If you have been following along, you have now completed what I believe are the most crucial aspects to living a healthier, happier, and maybe most importantly, a younger life. These tips and pieces of advice can be used to live with more energy and feel better about yourself.
Just in case you missed any of the "steps", I have included the list below, with a short synopsis of each.
Step 1: Exercise - Plain and simple, stay as active as possible, exercise with intensity.
Step 2: Eat Naturally - Stick to the outside walls of your grocery store (for the most part). Eat things that have as few ingredients as possible.
Step 3: Believe in Yourself! - Don't think that any magic exercise fad or diet is going to make you any more successful than just plain and simple hard work and dedication.
Step 4: Enjoy What You Do - Find a way to make healthy foods enjoyable and eat those instead of processed junk. Find activities and exercises that will challenge you, but that you also find enjoyable, and do them often.
Step 5: Exercise with Purpose - Whether you are training for a specific event or just focusing on your goal(s), don't just "go through the motions", make every single minute of every single workout count!
Step 6: Spend Less Than You Make - Different than many of the other steps on this list, this one is pretty basic, even though there are many folks that have problems with this one. Spending money that you don't have on luxury or cosmetic items will not necessarily make you a happier person, despite what you may think.
Step 7: Diet Flexibility - There are plenty of people who will tell you that you need to be 100% with your diet in order to succeed. Sure, there are times when you want to be as spot-on as possible (training, trying to lose a lot a weight, etc.), but once you hit your ideal weight, have indulgences now and then, it will keep you human!
Step 8: One Size Does NOT Fit All - Similar to Step 3, fads will come and go. Just remember that there are plenty of diet and exercise styles out there that work great for many, but are certainly NOT required for all to succeed.
Step 9: Yin and Yang - Exercise and Recovery - Sure, exercise is important, and exercise intensity is especially important, but you also need to give your body sufficient time to rest and recover as it is during the resting periods when your body adapts and grows (improves).
Step 10: Sleep - Get your sleep, simple enough. There are few things in this world that have as profound impact on your body as your ability to get proper sleep.
Step 11: Be Honest with Yourself - Don't lie to yourself if you fail to meet your goals. Following through the motions is not enough, you need to give your absolute best effort when required in order to succeed.
Step 12: Failure is Not Final - We all have road bumps or obstacles in our way. If you make a mistake or fail, learn from your mistakes and move on.
Step 13: Consistency - Above all else, stay consistent. Sure, you can get in phenomenal shape in a few months of hard work and dedication, but what happens after that? If you go back to your old ways of doing things, you are just going to end up back at square one. Remember that a healthy lifestyle is a lifelong full-time job!
Step 14: Stop Worrying - No matter where you turn, there are "experts" everywhere giving advice on when you should eat, how much you should eat, how many grams of protein should be in every meal, what you should eat following a workout, etc. etc. etc. Follow the simple steps on this list as consistently as you can and you will be a happier, healthier person.
Quote of the day:
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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