Become More Active
with these 8 simple but powerful healthy habits
1. Optimize Your Time Like a Pro
If you want to be more active you need to optimize your daily schedule for maximum productivity. So plan your day accordingly and be efficient with your time. Identify your time wasters and common distractions (great post about overcoming distractions HERE) and eliminate them in order to make space for more productivity in your daily schedule. Find out how to become seriously organized HERE and how to overcome procrastination HERE.
- Create a Healthy and Productive Daily Routine to optimize your daily schedule, manage your time efficiently, boost your productivity and create a balanced life.
- Plan Your Days According to 3 x 8h rule (8h of work, 8h of productive “me time”, 8h of quality rest. A 3 x 8h rule it a great way to achieve work-life balance. (Learn more about 3 x 8h rule HERE)
- Set 3 Daily Priorities (You can use the 20/80 Pareto Principle to set your priorities, eliminate your distractions and focus on personal and professional growth. 24 hours a day can be enough to get the most important things done if you eliminate distractions and time-wasters (in every area of your life).
- Set realistic but challenging daily/weekly/monthly goals
- Break down your goals into more realistically achievable steps and set deadlines for any of them
- Use the Pareto Principle to track your success and optimize what really matters in your life (According to the Pareto Principle, 20% of your work produces 80% of the result. This means that if you manage to identify that 20% correctly you will spend more time doing the right things that will produce the greatest outcome.)
- Create space in your schedule for unexpected opportunities that will emerge at some point especially in the course of developing a new capability
- Schedule Time To Relax - recharging batteries is crucial to our wellbeing and it’s the only way to be able to feel energetic again. If you deprive yourself of rest, sleep, food or other essential things in life you act against your body and as we all know it’s just a road to nowhere.
- Plan for an ultra-effective and productive day the night before aka make a powerful to-do list
- ALWAYS Track your progress
Download Your FREE Printable Worksheets!
2. Engage in Physical Activity
What’s your excuse for not working out? Are you too tired? You can’t afford a gym membership? You’re struggle with motivation? Or maybe you’re too busy to work out. Well, me too. Or I should probably say I was too busy to work out until I optimized my daily routine, removed all unnecessary activities from my schedule and made space for my daily physical activity. I build a workout routine that I love and now I don’t have any excuses for not working out. And you know what? Since then I am healthier, happier and my posture drastically improved. Thank goodness… I was beginning to look more like homo computerus than a typical homo sapiens.
It’s not a secret that a sedentary lifestyle is literally killing us. Physical inactivity has been scientifically proven to be a leading cause for many chronic or even terminal diseases. So why risk so much?
We’re not designed to sit in front of the computer all day every day. Physical inactivity makes us anxious, depressed, obese and just sick.
Have you ever noticed how good and energetic even a little physical activity makes you feel? It’s because during exercise our body releases endorphins and increases dopamine and serotonin levels. This magic trio made up of your natural happy chemicals is all you need to activate your happiness mode. Furthermore, regular workouts boost your energy levels, reduces stress, increases self-esteem and keep you fit (not to be confused with “being skinny). Need I say more? So instead of looking for an excuse to skip your workout think how great you will feel afterwards and hit the gym, go for a walk or do a full-body workout at home. Avoid a sedentary lifestyle at all costs. Optimize your schedule, improve your daily routine and make space for more physical activity!
- Exercise at least 30 minutes daily (not having a gym membership is not as excuse, you can workout at home!)
- Take long walks (take at least 10 000 steps per day)
- Practice yoga, pilates or do some stretches as a part of your morning routine (simple stretch will improve your posture, keep you grounded, boost your happy hormones and set your mood for the whole day)
- Make it FUN - Choose physical activity that you enjoy doing (it will be harder to make up un excuse
- Make it SIMPLE - Dedicate 20 minutes on Sunday to plan and schedule your weekly workouts
- Make it PLEASURABLE - You don’t have to do a 60 min cardio or HIIT workout if don’t feel this, choose the type of workout you love doing, don’t force yourself. Working out shouldn’t be a punishment but part of self-care and everyday routine. So, stay active, do some stretch and or go for a long walk
cook your meals at home
" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/holisticlifebykate.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/cook-your-meals-at-home.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/holisticlifebykate.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/cook-your-meals-at-home.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1" data-lazy-sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" srcset="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7">3. Nourish Your Body with Nutrient-Dense Foods
If you want to live a more active lifestyle you should focus on healthy nutrition and start training your brain to see food as fuel not a source of reward or punishment. Eating a healthy, nutrient-dense diet on a daily basis is crucial if you want to maintain good health and have loads of energy during the day.
People seem to place too much emphasis on counting calories instead of focusing on the quality of the calories they’re eating. But the truth is that not all calories are created equal. Nutritious calories from nutrient-dense foods fuel your body, boost your energy levels and help you to achieve optimal health while empty calories from junk and highly processed foods not only are not providing any nutritional value but also cause damage to the body. For that reason, you should focus on where calories you consume come from; this matters more than the number of your calories intake. So, fuel your body with healthy foods for better health and more energy and stay away from highly processed foods packed with additives and harmful chemicals that will only cause you various health problems. Remember that the nutritional value of food and the impact of its constituents on your body vary with each food product.
- Start Clean Eating
- Discover benefits of Mindful Eating HERE.
- Read Nutritional Facts Labels before putting food product into your shopping cart
- Avoid Frankenstein foods (Stay Away from GMO’s)
- Buy “real food” items (Avoid highly processed and packed with harmful chemicals “ready to eat” food products)
- Stay away from sodas and sugary drinks that provide only empty calories
- Having a serious sweet tooth? Opt for healthy options (my favourite is dark chocolate and low carb homemade cheesecake)
- Incorporate Superfoods into your diet
- Never do your groceries on an empty stomach to prevent mindless shopping
- Make a clean eating grocery list and stick to it (Plan your meals in advance to prevent wasting food)
- Prepare your meal at home with fresh, high-quality food products (dedicate 30 minutes on a Sunday to prepare meals or partial components of meals)
- Buy local and seasonal food to supports the local economy
4. Try Natural Energy Boosters
Discover simple and powerful ways to boost your energy naturally!
- Water! Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.
- Coffee - What can I say? Ia m a self-proclaimed coffee lover and I am proud of it! (If you are a coffee lover like me, please remember to drink coffee in moderation!)
- Incorporate Matcha green tea into your diet (contains antioxidants)
- Try Yerba mate (is full of nutrients: iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, selenium, Vit B1, B2, B3, B5 ecc.)
- Try Kombucha tea (contains probiotics and beneficial acids)
- Drink Lemon water in the morning (boost metabolism, boost energy levels, detoxify, alkalizes your body,)
- Make your hot chocolate with Maca root (boosts your adrenals and balances your hormonal system)
- Treat yourself with Coconut water (contains bioactive enzymes)
- Try Guarana (contains 300%more caffeine than coffee beans and it’s sweet and tasty!)
- Don’t forget about Organic Raw Cocoa (lowers blood pressure, contains antioxidants, improves mood)
5. Clean On The Go
If you want to live a more active lifestyle you need to declutter external personal space on a regular basis. In other words, keep your environment tidy so that you can focus on your goals. Don’t allow the clutter to take over your life instead, clean and go as the day progress.
Your external personal space is the externalization of your mind. This basically means that if your external personal space is a complete mess your mind is drowning in chaos. And let me tell you something, it is definitely not constructive chaos. I mean don’t get me wrong here. I am not saying that you should switch on “pedantic cleaner” mode because that would be moving from one extreme to another. Besides, there is nothing good, creative, innovative, interesting or sexy in obsessive cleaning. What I mean is that you cannot effectively navigate your life if you are surrounded by a complete mess. It’s just impossible. Because if you are not organized you are disorganized, if you’re not oriented toward something you are completely disoriented and if you’re not active your inactive. Furthermore being disorganized and disoriented leads to nowhere. It’s just a waste of time and energy. So keep your environment tidy and always clean on the go.
- Don’t wait until the weekend to clean your kitchen
- Don’t wait until there’s no clean glass to wash your dishes
- Don’t wait until there’s no clean pair of socks to do the lundry
- Don’t wait the garbage to spill out of the trash can - improve your recycling routine and take out the trash more frequently
- When you’re done with your meal wash the dishes
- When you’re done with your work clean your desk (A cluttered desk means a cluttered mind.)
6. Engage In Self-Care
Self-care means taking care of yourself and taking an active role in your happiness and fulfilment. That’s why you should never underestimate its importance. Obviously, it is a very broad term to describe and everyone’s perception of it is slightly different. However, I believe that we can probably agree that self-care includes self-compassion, self-awareness, self-management, mindful living and active lifestyle. It helps us to stay productive, motivated and focused on our goals. What is even more important self-care helps us increase self-awareness, boost self-confidence and build self-confidence. So stop making excuses and start your self-care journey right now! Create your own healthy and highly personalized self-care routine and live by it! Make it simple, fun and pleasurable! Because, taking care of yourself should be a pleasure, not a sad duty, right?
Need Some Inspiration?
You will find Simple BUT Powerful Mental Self-Care Tips HERE
Download your free printable self-care workbook HERE or below.
Download Your Free Printable Self-care Workbook by clicking on the photo below!
Check out self-care bundle!
7. Get Quality Rest
Quality rest plays an essential role in your overall health and wellbeing. What we often aren’t really aware of is the fact that sleep is important for brain functioning, emotional wellbeing, proper digestion, strong immune system, personal safety and of course our ENERGY LEVELS. Just think about it, how many times you sacrificed your sleep to accomplish more during the day? And how this sleep deprivation affected your mental and physical performance? I would bet not very well.
The truth is that sacrificing your sleep is extremely counterproductive because it affects negatively your ability to critical and logical thinking, makes your extremely anxious, stressed, unmotivated, apathetic and uncreative. By contrast, getting quality rest improves memory, boost creativity, increases productivity, facilitates the decision-making process and protects your mental health.
But getting quality rest is not the only way to rest and recharge your batteries. Here are other powerful and equally important ways to do that:
know your limits
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If you want to live a more active lifestyle it means that you’re ready for meaningful and profund change. You’re ready to get outside your comfort zone challange yourself, break old habits and push yourself to the next level. But don’t rush the process. Instead, slowly but consistently improve your lifestyle.
- Know your worth
- Trust yourself & the process
- Unconditionally look inward
- Listen to your body
- Listen to your gut
- Don’t push yourself over your limits (don’t over-exercise, don’t overcrowd your schedule, eat healthy but avoid orthorexia)
- Create a balanced daily routine
- Track your progress for better achievements
- Recognize and celebrate your achievements
- When you feel tired, overwhelmed, anxious or stuck take a break, relax and recharge your batteries. (Be your own cheerleader not tyrant!)
P.S.
Stay Positive
Be Mindful
And Start Living a More Active Lifestyle!
xo Kate
