I know what you're going to say. Ugh. Everyone always says to exercise. Well, there's a reason as to why everyone says it - it WORKS. When I was 45 pounds heavier than I am now, I never envisioned myself as being a person who exercises daily and actually enjoys it. Now I cannot imagine a day where I don't at least move my body. Exercising not only helps with cardiovascular endurance, it also helps with your mentally stability. I'll be the first to tell you that I hate gyms; you don't have to like them in order to get into shape. I do my workouts at home. You have to find something that you LIKE and that you will enjoy, and then go from there. Get up, get moving, and your body will reward you for it.
2. Stop The Snacking
I cannot begin to express how much this step has changed my life. You might think that a little bowl or a little handful of Goldfish or popcorn won't do anything, but you'd be surprised. This is the habit that took me the longest to break. I am not saying that you can't have any snack foods ever, because trust me, I still have some Goldfish and popcorn! But it needs to be way less often than you'd think. I used to eat breakfast, then a snack, another snack, then lunch, then a snack, dinner, and then more snacks. I didn't even realize I was snacking as much as I was! Most of the time, you aren't even hungry for those snacks -- you're just bored. Put the snacks away, drink some water, and get moving!
3. Never Skip A Meal
I am not one to do any of the "fasting" diets and I am certainly not the "I don't eat breakfast" type of person. Breakfast is quite literally the most important meal of the day. It's the meal where you are supposed to have most of your calories with, because these calories are what fuel you throughout the day AND what you get to burn off throughout the day. Then comes lunch, which is supposed to be a little less calories than breakfast, but still enough to fuel you. The thing with dinner that I've learned is that you are not supposed to have a huge & high calorie dinner -- just enough to fuel you for the night. But skipping any of these meals? That absolutely never helped me - that would just make me crave those snacks more and more.
4. Drink Water
This one is pretty simple - DRINK YOUR WATER. Surprisingly enough, water actually satisfies hunger cravings. So when you're feeling hungry, but you're like "That's weird because I just ate", drink water. Whatever you do, whether you take any of my advice from this or not, at least just drink water. It's one of the best things you can do for yourself.
5. Give Yourself A Goal
One of my favorite things to do after I workout is to cross it off of my calendar. I do workout programs that have their own calendars that show you each workout to do on each day. My favorite thing is when I get to cross a day off. It's something so little but it is so accomplishing. Even if you don't do a specific workout program, you can still make a calendar for yourself with goals on it so that you get to cross off whenever you finish those goals!
6. Have Fun With It
Above all else, have fun with becoming a healthier person. I tried to change my lifestyle when I didn't want to and when I was mad at myself, and I did not see results. I only started to truly change and to see actual results when I stopped worrying and just started enjoying the process. It may be hard work and it may take awhile, but that is all the more reason to enjoy it while it's happening. Your body will love you for it.
