Yesterday was part one of “How to be #1. You can read that post here.
Today, we will start with movement because, honestly, it is the easiest, and it affects everything else.
I used to teach a mind over mood group in the hospital. What I have found however that movement over mood works better. Starting to move changes your mood. And getting activity in your day improves your mindset. Movement should be the first priority of any treatment plan.
Do you have a reliable exercise schedule? A daily walk will do to start. You can walk outside in the winter. With proper clothing and footwear, it is gratifying, refreshing, and a great way to get a little light into the eyes.
Prefer a gym? The biggest key here is to set a schedule and don’t miss a planned gym day for a week, then two weeks, then three. After three weeks of consistency, most people find the routine gets pretty easy.
Mindset on those first three weeks is critical—plan on not missing a day. Don’t put the worm in your ear that says you can skip a day. Nope, you can not miss any of your planned sessions those first three weeks.
Next on the easy list is diet. Most of us have a pretty good idea of what we should be eating. There is a ton of information out there. The trick is to do it. The best advice is to start small, very small. It depends where you are beginning, but adding one healthy meal a week or one per day seems to work best as long as you have a plan. For example, saying on Sunday that you will eat one healthy meal this week is not a plan. Deciding what day and what meal is a plan. Or for a daily plan, I will eat a healthy lunch every day this week. No exceptions.
I will leave sleep and mental stress for another post. Interestingly if you make progress on movement and diet, you will see sleep and mental state improve. So focusing on those first is a good plan.
It is easy to lose focus on our health. We have a lot going on in our lives, and that comes with stress. We need to plan to care for ourselves.
Pull out your phone, or use paper, but plan out your exercise and healthy meals for the next week.
If you need help, let us know.
