Is it really possible to improve your health in only 4 steps? I believe you actually can learn to improve your health in only 4 steps. Each step is a nugget of information, bite size if you will, but information you can actually use right now.
Step 1: Nutritional supplements
I have been a fan of supplements for decades. In my opinion, they are very necessary and very useful, especially when combined with healthy eating habits. Because of the way our food is grown and processed, it is very difficult to obtain all the nutrients your body needs through food. The combination of proper nutrition with nutritional supplements is very powerful. With that said, the basic supplements everyone should take a good multi vitamin and mineral, immune enhancers and fish oils. The important thing to remember is that supplements shouldn't replace good nutrition.
Step 2: Nutrition
What is "good" nutrution? There are thousands of experts out there and sometimes it seems that they each have a different opinion. I am sure you have the saying, you are what you eat, but the fact of the matter is you are what you absorb....remember that.
Make a conscious effort to gradually improve your eating habits, increasing consumption of quality foods (water, hard shell nuts, olive oil, berries, citrus fruits, dark green vegetables, chicken, plain yogurt, to name a few) and less bad food (food fried foods, saturated fats, corn syrup, high fructose corn, sugar and hydrogenated oils, etc.) Read the label of what you say you eat a lot. You may think you will need a lot of willpower to cut out all the "junk" food, but you will be amazed at what happens when you start to gradually improve your eating habits. You will be feeling so much better, you won't even miss all the junk.
Step 3: Exercise
Exercise is definitely the missing piece of the puzzle for most people when it comes to better health. There are so many benefits of exercise, not just for the body for the mind as well. (Think stress reduction!)Your goal should be to exercise 3-5 times a week with a combination of cardio and weight training (but not more than 1 hour per workout session). It was determined that if you add 3 pounds of muscle in the body, the added muscle will burn as many calories than if you ran a mile. Muscle burns calories!
Step 4: Stress Management and Sleep
When you are under a great deal of stress it's usually difficult to get a good night's sleep. You must find and effective way to reduce stress if you want to achieve better health. Managing stress is not enough, you must reduce it or it WILL do harm to your body.
Two points are worth practicing. The first is to prioritize your day. Before you go to bed at night, write out a few thoughts, maybe even a to do list for the next day. This will help your mind relax and will be able to fall asleep faster. The next would be practicing deep breathing exercises, especially first thing in the morning (yes, you probably already knew, but have you tried?). You should also avoid eating lat at night.
Getting enough sleep every night is just as important, taking into account your body uses this time to heal and repair itself. You should try to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. (Ideally going to bed no later than 10:00pm)
Now that you have the basics, now it's time to do a little research. Find out more about nutritional supplements, research more on exercise routines and so on. I guarantee after you implement these 4 steps to you will feel more confident to achieve your goals of health and fitness.
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