Here are 50 tips & ideas (and a few cool quotes) on food, eating, exercise, rest and lifestyle that will help you have a healthy and inspiring 2010.
Food
1 – Find more sources for local grass fed & organic farms, CSA’s, co-ops, markets, health food stores and ‘green’ restaurants.
2 – Find out which foods are seasonal where you live. Eat more of those and less imported produce.
3 – Spending a little more money or time getting real food supports more than just your vanity or health. It also balances out with less medical expense now and in the future. You get more bang for your buck in nutrition and energy. More energy = more productivity in pursuit of your dreams.
4 – Eat less sugar, eliminate processed ‘food’ and eat more fresh fruits & veggies.
5 – If the only veggies you eat are white potato, spinach and broccoli, try something new like kale, collar, chard, arugula or seaweed.
6 – Try fermented foods like sour kraut, kim chi and kefir. These traditional foods can be found at farmers markets or through your local Weston A Price group.
7 – Eat more grass fed meats, homemade broths, wild game and fish.
8 – Drink less of ‘everything else’ and more water.
9 – Don’t drink while eating.
10 – Start a small organic garden with friends.
11 – Develop a healthier relationship with food – it sustains your life. Stop abusing it and your body. Food gives you energy to do what you do. Real food nourishes you & the planet.
12 – Chew your food well. ‘Drink your food and eat your water.’
13 – Remember there is a war gong on for your food right now. There are only 5 corporations that own 80% of the worlds food supply. Your food, shopping and health is a serious global matter for everyone.
“Let food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine be food.” Hippocrates
Mindset
14 – Begin with the end in mind. Create a vision for your life (10-20 years) and then chunk it down to smaller steps. Set long term (12 month), mid term (6 month) and short (1 month) goals. Write them down so you see it everyday. Take action on (at least) one thing every day.
15 – Link your goals to other parts of your life that you love. For example, take your main fitness or weight loss goal, write out 20 reasons how it improves your personal relationships, romantic life or spiritual life. Find out how your goal benefits your children, family, work productivity or your ability to make more money. Connect the dots and your goal becomes more meaningful. This will keep you consistent and enhance the overall journey to optimal health.
16 – This exercise will give you a compelling reason WHY you want to succeed. Set up the ‘How to’ and keep your eye on the ‘Why’.
‘He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.’ Friedrich Nietzsche
17 – Practice being optimistic. Don’t be naive or try to be positive all the time, stay balanced and focus on what you want. Expect good things and go out and make it happen.
18 – Count your blessings & practice gratitude. Remember the things we have now are things we once wanted.
‘There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.’ Albert Einstein
Rest
19 – Wind down and dim the lights an hour before bed.
20 – Don’t eat right before bed.
21 – Don’t watch TV and work on the computer just before you go to bed. Instead, take a bath, read, or create your own evening ‘chill out’ session. This can be meditation, prayer, creative work, quiet time, romance or a gentle mind-body workout.
22 – Get to bed by 10:30 PM
23 – Sleep at least 8 hrs a night
24 – Sleep in complete darkness (no little blinking lights from VCR’s, etc in the bedroom)
‘Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleave of care. The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath. Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, Chief nourisher in life’s feast.’ William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Exercise
25 – Most people will be ALL OR NOTHING for this first month (or two) which is the wrong way to do it. Balance is the right way. Find the best time of the day you can workout and put it in your schedule.
26 – Balance it out according to your overall energy & vitality. The more energy you have, the harder you can workout. The more tired you are, the softer the workout.
27 – If you have an injury, you need rehabilitation first. Find an expert who can assess your physical body, condition and fitness levels and design a corrective or rehabilitative program so you can restore normal function, get healthy and stronger.
28 – Beginners starting new exercise programs – Find something you enjoy and learn from a pro. Start slow and easy with short workouts.
29 – Beginner to Intermediate – learn all primal movements (squat, lunge, deadlift, push, pull, core). Learn several styles/systems of movement & exercise. Challenge yourself, but honor your limits.
30 – Intermediate workouts – if you have been training consistently for awhile, make sure you change some variable in your workout every 3-4 weeks. You can do different types of programs (intervals, circuits, strength training), different exercises (push ups – swiss ball dumbbell – standing cable pushing; abs on ball – rotation exercises on ball), different reps / sets / tempos (speed of movements) or try yoga or kettlebell class.
31 – Advanced workouts – Find an expert who can teach you kettlebells, athletic conditioning, advanced swiss ball, olympic lifting, mixed martial arts or advanced yoga. If you are competing, honor your rest.
32 – Late evening mind body workouts should be gentle. Don’t raise your heart rate and practice deep breathing thats timed with slow movements.
Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it. Plato
Eating
33 – Spend less time focusing on TV or talking while eating. Focus more on gratitude for your food. Pay attention to how you meals make you feel.
34 – Eat as soon as possible after your workout.
35 – Eat breakfast like you mean it!
36 – Eat 4-6 times per day.
37 – Eat protein, fat and carb at every meal.
38 – Don’t diet. Don’t ever, ever diet.
39 – Eat according to your metabolic needs, not trendy ideas.
40 – Pay attention so you know when you’ve had the right amount. Your body is highly intelligent. Get the crap processed foods & chemicals out and listen to your body. The body never lies.
‘One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.’ Virginia Woolf
Lifestyle
‘And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.’ Abraham Lincoln
41 – Foot Massage at Work – Keep your diet, socks and shoes clean. Take them off under your desk at work. Bring a tennis ball and roll the bottom of your feet while at your desk. No one will know and it feel really good!
42 – If your feet, underarms or breath stink, you need to clean out your body and clean up your diet.
43 – Detox – make sure you sweat and poop consistently. If you go for one day without pooping – your constipated.
44 – Take at least one day off and do nothing related to work.
45 – Stress is a part of life – accept it. We are supposed to have support and challenge. Whatever is stressful in your life, tackle it head on, find its purpose and move on to your next challenge.
46 – If you don’t love what you do now, start doing what you’d love on the side. If you want to get more enthusiastic about your current career, be more productive and reduce stress, go through the benefits of your paycheck. How does your current career benefit all other areas of your life? The more benefits you link to your career, the more inspired you become.
‘Make your vocation your vacation.’ Tony Robbins
47 – Make massage, acupuncture, steam, walks in the park or beach a regular part of your lifestyle.
48 – Work Life Balance isn’t about managing your time. How you spend your time is a reflection of your priorities. Prioritize your health, rest and activities that inspire you. You will then have true balance, more energy and time for other things that need to get done.
49 – People are your greatest resource. If you need help, reach out. There are people in your life who love you and want to see you succeed.
50 – Start each day with a ‘To Do’ List. Check off what you get done and whatever didn’t get done goes on tomorrow’s list.
“Vitality and beauty are gifts of Nature for those who live according to its laws.” Leonard Da Vinci
Ultimately these are just a few ideas to get you thinking for yourself. Its up to you to discover what works best for you. These are some ideas that can help you stay focused and seeing great improvements in your health, fitness, overall health & vitality. I wish all the the best this year to everyone reading this.
It’s going to be a really interesting year for this planet and an exciting for all of us. Thank you for reading my blog!
Please share your thoughts or any other tips you plan on using this year…