Exercise, nutrition, and Health, in general, can seem quite confusing and complicated. We are surrounded by misinformation and pounded by the latest diet fad or nutrition experts advertising their latest and greatest health gimmick on social media. To make the vast amount of information available even more frustrating is when these supposedly credible sources offer conflicting advice. Fortunately, there are several aspects of health that aren’t too complicated and are exactly the types of changes I help clients my fitness clients make at Transforming Strength.

Whether you want to lose some weight, feel better, improve your performance, or finally just get Healthy, there are 5 rules you can use as a foundation to help you live your best life:

1. Stop poisoning yourself.

It may sound a bit dramatic, but many people just can’t seem to stop pouring poison into their bodies every day. Some of the more obvious toxins include alcohol, drugs, and tobacco products.

While these are clearly all things we should avoid for long-term health, there are other not-so-obvious poisons hundreds of millions of Americans put into their bodies every day with “food-like” substances in the form of highly processed fast, and packaged food.

These types of disease-inducing foods can be hard to resist because they are loaded with refined sugars like high-fructose corn syrup and trans fats that appeal to many people’s tastes. 

Minimizing and then completely cutting out these types of foods and drinks are an immediate step you can take to lose weight and feel better. Work to replace them with water and clean, whole food and you will be well on your way to getting healthy.

2. Your body craves movement.

A balanced strategy for increasing your movement through resistance training and cardiovascular exercise is proven to not only help you look better but also to improve many of your body’s systems including metabolism, hormone production, brain function, blood sugar and insulin levels, body fat, and cholesterol management, muscular strength endurance and stamina, balance and stability, coordination, flexibility, and mobility, just to name a few.

Fortunately, exercise doesn’t need to be complicated either. Briskly walking for 15 minutes will burn around 100 calories and promote improvement in many of your body’s aforementioned systems.

One of the biggest mistakes I see new exercisers make is overwhelming themselves with the pressure to accomplish an impressive workout. This will only lead to burnout, injury, or the tendency to do nothing. It’s important to remember, one is greater than zero and something is better than nothing. The best plan is usually to start with small very doable exercise goals you can easily accomplish and build upon for long-term enjoyment and healthy living.

3. Sleep your way to better health.

Researchers tell us to shoot for at least 7 hours of Sleep per night to improve many areas of our overall health including balanced hormone production, elevated mood, and reduced anxiety.

Quality sleep is also responsible for reducing the risk of many diseases including heart and cardiovascular disease and obesity-related illness.

When working with my clients, there are several tactics we use to help them get more and better sleep including avoiding caffeine later in the day, avoiding technology and devices within an hour of bedtime, dimming the lights around your within an hour of bedtime, sleeping in complete darkness, and trying to stick with a consistent sleep schedule.

4. Stop stressing out.

Healthy eating, plenty of exercises, and a good night’s rest are all important parts of living a balanced lifestyle, but those improvements won’t be near as impactful if your stress level is out of control.

Research suggests stress to be directly linked to higher cortisol levels which can increase risks of depression, various cardiovascular diseases, impaired metabolism, and increased processed food cravings.

There are several strategies you can use to reduce your stress levels including, exercise, getting better sleep, meditation, reading, and spending time outdoors. It can also be beneficial to spend time journaling about the stressors in your life and putting to gather a specific plan for reducing them. Finding ways to reduce your personal anxiety will lead to a vastly improved quality of life.

5. Eat on purpose to fuel your body.

Once you’ve tackled a few of these rules, it’s time to hone in on your nutrition. While we’ve already covered cutting out the junk, truly getting healthy means learning how to eat on purpose to fuel your body for its many activities. Understanding how your body uses food can help you better choose what to eat and when, so you can make healthier choices and avoid overeating.

A balanced diet will include all three macronutrients, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Try to keep all of these crucial nutrients in balance with higher proteins like meat, fish, and eggs; moderate amounts of carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, rice, oats, and quinoa; and healthy fats from seeds, nuts, and avocados.

Making this change doesn’t usually come naturally overnight, but is key to building a permanent healthy lifestyle.

If you’ve been looking to start the marathon of living your best life, losing some weight, and feeling better, you can get started today by incorporating these 5 rules to help move you closer to your goals.