The key to a healthy life is to make sure you are taking care of yourself fully. Stop trying to take shortcuts and stop selling yourself short. You are capable of a fulfilled, happy, beautiful life but you can’t reach your full potential if you are cheating yourself on the way.

What do I mean by that? Well let’s unpack this…

Positive Mindset
Self-Care
Healthier Eating Choices
Move for 30 Minutes, Daily
Love Yourself

These are 5 things I am constantly preaching about when it comes to taking care of yourself and learning how to live a healthy lifestyle for life. I talk about it on my social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, etc.) as well as the countless blogs I have written. These 5 areas are so important to your health and wellness. I mean, IMPORTANT. You can’t do one and not the other.

So today, let’s dive dep into bullet point #4 -move for 30 minutes, daily. Notice how I didn’t say get to the gym, workout for an hour or two, take a break then go run 5 miles. No, no, and no. Who has time for all of that? Let me tell you, NOT ME. But it is vital that you are moving for 30 minutes, at least, every single day. It can literally be anything.

Go for walk.
Go on a hike.
Ride your bicycle.
Have a dance party.
Do some yoga.
Stretch.
Swim.

These are just a few ways you can move your body and trust me, I could go on but I’ll stop right there with those. There are countless ways to get moving, you just gotta stop making excuses for yourself and just get moving. You have to stop with the…

”I don’t have time”
”I am too exhausted”
”Ugh, I hate working out”
”I couldn’t make it through * insert specific activity *”
”I am way too out of shape for that”

STOP. STOP. STOP.

Those are excuses and we are done making excuses for ourselves.
You have the time, I promise. You have time to binge watch Netflix, you got time to move.
You have the energy. It’s the self-doubt of starting that makes you feel exhausted. Push through.
It’s not a workout when you are doing something you actually like. Figure it out.
You can make it through. Stop trying to start big and take baby steps.
You are never to out of shape to get up and move. Ever. Also, refer to previous advice -start small.

My motivation/advice to get you moving today and every day from here on out is that tough love. You have to want a healthier, happier life for yourself. You have to stop with the negative self-talk. You have to stop with the excuses.

What you need to do is start. Start today. Start where you are. Start now.
Remind yourself of your goals and why you are doing this.
Have your people hold you accountable.
Push through and stay determined even in difficult moments.
Most importantly, always remember, you are stronger than your strongest excuse.

You have to want this for yourself and nobody else. You have to want better. You have to do better. We will all face weak moments, bad moments, and all the in-between but let me tell you those moments don’t define us. What does define us? The moments we choose to persevere and overcome.

This is your moment.
This is your now.
This is your motivation to get moving.
Now, GO. You totally got this.

Change your habits.
Fuel your body.

Changing habits can be hard.
Breaking bad habits can be even more of a challenge.

So let’s get right down to it because we all know where I am headed with today’s blog…eating is a tricky subject and can be difficult to address. Choosing healthier options can be tough.

BUT I get asked all the time, “How do you stay so consistent with your eating?”…
”What’s your secret?”…”I always crave the bad things”…”I just can’t give up eating my favorite junk foods”. So let’s talk about it! Let’s dive deeper into the subject of eating.

Hey, I am not perfect. I love me some junk food. And don’t get me started on the goodness of pizza. If I could eat pizza every day, I would. But that just doesn’t fit with my lifestyle anymore. I want to fuel my body in the best possible way and if I expect my body to perform at its best then I have to be mindful of what I am fueling it with.

Yes, living healthy isn’t all about working out and eating salads. That’s not where I want you to think this is headed. You can still enjoy your favorite foods but how you enjoy those foods may need to be adjusted. We can’t expect to eat pizza, candy, fast food, etc. every day and expect our bodies and mind to function properly and at their best. We need to nourish our bodies with nutrient rich foods. You have to incorporate your daily dose of water, fruits, and vegetables. Blah, blah, blah…boring, I know. We’ve heard it all before. Hear me out though.

When I decided it was time for a change it was hard. Make a meal at home or Taco Tuesday at Rosa’s? LOL, I know you get me. We’ve all been there.

I realized I could not make changes by just going cold turkey and vowing never to eat unhealthy foods again. That’s not realistic, at least for me. So, I decided to start small. I started researching. I researched healthy meal ideas, how much water I should be drinking, the normal amount of fruits and veggies I should be eating. I educated myself on what my body needed (not wanted) and put a plan into action. I wrote out my goals and how I would (fingers crossed) accomplish those goals.

My first goal…cut out soda. Yes, I used to be a HUGE soda drinker. Hello Sonic Happy Hour! Haha. I started replacing my soda with flavored water and regular water. Once I got into the habit of choosing just water and meeting my daily intake goal, I moved onto limiting my fast food intake. I created goals for myself every 2 weeks. The first 2 week I could only eat out 3x a week. The next 2 weeks only 1x a week to where eventually I wasn’t really eating out at all. And the cycled continued with all of my goals.

Here’s the thing, you have to set goals for yourself and you have to be committed through it all. Even in the weak moments when you give in and you feel like you’ve failed, you keep going. It wasn’t easy for me. Told myself I would only eat out 3x a week and I found myself having my 5th fast food meal, it happens. But what did I do? I forgave myself, I kept going, and eventually what seemed impossible became possible. It became a new lifestyle for me because I never gave up on myself or my health. I didn’t shame myself for not sticking with my goals. I worked through every moment and asked myself how I could do and choose wiser for next time. You can still have your favorite foods, I know I still do but I have reached a point where I control how much and when.

Life is about choices. You can absolutely choose better, do better, and be better. But it all begins when you decide to start. To start living for a healthier you. Healthier doesn’t mean “skinny”. Healthier doesn’t mean “I need to workout for 5 hours every day and have a salad for every meal”.

Healthier means loving yourself, flaws and all. Healthier means choosing nutrient rich foods that fuel you. Healthier means creating new habits. It won’t be easy but you have to start somewhere. And choosing healthier options doesn’t have to be boring…I have so many delicious recipes that are more than what you are thinking healthy is. I eat my carbs and enjoy my cheese but I enjoy those things in moderation and in healthy ways (for ideas go check out my recipes page).

Set goals. Be realistic about those goals. And remember, eating to fuel your body, mind, and spirit doesn’t have to be boring or hard. Do your research. Stop looking to other’s for validation. Figure out what’s best for you.

YOU TOTALLY GOT THIS.