I've never really been looked at as an unhealthy person, but in the last few months, my bad habits have seemed to caught up with me. My metabolism has started to slow down, and due to graduating high school, I no longer compete in cross country. But, I've still been eating and drinking as if I were still just as healthy.
A few days ago, I was on YouTube, and I stumbled upon a channel devoted to "glow-up journeys" and tips for living your best, healthiest life. This channel, called Elise Marin, motivated me to finally start to push myself in ways that I hadn't before. So, here are some of the things I'm implementing in my life in order to "glow-up"
Intermittent Fasting
This sounded super scary to me as first, but it's really not as hard as it sounds. Intermittent fasting is eating in scheduled blocks. I eat from noon until around 8 or 9 at night. Many people would say, "You starve yourself for a whole day?" But, to be honest, once you get used to it, it's better. For one, you're not as bloated. Second, you don't have to worry about making breakfast. And, thirdly, you can eat as big of a meal as you want for lunch, because you've lost a whole extra meal. This was easy for me to do, since I'm not a breakfast person, but you can move it around to fit your schedule. Fasting also has several other benefits if you give it some research.
Drinking lots of water.
Drinking water seems to be the solution for everything. Got bags under your eyes? Drink water. Want to clear up your skin? Drink water. Want to lose weight? Drink water. I personally try to drink a gallon every single day, which is not as hard as it might sound. I have learned to spread it out throughout my day, because if you drink too much at once, you get rid of all of the "good stuff" in your body and end up with a massive headache. If you don't believe that this will help you, just search "drink a gallon of water everyday" on YouTube, and watch what comes up. I watched one once where a girl just lived her normal life, but drank a gallon everyday, and she lost three pounds without even trying.
Follow Fitness Accounts on Instagram
This is one of my favorite tips that seems to help me every single day. I go on Instagram a lot, mainly to check if Niall Horan is doing a livestream. When I'm on the app and I see videos of people doing workouts, it makes me feel very motivated to do the same. Just today, I was laying in bed when I saw one of my favorite accounts was doing a live workout class, so I got on my gym clothes and did it. If I hadn't had been on the app, I don't think I would have went as hard or done as many effective techniques.
Adapt a New, Positive Attitude
I often find myself saying things like "I hope I can feel better" or "I hope I will get a flatter stomach", but I shouldn't be using the word hope! It's like the grand master Yoda used to say "Do or do not, there is no try." I can't hope to lose weight or be healthier, I just have to get up and do it! The same goes for all of us out there. This doesn't just apply to your eating and exercise habits, it applies to every aspect of your life.
Accept that Your Body Will Always Be Changing
The fact is, you're always going through phases of your life. In some of these phases, you may not be able to maintain a healthy balance and lifestyles. Or maybe, you will be able to, and your body won't react as well as it used to. Getting older, having kids, and many other things can change your body. You must come to terms with the fact that you will not always look the same way you do right now.
Have a Great Reason to Change
Don't be willing to change your body for someone else. If you want to get in shape to impress the boy you like, I hate to break it to you, but that is not a great reason. If he was the right boy for you, he would like you no matter how in shape you are. Also, if you stop liking him, then you abandon all of the progress that you've made on yourself. Decide to change for your own personal reason. Me? Well, I want to stay in shape when I leave for college. I also want to feel good in my own skin and be confident in my abilities to take care of myself.
I will be posting more articles in the coming weeks about my "glow-up" journey and the path it takes me on. Stay tuned to see how I grow and change as a person. Next week, I will be talking more about the mental side of my journey.
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