5 Little Things That Will Improve Your Health By Tonight

5 Little Ways to Improve Your Health by Tonight

5 min read by Megan Rea

Click here to watch the Vlog of this post on Youtube

 

Steve the Electrician rang the doorbell at 8:29 a.m.

He was nothing if not prompt.

I welcomed him in, lead him to the area that needed his expertise and asked the polite question one should ask when someone comes into their home.

“Steve, can I get you anything to drink? Water? Coffee?”

“No thanks. I already had my (wait for it) cappuccino and a slider.”

I tried guys.

I tried SO hard.

However, I cannot be held responsible for the look of horror that swept across my face.

“Oh, okay. Well, let me know if you change your mind.”

 

Did he just say, “Cappuccino and SLIDER?” In the same sentence?  Before 8:30 in the morning?

 

For the next several hours, Steve worked diligently and so did I, offering him water more times than presumably appropriate to offer someone working in your home.  This Enneagram 1 couldn’t help herself. I could hear his organs silently pleading for hydration.

 

Now, let’s talk September. It’s upon us.

And without question, every single person I’ve talked to is one word: BUSY. SO much on their plates. And inevitably, the first thing to go when we’re busy is our health. We pretty much know the things we SHOULD be doing to take better care of ourselves. But like most things, it’s not always a matter of knowledge, but a matter of priority.

It’s easy to prioritize your health when we’re sick. You have too. But when you’re healthy-ish and busy? Who has time?

You do friend. You do.

Because here’s the thing with time, you will never “find” more of it. It’s not like the random nickels wedged in your sofa cushions. If we’re going to have time, we must make time otherwise, we will fill time with other things.  

But rest assured. I know you got a lot going on. So let’s not kid ourselves by trying to implement an overwhelming list today. This post is not about giving you, “27 shiny new things to do for self-care” or talk to you at length about the benefits of adding Collagen to your coffee.

 

Although I do and it’s wonderful.

Instead, we’re going simple.

 

Do-able. Small investment, big impact kind of stuff with 5 self-care habits that REALLY could completely change your life & health. 

I know I know. It sounds salesy and dramatic. BUT, what if taking care of yourself actually is SO much simpler than you’re making it in your head? 

And seriously, you know what’s much harder?

Feeling gross all the time and never doing anything about it. 😀 So there’s that. (YouLoveMe)

If you’re ready for a few simple healthy habits you can implement into your life, these tips will get you there.  

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Totally do-able.

You’ve got this.

Ready, set, go.

 

1. Start your day with 32oz of water

This 1 new health habit has made a world of difference for me. I’ve always been a big water drinker. But this is different. This is 1st thing in the morning, before coffee, downing 32 oz of water. Why?

75% of Americans are dehydrated & just a 5% drop in water levels can cause a 25% drop in energy. And even though coffee is God’s gift to humanity, (especially this one-link Furnace Hills) it can dehydrate you. So you’re compounding your dehydration by drinking coffee without first having water.

[bctt tweet=”75% of Americans are dehydrated & just a 5% drop in water levels can cause a 25% drop in energy.” username=”@nosmalllife”]

I have a goal to drink a gallon of water a day. Most, not all, but most days I get there.

How? I have a 32 oz ‘water bottle.’ (I use that term very loosely because it’s LEGIT a mason jar. My co-workers call it ‘Megan’s moonshine’).

I chug 32 oz first thing in the morning. I ALSO have a couple of ounces of warm water with lemon and a teaspoon of coconut oil. But that’s me being extra, so, baby steps. You do you.

After coffee (because I want to be nice to people) I fill up my water bottle again, this time with a little Apple Cider Vinegar and stevia to cut the vinegar-ness of it all. That goes down either during exercise (Fun Fact Alert: Apple Cider Vinegar fights acid reflux while exercising) or while I’m getting ready depending on the day.

Try it. Because at that point, you’ll have 64 oz of glorious water floating through your belly, and you’ll only need to get another 64 oz throughout the day to meet your goal.

I PROMISE it’s not as hard as you think. Your brain, your energy, your skin, and your organs will thank you!

 

 

2. Exercise even if you “don’t have time”

We’ve talked a lot about the mental, physical and emotional benefits of exercise. Here & Here. And more tips to make exercise happen here.

There’s something about moving first thing in the morning that really connects your spirit, soul & body.  And sure, would a 60 min HIIT class be ideal?

Maybe.

But you know what else would be awesome, just making sure you’re moving every day. So here’s what I’m proposing. Set aside 12 min.

That’s it. You’ve got 12 min.

You can grow from there if you decide to. But, 12 minutes to get your blood pumping, your muscles awake, your endorphins kicking and your heart rate up will do wonders.

So set your alarm 12 min earlier. It doesn’t have to be as hard as you’re making it in your head. Go on Youtube, look up a couple of 12 min workouts, and make a playlist.

But do it the night before, because YOU ONLY HAVE 12 MIN YO.

Sure you can go longer, double up and increase your time and rock out a longer workout if you choose, but 12 min is much better than nothing AND if you can incorporate more movement later on in your day, you’ll be well on your way to creating, wait for it, a fitness routine. Look at you getting all buff.

 

 

3. Actually, take your vitamins

Chris and I have a line item in our budget for supplements. I’m holistic like that. But if that’s not your deal, start small and research a few supplements that will increase your health. Now, I’m no doctor and everybody is unique, however, in general, a good place to start is Vitamin D, which most Americans are deficient in, as well as Vitamin C, Omega 3’s and Flax oil. And if you’re feeling stressed and/or a female Calcium/Magnesium isn’t a bad idea either.

To make it easy on yourself, get a weekday pillbox like this.

P.S. it’s under $4. Go ahead. Splurge. Make life easier on yourself.

Mine is straight-up geriatric. It’s. Massive. But it works like a charm.

It takes me about, oh, 6 min a week to sort through supplements for both of us and then, we’re ready to go, zero excuses.

And P.S if you’re looking for more, we LOVE these greens! and if you add maca powder (for energy), and stevia for taste, you trick yourself into thinking you’re drinking hot chocolate…BUT IT’S GREENS.

You winner.

 

4. Make a to-do list for the next day

Are you a list person? My brain gets swirly without one.  And one gift I’ve started giving myself lately is a list at the end of my day.

And before you’re all, “Wait, Megan, how is a to-do list health-related???”

Did you know that 75-90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related issues? (source) Your mental load shows up in your body whether you like it or not, so do future you a favor and give yourself a good brain dump at the end of your day in the form of the next day’s to-do list.

It can honestly take less than 5 min and allows you to get all that’s on your mind onto paper. It changes your stress level when you know your tasks are ready & waiting for you the next day and they don’t have to keep circling around your head. That leads us to the 5th & final point

 

 

5. Block in some downtime at night

Admittedly, this is the one I’m worst at. But I’m learning.

It’s amazing what you can power through during the day when you know you have something to look forward to in the evening. Maybe it’s as simple as blasting good music while you cook a meal. Maybe it’s enjoying these beautiful summer/fall nights with a long walk. Maybe it’s laughing over your favorite Parks & Rec episode or reading a few pages in that book you’ve been meaning to get around to.

The point is, it doesn’t have to be hard. But if you don’t purpose to disconnect from the stress of your day at night, It. Will. Creep. In.

Go ahead. Prioritize your life instead of slaving it away to the next task.

(And if you’re looking for help to shut down digitally, check out this post) link here.

It’s time to take care of yourself.  September is the new January after all (Link 4 gifts)

 

You will never “find” more time. And you deserve to feel good for your life. We can’t control everything, but we are responsible for what we’ve been entrusted with. As far as it depends on us, let’s be good stewards of these bodies God’s given us. These 5 tips will give you a good jumpstart.

 

What’s one healthy habit that could use your attention right now?

Until next time,

Meg

 

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