By Katie Lipman
Here are Ways How To Care More About Your Health
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When you’re trying to lose weight, you realize the journey is much more than dropping a few pounds on the scale. Instead, weight loss forces you to think about your health in ways you never did before. Not only do you have to think about the food you put in your body, but you need to consider everything you do, such as how well you sleep, how active you are, and more.
Ways to Care More About Your Health When Trying to Lose Weight
Losing weight isn’t as simple as hitting the gym once in a while or eating a salad for lunch. Once you’ve decided to put your health first, you’ll begin caring more about your overall health and practicing self-care instead of losing fat. Here are ways to care more about your health.
Sleep Well
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We all know the importance of sleep because if we don’t get enough sleep, we start to feel a little irritable and groggy throughout the day. Sleep impacts every aspect of your life. Not only can sleep deprivation decrease your motor functions and give you brain fog, but it impacts your overall health and wellness, especially when it comes to weight loss.
While you might be getting eight hours of sleep, those hours must be quality sleep. If you’re tossing and turning, you might find that switching to a shoulder relief pillow for side sleepers is your best bet for a better night’s sleep. Make sure you take a look at your environment to determine what’s stopping you from getting your best sleep and make small changes until you finally get the quality rest you deserve.
While we all have busy lives and wish there were more hours in the day, we all agree sleep is an absolute necessity for helping us feel our best. If you don’t get enough sleep, you might not feel motivated to work out and get back into shape. Not only that, but not getting enough sleep can make your body crave unhealthy foods as a means for energy because sleep plays a vital role in regulating your metabolism and crushing cravings.
Daily Exercise
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Daily exercise is important no matter how old you are, but more important than the exercise itself is finding an exercise routine you can be consistent with. Exercise will have to become part of your normal routine when you begin caring about your health, so make sure it’s something you can do almost every single day.
If you’re a sedentary person like many people who work in an office, it’s best to start slow. Consider small things like walking the dog every morning or using the stairs instead of the elevator. By starting slow, you can assess your fitness level at home or the gym and get an understanding of what your limits are. For example, if you’re someone who has never gone on a run in their life, then it’s not the best idea to start your exercise routine with a brisk jog because it’s unlikely you’ll be able to keep up the habit.
One complication many people have when they begin their weight loss journey is finding time for exercise between your home and work life. This is why a schedule and building a habit are so important. Believe it or not, you can find time in your day for the 20-to-30-minute exercise recommended by experts, but it may take some time to get used to. If you’re always busy at home, then you may find that taking a brisk walk during your lunch break at work is the best way for you to get exercise. Other people find that getting weight loss coaching can help them stay accountable when it comes to working out.
Eat Right
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There’s no way around it; You can’t lose weight without eating right. Working out can facilitate weight loss by helping you build muscle and burn calories, but many people spoil their workouts by eating large meals believing they worked out enough to eat more calories. This mindset, however, puts you back at your average daily calories, which means you won’t lose any weight.
What many people don’t realize, especially if they don’t have an app or smartwatch tracking their activity and calories, is exercise doesn’t burn as many calories as they think. While it is beneficial for overall health, you’ll need to maintain a healthy diet to lose weight and keep it off for good.
As you’ve been told your whole life, you need a balanced diet. Most of us don’t get enough fruits and vegetables in our diet and get too much junk food. Chips, desserts, and fast food may be delicious, but they don’t help you lose weight.
Drink More Water
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Starting your day off with coffee can help you kick your work into high gear, but are you continuing to drink caffeine throughout the day and neglect water? Because many of us have so much to do in so little time, we rely on coffee and tea to get us through the day because we associate caffeinated beverages with more alertness and productivity.
While it’s true caffeine can do these things for you, what you may not know is water can have the same effect. Your body, including your brain, needs enough water to properly function. Hydration is key to helping you stay awake throughout the day and making your body feel its best. We’re flexible, so there’s no reason you should completely give up coffee or tea, but you should make sure you’re getting enough water each day.
Not only does drinking water help your body and your metabolism function better, but it can also help you when you’re dieting. If you’re someone who always feels hungry after a meal, try drinking more water with and after your meal. Water will help you feel full faster so you don’t run to the refrigerator right after dinner.
Treat Yourself Well
When you’re trying to lose weight, you’ll form a new relationship with both your body and mind. At first, your goal might be to lose weight, but as you continue to see results, you’ll begin caring more about your health instead of getting rid of fat. By eating healthy, drinking more water, getting better sleep, and exercising more, you’re learning how to treat yourself well. By continuing on this self-care path, you’ll feel better throughout your day-to-day life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kate Lipman graduated with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and a concentration in Entrepreneurship from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She is a sales and marketing strategist at Neodyne Biosciences, Embrace Scar Therapy and is passionate about bringing evidence-based technology into the hands of the everyday consumer.
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