I’ve always set small goals along the way or implemented small changes in my diet or lifestyle. I’ve found that making small changes are easier to stick to. Once you make these changes and stick to them, this is where habits are made. This is a biggie! Those new healthy habits make a huge impact on your overall health and wellbeing. Not eating past 8 pm for example might be a health change you want to implement but soon that becomes a habit and you no longer feel the need to eat late at night. For me it was making sure I was drinking enough water. That was a huge health change for me. Once I got into that habit I gained energy, cleared my mind and I actually lost some weight as well. Making too many changes all at once or implementing too many restrictions at once will overwhelm you and frustration will cause you to abandon these  goals. Smaller more attainable goals will almost always lead you to success.

Ok, so where do you begin if your starting your health journey?

In my opinion these are the staples to keep in mind …

• Eat Clean

• Stay Hydrated

• Exercise Daily

I swear to you that this is the recipe for success! Even if you have very little time in your day, these are manageable goals to set and achieve. So lets break this down a bit so you can see how easy this is.

Eating Clean means that everything that you put in your mouth is going to benefit your body in some way. Will it nurture your body? Will it give you energy? Will it keep you feeling full long so you’re not tempted to hit that local fast food joint? Eat whole foods, fresh foods, foods that DO NOT come from a bloody box! Eat loads and loads of veggies and good quality proteins. Consume good fats like avocado, natural peanut butter and use coconut oil for cooking. I also prefer to consume brown, wild rice and quinoa vs white rice. I just want to provide my body with all the extra nutrients that I can. I don’t like empty calories. Every calorie will be provided to me from quality sources.

Staying hydrated is so vital for our over all health and wellbeing. Drink loads of water! I drink 3 L a day and if I drink less I feel like my mind is in a haze and the energy has been sucked out of me. The more active you are, the more water you need. Replenish what you’ve lost. I fill up a huge water bottle that holds almost 2L of water. I refill it when needed and its a reminder for me because its kept in view. I also keep another bottle that’s always filled on the kitchen table to remind my kids to keep drinking water throughout the day. Sometimes if it’s not in  your face, your not going to remember to drink it. Another great way to make sure you remember to stay hydrated is set alarms on your cell phone. That’s a great tool, use it! I would say don’t drink less than 1 1/2 – 2 L per day for optimal health.

Here’s a big one that freaks people out. Exercise daily! That doesn’t mean full-blown workouts daily but any physical activity you can accomplish. It would be optimal to get to the point that you can complete a workout a day, even if it’s a short one. Baby steps though. Work up to that point. Even long walks are an awesome way to stay active and connect you to nature. That’s a WIN-WIN in my books! I’ve been known to take two-hour walks with the baby and I feel fantastic after!

If I can implement these small health choices into my life, then you can totally do it too! I’m a mother of 5 and my days are crazy busy. I’m busy with bringing the kids to their Girl Guide & Brownie meetings, swim class, and everything else that comes up in our hectic life. Somehow, in someway you have to try to make the time. Even if it’s an intense 10 minute workout, get it done. Your body will thank you!

Just remember I’m here to cheer you on & support you along your journey! Message me or follow me on my other social media sites. Instagram is the best place to connect with me. My handle is VeganMommyDee. 🙂