Abs
The abdominal muscles are the muscles that run from your rib-cage to your groin. Strong abs keep back pain away! This is because the strong abs are what keep your spine strong and aligned.
Breathe
The one mistake a lot of us make is holding our breaths while working out. This might be subconscious; you don’t even know that you are doing it. But be sure to be aware of your body and what it is doing during every exercise.
Co-operate
If you are a beginner, you find that your body will fight against you when trying to do certain exercises so be patient and diligent. Soon enough, your body will adjust to exercise so be sure to co-operate with it now so it, will co-operate with you in the future.
Dance
You do not have to the winner of “So You Think You Can Dance?” to have a good time on the dance floor! Not only is it a great form of exercise but also, it is very fun! Go out with friends or even blast the music in your living room and just DANCE!!.
Eat
I cannot stress this one enough. EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT! Healthy foods of course. A lot of people—especially those who are very overweight—are under the impression that if they eat more foods they will get bigger. That is a myth that originated from the dark corners of your mind. You see, when you workout, your core tempertature goes up, that is why your body sweats to cool you down. That hot core temp is what revvs up your metabolism which burns the excess body fat. Make sure to eat 4 to 5 times a day when on a serious workout regimen.
Fats
I know…i know..i know…. I know you heard that fats are not good for you. That is not entirely true. Dehydrogenated oils are bad and you should stay clear of them. But when it comes to natural oils like coconut, shea butter, avocado or olive oil, they are really good for you. So be sure to cook with one of these oils. You can use other natural oils if you have a preference.
Grains
Grains are a great source of protein, fiber and carbs. Brown rice, Quinoa, cous cous, etc., are great examples of grains. Just because you are healthy doesn’t mean that your food cannot be diverse and delicious. You can have organically-grown grains a couple times in the week if your wish.
Herbs
These are super versatile, super healthy, super e’erthing!! They are not just meant for flavoring your food but also, for keeping your system in check. Each herb does something different from the next one. Here is a short list of some of my favourite herbs which you can get to know culinarily:
Nettles
Basil
Thyme
Rosemary
Dill
Chives
Fennel
Initiative
Take the initiative to be healthy! If you are obese, do not wait until you are lying on the operating table before you acknowledge that you have a serious medical condition. Take it a day at a time. Begin with slow walks, light jogs then build your way up!
Jog
A light jog in the evening after work or early morning is very good for the body. It energises your body if done in the morning, and brings your body to rest in the evening.
Kick
Kick all your bad habits. Like smoking and excessive drinking etc. You cannot be healthy if you have bad eating habits either. You can even get counseling to help get rid of them.
Love
Be in love with yourself! Not in a narcissistic way but be in love with yourself. Look in the mirror and accept what your eyes see. Be at total peace with it. This takes some people a lifetime to able to do but you can do this by simply being okay with your body because it is beautiful. Walk with your head held high. Once you can do this, you will find that being healthy, will come easier.
Manage
Being healthy is not about having a perfect body: the 12 pack abs and that Kim K booty. So please, do not get caught up in Hollywood’s definition of beautiful or what you should look like.
Nutrition
You cannot get healthy, lose weight or keep it off without eating healthy; that is just not possible. It is advised that you should eat 4-5 times a day to keep your metabolism up and working.
Open
Open your mind to new experiences as well as open up the doors in your emotional mind and let go off all the hurt and betrayals because the reason why a lot of people gain the weight is because they held onto a lot of baggage from the past which affects every other aspect of their lives.
Practice
This word should be filtered in every aspect of your life; practice being patient, practice being single, practice loving yourself!!
Quit
This is not something that I normally encourage people to do but sometimes, it is necessary for future success. If you smoke, eat unhealthy foods or any other activity that you notice has a negative effect on your health or relationships, it is probably time to quit it.
Relax
Reeeelllllaaax! Don’t take life too seriously but don’t be immature either; find a balance; go with the flow. You will find yourself in situations in which you cannot control. What are you going to do when that happens?
Shower
This is just a reminder: please take a shower after working out in general. Shower at least twice a day.
Tribe
Find a group of people with positive energy and positive thoughts who will not be afraid to tell the truth: what you need to hear not what you want to hear. This is your tribe.
Utilize
Make use of everyday objects for working out; use textbooks for weights
Vain
Don’t get caught up in looking pretty or handsome in order to attract others.
Win
“Winning!!”. To win but not to be in competition with anyone–not even yourself. Winning here means achieving your goals both in the gym and in real life.
Xclude
Get rid of any negative minded people: the kind that tell you you can’t do anything and are just generally negative.
Yoga
A quick 10-min yoga session in the morning will set you up for a good day. Yoga does wonders for the body and mind.
ZZZZZzzzzzzz
And finally, get a lot of sleep at night; at least 8 hours.
