Ten Healthy Habits that Changed My Life

I’ve been on a health journey for a while.  Honestly, I’ve always been fairly healthy but the past year I’ve really kicked it up a notch and I feel FANTASTIC.

I wanted to share what’s worked for me in case you are just starting out, looking for new things to incorporate, or just looking to reinvigorate your healthy habits!

PS–Remember to talk to your doctor before you start any new regimen.  I’m just a blonde chick on the internet but I get asked a lot about what I’m doing so I wanted to share!  Take what works for you and leave the rest!

In no particular order…..

1. Hitting 10 Steps per Day.  This step goal is outside my actual workouts–I truly try to always be moving and active during the day.  I park my car as far away from the entrance to stores, I always take the stairs, we do 2 walks a day with Jack, and I’ve started taking “walking meetings” at work.  Added bonus–if I walk outside, I get some Vitamin D!
2. Gratitude Practice.  I’ve practiced this habit for almost 5 years now but I’ve added in publicly sharing what I’m grateful for daily on social media.  I think it helps me slow down during the day to really reflect on small glimmers of things that are truly impactful–the smell of lilacs on my walk with Jack, the way the sunset looks off our back deck, a good book, or someone giving me a compliment on my outfit.
3. More protein.  I seriously eat so much protein.  I aim for one gram of protein per pound of body weight–so I’m pushing 150-160 grams of protein a day!  My fav sources are grassfeed beef from ButcherBox, Fairlife protein shakes, ONE protein bars, and lots of eggs!
4. Bone Broth.  This came highly recommended for improving gut health along with a ton of benefits for your skin, hair, and nails.  I’m a fan of the organic bone broth from Trader Joes.
5. Incorporating quality brand supplements.  I used to get my vitamins and supplements from the grocery store.  And nothing against that, but I saw a substantial difference once I switched over to a higher quality supplement company like Cymbiotika. I take their Magnesium, Vitamin C, Super Greens, Vitamin D, and their Sleep Formula.  I’m also a huge fan of their Elderberry supplement when I travel!
6. Cold Plunge.  I know this one isn’t for everyone.  In fact, I HATE the cold.  But let me tell you how amazing I feel afterwards!  You don’t have to buy one of those expensive cold plunge tubs–you can make an ice bath at home for free or take an ice-cold shower.  This practices increases metabolism, improves circulation, reduces muscle soreness, help burn fat, and calms inflammation.  I’ve only worked up to about 4 minutes at a time and I do it 2-3 times a week.                                                   
7. No alcohol.  I don’t drink a lot.  Honestly, I probably only drink a handful of times a year.  But the times that I did drink, I felt like dog poo the next day.  I would have to plan out my entire evening to make sure that my diabetes behaved and then the next day I would feel like a literal Mack truck hit me.  I have yet to find any solid medical journals that tout any benefits of alcohol so it was an easy transition just to go sober. It’s been roughly 4-ish months and I don’t think I’ll give up alcohol forever but for me, the juice has to be worth the squeeze.
8. No soda.  This one hurts my soul.  I love a good Diet Coke.  I LIVE for a good Diet Coke.  But I know it’s garbage and so bad for my body.  I’m on 5 months without a soda and am confident I can stick to it now.
9. Red Light Therapy.  When I first researched this therapy, I was a little…..skeptical.  Red light bulbs?  But then I noticed the benefits (increased collagen production, stimulates hair growth, increased wound healing, reverses skin damage, increased muscle recovery, and improves sleep quality to name a few) and I was intrigued.  I’m hooked.  I spend 15 minutes each morning in front of my red light and I have seen a noticeable difference in my muscle recovery, skin condition, and sleep quality.  I want to get a full sized lamp here in the future–and maybe turn our guest room into a yoga/wellness room!
10. Set (and hold) boundaries.  I honestly can’t speak enough about this one. It’s probably one of, if not the most important, habit that has changed my life.  I started evaluating just who had access to me and what impact they had on my life.  There were several people that stood out as giant soul sucking, red flag waving, toxic relationships and I knew they had to go–no matter if they were family or someone I considered a close friend. Toxic energy is just that….toxic.  And once I cut those ties, it honestly was if my body understood that a huge weight had been lifted–my cortisol and adrenaline levels almost immediately dropped.  Hello, fight or flight response!  And what’s even more rad, is that the universe opened up with several amazing, incredible, and “pinch me is this real” opportunities RIGHT after I said goodbye to those toxic humans.  Coincidence?  Maybe.  Or maybe I made space for good things to happen in our life by removing the energy of the toxic things?I hope some of these tools peaked your interest or gave you something to go research–let me know if you have any questions, I’m happy to chat!

Here's Some of My Favorite Healthy Tools!