3 Steps To A Healthier Life (And How Everyone Can Get There)

For a long while, I wasn’t happy with how I looked. I scrutinized my features. I was never happy with my weight. And when I was happy with my weight, I wasn’t happy with how I looked at it.

I tried to eat healthier and wailed about how getting to the gym was so difficult. Yeah, I was one of those excuse making mongrels that blamed my lack of motivation to be as fit as I wanted to be on school, work, and anything else I could think of.

But I got over it. 

I joined a gym, went almost every day, starting cooking (which changed my life), and researched how to be healthy. One year later, I love my body, I love my face, and I feel fantastic. I don’t scrutinize my fat rolls or study my imperfections. And I am happy. Everyone can be there. I’m not going to lie and say it’s easy, but it is most certainly possible.

Here’s how:

1. Choose a workout. Do it five times a week. Make it a habit.

You have the option of fifteen minute yoga youtube sessions, one hour Insanity workout videos, or going to a physical gym. I’ve done them all. I did Insanity. I completed all the videos twice. I worked out every single day. Day 1 was sweat filled, asthma filled, and I couldn’t get through the whole thing. It was hard, but I stuck with it. By the end, I was able to complete an entire routine keeping up with the video.

Then, I spent money. I joined a boxing gym, later a Crossfit gym. When a chunk of your paycheck every month is going to a gym, it’s a special kind of motivation. I went four times a week. I got stronger.

Ultimately, just do something. Do the Suryanamaskar (Yoga Sun Salutation Routine – 5 mins) every morning when you wake up, just to create the habit. Then, graduate yourself to workouts that you can keep up with at least four times a week.

2. Remember, you are changing your lifestyle. This is not temporary.

Being healthy is a step towards a more successful future. You aren’t dieting to get thin, or eating healthy until you reach your goal, so you can eat bowls of pasta at a time. No, you will NEVER eat bowls of pasta again, or pizza every week. But you WILL enjoy them sometimes. And you’ll never let yourself go hungry. Being active is not temporary. Start finding active things to do. Go on hikes, take walks every day, play volleyball with your friends. Just start moving. And don’t stop.

3. Learn to feed yourself.

You will learn to plan your food. You will eat quinoa, kale, delicious bacon, eggs, coconut oil, broccoli, asparagus, and sweet potatoes. You will go to the market each week, after planning your meals.

Here’s an example of one week’s food:

Veggies: 1 bunch broccoli, 1 bunch asparagus, 2 bunches kale, 3 red onions, 1 bunch spinach, 3 sweet potatoes.
Meat: 2 chicken breasts, 2 lbs ground beef, 1 lb salmon, organic bacon
Dairy: 1 dozen organic eggs, greek yogurt
Nuts: Handful almonds

On Sunday, cook the the two pounds of ground beef with two onions, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic. It’ll take around 40 minutes. There’s your lunch for the whole week. On Monday, cook the chicken. That’s dinner for Mon-Tues. On Wednesday, cook half the salmon (cover in olive oil, toss in oven @450 for 12 mins), on Thursday, the other half. One day of the week, just eat a large salad or eat out.

That’s it, the three things you have to do to be healthy. Being healthy is a time commitment. When people say they don’t have time to cook, that’s not true, they do have time; it’s just hard to spend it on cooking instead of not. When people say they don’t have time to go to the gym, they can do a thirty minute workout at home instead of watching How I Met Your Mother.

You have the time. You just have to make the commitment. And I really hope you stick with it.