Katie's Top Health and Self- Care Tips ❤️
I put together this list in honor of Valentine's Day and shared a tip from February 14th until the end of the month on my Instagram. Here are all of the tips in an easy-to-read format or for anyone who missed a day and want to see what I came up with! Love can be shown in a lot of ways and that includes having kindness with others, being patient with yourself, and loving and taking care of your body. Hope you enjoy the read!
Health Tip #1 Nutrition is always number 1. Fuel your body with nutritious, whole foods & quality protein sources. Avoid highly processed, ready to eat foods, added sugars, colorings, and those long ingredient lists of chemicals you can't pronounce. Love your body enough to fuel it properly! Learn to... ❤️cook from scratch ❤️track your calories/macros ❤️grow some of your own food Health Tip #2 Get daily movement in! The body is not meant to sit all day and play on your phone and watch TV... all mindless activities. Take the dog for a walk, go for a run at the park, walk on the treadmill. I always make my step goal 10K a day! You will feel better once you start moving more! There are plenty of free workout videos on YouTube if you are just starting out! Love your body enough to prioritize daily movement❤️❤️❤️ Health Tip #3 Start lifting weights! When I first started out, I just used a few sets of dumbbells in my basements to learn basic movements and progressed from there. Adding resistance challenges you and allows for muscle growth. I know I will never stop lifting since I have started! Feel better in your body, get leaner, and stronger, have confidence. Love yourself enough to want to do better and accept the challenge.
Lift heavy, look hot ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥 Health Tip #4 Hydrate your body properly! Prioritize drinking enough WATER 💧. Say no to constantly drinking sugar laden sodas, premade coffees, and energy drinks. Healthier options are out there! I opt for no added sugar electrolyte powders and organic herbal teas. I do like caffeine as well and won't completely eliminate it. My go-to for the morning is a cup of coffee with a scoop of protein powder or green tea for energy and focus. Love yourself enough to find better alternatives and stay hydrated❤️
Health Tip #5 Make sure you are getting enough sleep! I always aim for 8 hours a night. Sleep is so important for recovery and overall feeling of well-being. Turn the TV off, put the phone down before bed, and establish an evening self-care routine. Mine includes a nightly cup of herbal tea with collagen and some reading or journaling. Love yourself enough to prioritize 'you time' and getting quality sleep💤! Self-Care Tip #6 Set a boundary when it comes to social media. I personally try to create more content than I do pointless scrolling. I strive to post motivational and intentional things and follow people with the same interests and mindset. For me, this means no more than 1 hour a day, and I have a timer set that notifies me when it's time to get off. If you are constantly checking on people you don't know in real life but failing to make time to cook meals for yourself, go to the gym, talk to your spouse, clean the house, etc... REALITY CHECK you need to reevaluate your priorities. I don't have time is often an excuse, especially if you are making time for social media. Just the harsh truth but needs to be said! Self-Care Tip #7 Start journaling! Journaling has been a great way for me to form healthy habits, create personal responsibility and accountability, and practice more gratitude. Journaling is a great way to express yourself, use your creative thinking mind, work on writing skills, and can be very therapeutic! If you don't currently journal.... give it a try. You might be amazed at how it changes your mindset and life❤️ Health Tip #8 Allow yourself time to rest and recover from workouts. Placing too much stress on your body is not a good thing. I love the gym, but I have been allowing myself plenty of time to rest and give my muscles a break between lifting sessions. Some of my favorite things for relaxation and recovery are yoga, stretching, and reading a book with a hot cup of tea in the evenings! Love yourself enough to listen to your body ❤️❤️❤️ Self-Care Tip #9 Learn to cook nutritious meals for yourself! I don't think of cooking as something that just gets checked off. It is a necessity, but it's also rewarding and fun to make things from scratch. You will feel good knowing you learned a new skill to nourish your body! Love yourself enough to put that little bit of extra effort in when it comes to preparing food for yourself. Your body will thank you. Once you start you won't want to turn back ❤️❤️❤️ Health Tip #10 Minimize added sugars! These are just empty calories with no additional nutritional value. I still have sugar, but it is coming from natural sources like fruits, milk products, and raw honey in moderation. Once I started focusing on minimizing added sugars and reducing my intake, a lot of inflammation, cravings, and pounds simply disappeared. Yes, it requires a little self-restraint, time to form healthier habits, and effort to study nutrition labels, but it's not hard to do. Anyone can make these changes with a little effort. YES, there are no added sugar options, you just have to want to find them❤️
Self-Care Tip #11 Find something you enjoy doing that is not social media or watching TV. These really are mindless activities. Pick up a hobby that stimulates your mind, allows you to be creative, and is fun and rewarding. Some of my favorite hobbies include reading, gardening, cooking, crafting, and going to the gym. Life is about having fun and being happy... find something you truly enjoy ❤️❤️❤️ Self-Care Tip #12 Work on building a strong mindset! For me this means staying positive, intentional, and always believing in myself no matter what. There will be people who bring you down, life will take a shit on you multiple times, but guess what life is never fair. Get over it. You have to keep going no matter what! It all starts with the reality you are creating from your own thoughts. Hold close the values and beliefs that are important to you and don't waver❤️❤️❤️ Self -Care Tip #13 Always have goals set that you want to achieve and write them down! This helped me tremendously with staying on track, being self-motivated, and staying consistent. When writing something down, it becomes tangible and is much easier to track progress. Always have something you want to accomplish; it will lead to a much more focused life ❤️❤️❤️
Self- Care Tip #14 Do not underestimate the power of getting some fresh air, enjoying nature, and sunlight! I struggle with being cooped up all winter, but once spring gets here, I am enjoying every moment I can outside. It does wonders for the spirit and brightens my mood 🌞
REMINDER YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE, YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE INITIAVE AND CONTINUOUSLY WORK TOWARD BECOMING YOUR BEST VERSION!
