Summer is coming and it’s the perfect time of the year to rethink your lifestyle habits. Motivation is a hard thing sometimes. Maybe you feel like you’ve “cheated” so many times you’re starting to wonder if you could ever stick with it. Or, maybe you just get in the “rut” of eating the same things all of the time and you get burn out.
Plateau Effect
Just as when exercising, if you are not eating a variety of foods or modifying your routine from time to time, you will experience what is known as the “plateau effect”. The plateau effect is where you seem to hit a stumbling block in your fitness achievements. Maybe you’ve stopped losing weight or can’t seem to build more muscle. Everything just seems to flat line. In the realm of eating, maybe you’re just plain bored.
Summertime is a perfect time to change all of that! The “simple” act of initiating change in your lifestyle is 50% of the battle. The other 50% is sticking with it!
- Continuously educate yourself so you don’t fall prey to apathy. Education is a major key to staying motivated and purposeful. It also gives you the tools to discern through all of the information that is spread throughout the nutrition field. This is why we are committed to providing educational newsletter and seminars. We know that education is key.
- Surround yourself with others who are like minded. Get a buddy or spouse to help you stay motivated and who will join the quest for health with you…not someone who will encourage temptation or drag you down.
- Take advantage of Summer! If you have strayed from healthy lifestyle habits and don’t know what to do…now’s your time! There are many reasons why it’s easier to make these changes in the summer.
- It’s easy to get out and get active.
- Better access to wider varieties of FRESH fruits and vegetables.
- Sunshine improves your mood.
Starting Anew
Here are a few tips to starting fresh this summer:
- Schedule it! Set aside time every Sunday night to get an idea of what you plan to cook the rest of the week. Also, plan your exercise routine. If you haven’t been exercising, plan 3 days this week to get some aerobic exercise. Mark it on your calendar.
- Drink it! Every day, you need to drink 1 liter of water per 50lbs of body weight. Fill a jug with the total amount of water you need to drink for that day…keep it in the refrigerator and before you go to bed, make sure you have finished it all!
- Don’t buy it! Don’t buy food to store in your home that you know you should not be eating. If it’s not in your house, the temptation will not be there which lessens the chance that you’ll eat it! There are so many good things to snack on during the summer. Take advantage of all the fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Forget it! Everyone needs their “time out” each day. Sleep is one of the most ignored tenets of health. Sleep deprivation can cause you to eat more because it sometimes makes you feel cold and less energetic. Many mistake these feelings for hunger. If you’re not getting quality rest at night, consider these few items:
- Exercise. People who regularly engage in exercise have fewer episodes of sleeplessness. Exercise promotes improved sleep quality by allowing smoother and more regular transition between the cycles and phases of sleep.
- Can’t turn your brain off when you lie down? Try taking Valerian Root before you go to bed. This herb is a natural muscle relaxant and is non-habit forming. One of our favorites is “Formula 303” by Dee Cee Labs. You can purchase Formula 303 thru our office, at your local health food store or online.
- Skip the dairy. Dairy can affect your breathing by inflaming nasal passages inhibiting the flow of oxygen. If you’re not getting adequate oxygen while sleeping, it can affect the quality of your sleep.
- Take it! If you haven’t been good about taking supplements, make a commitment to take at least good multiple each day.
Think you may need more but not really sure what you should take? We can help. Using certain diagnostic tests we can help you determine what supplement YOU need to take and if the brand is working for you. Contact our [city] office today.
