If you want to live a long and happy life, then you need to respect yourself and your body. Treating your body with respect means you must create healthy habits and stick to them. It can be tough at the start, but over time, you will see the results, and you will set a good example for family and friends.
Treating Your Body With Respect Because It Deserves It
Here’s how you can treat your body right through a healthy diet, exercise, and positive thinking.
Treat the Body Like A Temple
When it comes to doing right by the only body you have, and treating it with respect, you can start by focusing on diet. It’s important to take the time to read food labels and eat in moderation. When possible, try to avoid fast foods and meals that are processed. The trans fats often found in those meals can make you feel sluggish and lead to higher cholesterol and potential heart issues.
It can be tempting to want to snack on treats and candy, but you must be careful. The sugar found in many foods is bad for you and can lead to serious ailments like obesity and heart disease. The problem is that it doesn’t even take that much. Sometimes, just one sugary drink per week is enough to increase your chances of type 2 diabetes, so it is important to think about what you consume.
A healthy diet will consist of a lot of vegetables and leafy greens. Protein is also essential because it repairs muscles and keeps you full for longer. You can get the food that you need by growing a garden in your yard or a community space. In addition to providing a healthy diet, gardening also requires physical labor so you can stay in shape. Best of all, seeing a little seed you planted grow into an impressive plant is incredibly fulfilling for your mental health.
Make It a Point To Move
Planting a garden is just one of many ways that you can motivate yourself to get up and move. Or, taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator! If you want to feel good and give your body its due respect, then you need to find reasons to move around whenever you can. When you are active, you burn calories while also improving mood. Plus, you will be able to sleep better at night.
If you always feel like you lack the ambition necessary to get up and move, you may be surprised to discover that depleted energy may be more than just a lack of motivation. In many cases, it may be burnout at your job making you feel exhausted so that you come home and you don’t feel like doing anything at all. Another issue may be relationship problems are causing chronic stress and can carry over into physical health.
The other issue may be that you simply don’t feel like you have time to move around. If so, try little tricks like waking up 30 minutes earlier so you can fit in a quick workout or parking further away from your workplace, so you are forced to walk. Finally, make it a point to take the stairs whenever you can.
Power of Positive Thinking
If you really want to live a healthier life and treat your body with respect, then you must make a firm decision to be healthy and stick to your plan. In order to do so, you have to set short-term goals. Set a goal for how much weight you want to lose each week or the bad foods that you plan to cut out over time.
It is important to set realistic milestones. Lofty intentions can be hard to meet, and if we don’t accomplish a goal the first time, then many of us tend to quit. However, when you set a short-term goal, like losing 1-2 pounds in a week, and you accomplish that feat, you will feel good about yourself, and you’ll be more likely to continue on.
You can also set yourself up for success every day by making daily self-affirmations. These are little reminders about yourself that you can say to give yourself a little boost of confidence. Affirmations such as “I am successful,” “I am confident,” and “I am an unstoppable force of nature” can do wonders. When you feel better about yourself, you will be more likely to want to make healthy decisions to live your best life.
About the Writer: Miles is an independent writer with a background in business and passion for psychology, news, and simply helping people live happy and fulfilled lives. When he is not writing, he is most likely mountain biking or kicking back with a cup of tea.
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