How to be Healthier in 8 Steps
Do you want to enjoy a healthier lifestyle, but don’t know where to start?
Do you trip over questions like… should I get a gym membership? Should I go on a diet? If so, which one? Keto, Paleo, or South Beach? Should I do cardio or lift weights? How much weight should I lift? How often? Also, the gym is scary. Why do I eat so many sweets?
Or maybe you’re actively working on creating a healthy lifestyle, but are constantly scolding yourself for not being “disciplined enough” because you haven’t yet lost the weight, or seen any muscle definition pop out.
I’ve been there. And I want you to know that I get it and I see you!
First of all, there is so much “fitness” information out there, and it can be extremely difficult to sift out the gold from the garbage. This makes it hard know where you should spend your precious time and energy so that you can actually get the results that are important to you.
And if you’re currently beating yourself up for failing to measure up on your health goals (or lack thereof), I’m going to stop you right there. Hard stop.
Healthy living is absolutely not about sheer will power.
It’s about having access to correct information, and a roadmap to take you from where you are now to where you want to be.
A roadmap that is customized to your life can be your best ally to help you consistently do the behaviors that create a healthy life. A good roadmap starts with where you are and lists out all the steps to get you to where you want to be.
Maybe you are thinking at this point… “Well Ashlee, that sounds pretty great. But how do I get my hands on a roadmap tailored to MY life and unique circumstances?
Well friend, have I got a treat for you! I’ve listed out 8 steps to help you create your own healthy lifestyle roadmap so that you can enjoy a healthier life.
It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s customizable to your real life, and I promise there is only gold in these hills, no trash!
8 Steps to Creating Your Own Healthy Living Roadmap
1. Start where you are, shame free. Hear me out on this. ⠀
One time I got to the mall 15 minutes before close and I desperately needed to find a gift from a specific store. Problem was, I had no clue where the store was inside the mall. When I finally found the big encased map I found the store I needed, but not a “YOU ARE HERE” marker!
Even though I had a map, since I didn’t know where I was in the mall, it was 10x more challenging to find the store (especially since I’m very directionally challenged).
Trust me when I say the same thing applies to your health.
Assess where you are right now in your health journey, even if that means you haven’t started.
For example, if you were assessing your finances, you would want to look at how much debt/savings/ income/expenses etc. you have.
For your physical health you could assess your weight, waist circumference, amount of exercise, time it takes you to run a mile, healthy behaviors, stress levels, sleep quality, eating patterns, etc.
This should be an educational, shame-free exercise to assess where you are. Say it with me, SHAME FREE.
Acknowledge it, accept it, and give yourself some love. You are where you are for a reason - and probably for really good and valid reasons. I’m pretty sure you’re dealing with a lot - maybe emotional challenges, personal or family tragedies, the fact that you’re surrounded by food manufacturers that intentionally makes processed food extremely addicting, chronic stress, children to take care of. You have a lot going on, sister.
Give yourself some grace. No more negative speaking about yourself or your body. It’s not nice and it makes everyone else feel uncomfortable.
If I hear you being rude to yourself, I will kindly call you out. Full disclosure.
2. Figure out what your long term health goals actually are.
Determine what your long term goals are, and do a little digging to determine if they are truly what you want. Then get specific and write down your goals. Make them visible.
Do you want washboard abs? In order to get them, you will likely need to spend at least 2 hours at the gym each day, cycle calories, and follow a very strict meal plan with an expert. Does that fit your lifestyle and what you want for your life?
Perhaps you simply want to feel better. That’s a great and worthy goal. How will you know when you’ve attained that? Perhaps you can simply measure your energy levels each day on a scale of 1-10 and your goal is to hit a level 8 for 5/7 days a week (on average).
Maybe your doctor has told you your blood pressure could improve drastically if you lose 10 pounds. That’s could be a great goal too.
Maybe you want to do 10 pull-ups or run a mile. Maybe you want to lose 3 inches on your waist. Whatever it is, make it measurable and specific.
Make sure you do not chase anything drastic without the approval of your doctor. For example, you may want to get off a certain medication. Talk with your doctor to find out if that’s an option, what it would take, and get their approval before trying to wean off.
If you want help knowing whether your goals are realistic, head on over to Google and type in your goal (such as losing 10 pounds) followed by a reliable source, such as PubMed, Harvard Health, Cleaveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Precision Nutrition, National Academy of Sports Medicine, or the American Heart Association. Or simply speak with your doctor.
3. Identify how you will move your body and for how long ⠀
If you think you hate exercise, you might just need to try out more activities. There are so many options of physical activities that qualify as “exercise” and will give you immense health benefits - like feeling alive, energized, and proud.
Of course there are the classic options like jogging, biking, aerobics, but there is also so much more. There’s Zumba, basketball, kick boxing, circuit training, yoga, hip-hop, pickle-ball, Just Dance, swimming, barre, walking, hiking, snow shoeing, the list is literally infinite.
The best workout program is one that you’ll actually do. So take some time to try out some different kinds of movement and find one or many that you actually enjoy. There are so many ways to “exercise.”
The CDC recommends adults get at least 150 min each week of moderate physical activity, 75 min of vigorous exercise or a combination of the two.
I know… it’s a really weird way to lay that out.
Basically, if moderate intensity is your jam (think brisk walking), you want to get at least 30 minutes 5xs a week. If you prefer higher intensity, you can get more done in less time! That breaks down to only 15 minutes a day for 5 times a week! Or you can do a combo of the two. (i.e. moderate cardio for 100 min in the week and vigorous cardio for 50 min)
Additionally, it is recommended that you exercise all major muscle groups (think chest, back, arms, hips, core, legs, shoulders) twice a week. See CDC’s infographic below for a much simpler view of how that all works together throughout the week.
For example:
You could do a muscle strengthening workout on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and take some brisk walks for 30 minutes on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday.
You could jog, bike, dance, do an aerobic or HIIT workout online, or some other cardio activity that gets your heart pumping for 30 minutes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and do a muscle strengthening workout Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Alternatively you could jog, bike, dance, do an aerobic or HIIT workout online, or some other cardio activity that gets your heart pumping for 15 minutes on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and do a muscle strengthening workout Tuesdays and Thursdays.
You could walk for 30 minutes on Sundays and Saturdays, do a muscle strengthening workout on Mondays and Wednesdays, and go to a spin class for 30 minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The bottom line: you have the power to choose physical activities you enjoy, and have lots of options for making a routine that will bless your body and fit your schedule.
4. Identify 1-2 healthy lifestyle habits to focus on for at least two weeks
Friend, unless specifically recommended by your doctor or registered dietician, diets are not the answer.
Sustainable, healthy, behavior change is.
For this reason, I suggest identifying 1 (or 2 at MOST) habits to focus on for two weeks at a time.
Why two weeks? It’s a relatively short amount of time, but long enough to start getting real traction on a lifestyle habit change.
Some effective examples include: eat slowly/mindfully, eat until 80% full (aka satisfied), keep a food diary, write in a gratitude journal, eat a combination of 5 fruits and vegetables a day, etc.
You want to start small so that you can start having wins. Wins beget wins.
As you accumulate wins and good habits, you can gradually create bigger goals.
You want to choose a habit that you are confident you can follow 90% of the time. If you try it but can’t complete it 90% of the time, you may want to re-evaluate to determine whether the habit you’ve chosen is realistic and helpful.
If you decide it’s not helpful (and data supports that conclusion), ditch it.
If you decide that your habit is indeed helpful but you’re struggling to reach it, regress it at first. For example, if you decided to focus on eating 5 veggies a day but you’re only getting 3, try changing your habit to 4 veggies a day. Once you achieve 4 veggies a day 90% of the time for two weeks, increase to 5. Otherwise you are likely to get discouraged and give up.
5. Identify metrics that will show you if your chosen habits are bringing you closer to the results you want. Measure regularly.
Because you already found your starting point, identifying metrics will make progress so much more visible. Metrics also add crucial perspective and help you know whether or not the habits you chose to focus on are effective.
You want to keep metrics as simple as possible so that you will actually stick with tracking them.
Examples include waist circumference, mood (perhaps on a scale of red, orange, yellow, green), weight (if you are not triggered by standing on the scale), muscle size, energy level (on a scale of 1-10), mile time, # of pull ups you can do, etc.
As a fitness coach, clients have come to me feeling discouraged that they haven’t seen progress… until they look at their metrics. And then they are often shocked by how far they’ve come! Measure regularly.. keep it simple, but do it!
6. Engineer your environment to set you up for success
As I mentioned before, healthy living is so much more than just will power. Rather, you need to focus on your environment.
Engineer your environment in such a way to make exercise and the habits you are working on as easy as possible.
If your goal is to exercise for 30 minutes for 5 days a week, pack your gym bag the night before and put it by the door. If you want to eat 5 vegetables each day, wash and chop them on the weekend. If you are trying to eliminate added sugars, keep treats out of your house.
You could also make a vision board, tape your goals to the bathroom mirror, or frame some quotes that motivate you. Get your habitat to work for you and make the healthy choice the easy choice.
The book Atomic Habits by James Clear, is a phenomenal read and has countless ideas on how to make your environment work for you.
7. Identify an accountability partner and decide when and how often you will contact each other
Choose someone you trust who will motivate and not shame you. My partner is my sister. We make it a mutually beneficial situation by reporting on our progress to each other. Hiring an actual coach may be ideal, but you can also make tons of progress by simply asking a family member or friend to be your accountability buddy.
Choose a time to check in each week or day and determine how you will contact each other (phone call, text, meeting in person, email, etc.).
Accountability is the fastest track to progress.
8. Write everything down! Regularly assess and adjust if needed.
Data is key to finding out what works and what doesn’t. It creates a clear picture of how often you are implementing the behaviors you want in your life. If you are consistently tracking how often you complete the daily habit goals you set, you will be able to see things as they are. Maybe you think you’re getting lots of exercise but you find you are only exercising twice a week because you’ve been putting in longer days in the office.
Or maybe you feel like you aren’t doing enough but upon checking your food journal, you realize you’ve doubled your veggie intake. Record your goals, habits, & metrics. Keep it simple, keep it fun, but do keep it somewhere! Consider using a smart watch, app, or a cute planner. Whatever fits your life and style.
