5 Ways To A Happier & Healthier You This Summer

HI GUYS! 🙂 Soooooo it’s finally officially summer and I’m determined to make it THE BEST ONE YET. Are you guys with me?! I’ve thought long and hard about this post and have put together 5 ways to reach a healthier & happier you this summer. 

 1. Find ways to be active EVERY DAY. 

Set aside time to exercise. Get your heart rate up and your legs moving. Treat your workout time as an appointment, and don’t let other scheduling interfere with it. You wouldn’t just cancel a meeting with a coworker—treat your workout the same. It’s your “YOU time.” Get in the habit of never taking the elevator. Instead of simply sitting and eating while messing around on your phone for your work/school lunch break, go on a short a walk or run. Park further away in the grocery store parking lot. Take the longer route walking to your building. Always remember that a short workout is SO MUCH BETTER THAN NO WORKOUT. Sometimes if I’ve been incredibly busy and I can only workout for 30 minutes or less, I’m tempted to just not do it at all. Get out of that mindset and into the habit of being active somehow EVERY SINGLE DAY. Make it your way of life.

2. Get outside. 

This one may seem like a no-brainer. I mean come on, it’s SUMMER! All the fun things to do are outside activities. Take advantage of the gorgeous weather and do active things outside. Go hiking. Surfing. Wake boarding. Ride a bike. Play a pickup game of Soccer. Go on a walk by the river. Play frisbee. Do yard work. Climb a freaking tree. Go camping. Take your dog out on a trail. Go rock climbing. Do yoga in a park. Long board. Get a game of sand volleyball going. Go swimming. Explore a place in nature you’ve never been. You’ll be having so much fun you won’t even think of it as exercise. Plus, your mind will thank you for the much needed vitamin D and dopamine that you get from the sun and you’ll inevitably be happier.

 

3. Eat fresh + Drink LOTS OF WATER

For a rule of thumb: Stick to buying the majority of your food on the outside aisles/sections of the grocery store. Stay away as much as possible from the inner aisles—that’s where all the processed food is. Although it may take more trips to the grocery store than you’re used to, focus on buying mainly perishable, FRESH foods. Vegetables, fruits, lean meats and whole wheat breads.Some say it’s more expensive to eat healthy, and I would disagree and say it doesn’t have to be. If you only buy the foods in season and on sale, you’ll save a LOT of money (which is what my husband and I do). For example, as much as we love avocados and almonds—we don’t buy them very much unless there’s a really good deal (both tend to be on the expensive side). Enjoy the natural foods this beautiful earth has to offer. Instead of an ice cream dessert, reach for some pineapple or make a smoothie bowl to satisfy your sweet tooth. Have oatmeal with fresh fruit or a veggie omelette for breakfast instead of processed starchy pancake mixes or sugar cereals. Got the munchies? Make a plate of carrots & cucumbers w/ hummus rather than chips.By eating a majority of healthy foods in your daily diet you’ll not only look better, but you’ll FEEL better and more energized. Don’t think there isn’t room for pizza or brownies or other indulgent foods — because there DEFINITELY is. Just be sure to do so with moderation and have a plan set in place (know how much you’re going to eat before you do, put your portion on your plate and stick with that) to avoid overeating and binging.

WATER WATER WATER WATER WATERRRRR. I don’t think I need to go into the details of the health benefits of water. Staying hydrated will help your overall health, performance, keep you satiated and energized. I try to drink at least a gallon a day and notice a HUGE difference when I don’t. Add some Mio drink enhancers to your water if it starts getting boring (I LOVE them).

4. Set meaningful goals. 

If your main goal of eating healthier and exercising is to reach a certain weight or look a certain way, your perspective may become misconstrued and motivation may not last long.Instead, focus on the fitness aspects of how you FEEL and your PERFORMANCE & ABILITIES. If you’re setting the right goals, everything else will just fall into place. Body image and eating disorders are so dang prevalent in society today, and it is such a slippery slope. There aren’t many people who I’ve shared this with, but I myself struggled with disordered eating/misconstrued body image at a time in my life recently and was probably pretty dang close to having an actual diagnosable eating disorder. It’s hard for me to mention this but I only do because it’s a scary and a very real thing and something to be aware of/steer clear of. With my amazing husband’s help I’ve been able to change my mindset, set more meaningful goals and focus on my ABILITY over my BODY IMAGE. I was able to focus on things like the fact that I set a PR 3-mile time instead of how visible my abs were.If you’re like me and have struggled with or struggle with these things sometimes, just know you CAN overcome it! I am living proof. It’s not like things aren’t hard for me sometimes—because they still are. But life has gotten so much better. Guys, seriously don’t let body image and what you eat control you. There is SO MUCH MORE TO LIFE. Focus on having meaningful goals for starters. Here are some examples of good, purposeful goals: Train for a marathon, or even just a 5k. Strive to eat healthy, whole foods 80% of the time. Workout 4 days a week. Walk _____ amount of steps every day. Drink a gallon of water a day. Make the high school varsity basketball team. Set a new squat pr. Increase how many pull-ups I can do by the end of the summer. Have just one treat a day. Eat ____ servings of veggies every week…etc.

5. Surround yourself with those you love.

Because there’s so much more to health than simply what is physical. Keep your heart, mind and soul healthy and happy by doing the things you love with the people you love.Pinpoint those things that you are passionate about, and find ways to incorporate them into your daily life. Surround yourself with those who buoy you up, make you want to be a better person and who put a smile on your face. MAKE TIME FOR THOSE PEOPLE. Because let’s be honest, isn’t that what life is really about?

Thank you so much for reading. I wish I could just reach through and give each of you a big huge hug! Here’s to Summer 2015 being the best summer yet filled with tons of watermelon, gorgeous hikes, way too many laugh attacks and a plethora of happy times. Much love to you.

XOXO

Brookie