The are different seasons in life and times when I made better choices than others. That’s true for anyone, right? Well after having my second child, I have decided to take a good hard look in the mirror and be honest with myself. It is time for a change.

Now, this is not something I haven’t done before. Like I said before, different seasons of life require you to do some soul searching at times. But after a major event that quite literally changes your body in more ways than one, I realize it is time to refocus and prioritize my health.

I had a pretty stressful pregnancy, mostly due to the severity of my first pregnancy-thats a long story for another day. Although I focused heavily on staying active and eating fairly healthy, once the baby arrived, I noticed myself overindulging and living in a survival state. I wasn’t prioritizing eating healthy snacks and meals. I stopped tracking my water intake. I started drinking coffee and the occasional soda or glass of wine. All of these habits that once was a very normal and typical part of my life back in college started creeping back into my life.During a time when I wasn’t prioritizing my health and happiness. Enough was enough. I didn’t feel great, I was constantly tired (although that may have to do with the lack of sleep a newborn brings), I didn’t feel strong and happy when I looked at myself. Now, I don’t expect anyone to be “in shape” by any means, but the reality of it was I didn’t even feel like myself anymore. It was like I was living in someone else’s body.

So, that was when it shifted for me. I needed to prioritize myself, not only for me but also for my family.

I’m not sure if anyone else can relate, but I am someone who needs to eliminate things from my life. Im an all of nothing kind of girl, no matter how badly I wish I could just enjoy certain things in moderation. it just simply doesn’t work that way for me.

If you can relate, here is a list of small ways I made changes to finding my way back to a healthier life.

Small Changes to a Healthier Life

1. Track your water intake.

It’s so important to drink enough water. Our bodies are made up of so much water and so much depends on staying hydrated. Don’t over do it because too much water can be deadly. Just make sure you are drinking water throughout the day. I aim to have pale yellow pee. 😀

2. Add vegetables to your diet.

Depending on how many vegetables you currently eat, try and add vegetables to your diet. A good way to start this is to aim to have a vegetable in all your dinners. The next step I would take is to try and add vegetables to your other meals or snacks. Have carrot chips with dip or broccoli on stand by for easy snacking. You could add mushrooms or tomatoes to your morning omelet.

3. Focus on eating protein.

I notice I crave more sugar, salty and fatty foods when I do not focus on including protein in my diet. It will fill you up and give your body energy to thrive.

4. Stop buying temptation foods.

One thing I have to remind myself is to not bring temptation foods into the house. If they are there and available, they will get eaten and will be an unhealthy cycle. Those temptation foods are designed to have ingredients in them that make you crave more and more. If I don’t buy them, chances are better I won’t eat them and won’t feel like I’m missing them.

5. Find something physical you enjoy doing!

It is one thing say you’re going to start exercising, but another to find something you enjoy doing! I have realized that if I just tell myself, “I’m going to start jogging or working out”, the drive will fizzle out and I won’t stay consistent. It wasn’t until I found an exercise I really enjoyed that I was consistent with doing it. I never thought I was competitive, but being in a cycle class where you were able to see your stats against others in the class, made me want to succeed. Find that one thing you enjoy doing and stick with it!

These small changes have made have made a major difference in my life. No matter what season of life you are in, remember you are capable of amazing things and sometimes it just takes a couple small changes to feel a big difference.

xoxo

Stephanie