I recently embarked on a fitness journey to become the best me possible. At the start I weighed the most I have ever weighed in my life. I didn’t feel like myself and I wasn’t comfortable in my skin. One day I woke up and told myself to switch one bad food with a good one at some point during the day, and I was hooked. It was as simple as switching a biscuit for scrambled eggs. You are in control of your life and your happiness, and it can be that easy. The best way to start a new habit is through repetition; why not make a healthy lifestyle your habit?

It is not a fast or easy journey. Remember that this will take time. Here are tips and advice that I wish I would have had when I first started to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Food

In order to lose weight, you have to understand how calories work. I know, I know, I can hear you sighing now. “Counting calories is a bunch of bull crap.” I get it. But in order to lose weight, you have to eat less than you burn. I dare you, just for one day, download a food-tracking app and see how many calories you consume. It makes you really think about what you’re putting in your body as fuel.

In my personal experience, I recommend cutting out all processed sugars at first, just so you can make a habit out of it. Once your body gets hooked on clean and healthy foods, a little sugar is okay in moderation. As I write this, I am eating a mug cake (they are so delicious and so cute!).

Water

Water has a huge impact on the way you feel physically and mentally each day. When I first began this journey to be fit, I started with my water intake. Within five days, I was feeling more energetic and sleeping better. I can honestly say drinking 80oz of water every day has done so much for my body. My skin tone evened out and was focusing on my schoolwork better. Some people take part in the Water Gallon Challenge, but there is debate on how much is enough water. A good rule of thumb is half your weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, you should drink 70 ounces of water every day. That’s only about four water bottles. You can do it!

Exercise

It doesn’t matter what you do, but you have to get moving. Three to five days a week is a good amount, but don’t overdo it. The last thing you want to do is push yourself to your limit too quickly so you burn out. Getting in exercise doesn’t mean you have to go to the gym each time. You can take a Zumba or fitness class that your school offers. You can take a walk around campus and enjoy the spring weather. Today, I went on a mile run to get fish tacos. Whatever gets you moving and makes you happy, do it.

If you aren’t active all day, you burn about 1400 calories. That means you have to eat about 1000 calories every day to make a difference, and this is not a healthy amount of food, and it is dangerous to your health. Just get up and get moving! Get a workout buddy or listen to some great music, and have fun with it!

Love Yourself

Accepting yourself is the single most important action you can take to becoming healthier and happier. You might not like what you see in the mirror, but that is only a fraction of who you are. You are more than what you look like. You are what you feel like. Love yourself at your worst or you will never learn to love yourself at the best. This journey is long, and self-hate will not get you far. You are capable of what you put your mind to, whether it is moving mountains or loving yourself.