10 Tips to Increase Your Mood and Metabolism and Meet Your Fitness Goal
Want to know a secret? I thought so.
I want to help you boost your metabolism and feel happy. Are you ready to get off your butt and start moving? I believe you can do it.
Here’s the catch. I have always been athletic, but I am not a skinny girl. I have been running and playing sports since 4th grade and I am blessed with a fast metabolism. The secret I am going to share is how I keep it that way, on purpose. I have my moments where I eat lots of the wrong foods or don’t make time to exercise as much as I would like. When I notice five pounds in the wrong direction I pass my comfort zone and figure out what I am doing wrong or what I need to change.
How do I know what struggles you have? I don’t. But I’ll share what I have learned to keep you from sabotaging your fitness goals.
Stop making excuses. We all have different body types. But, no one was meant to eat 4,000 calories a day without exercise. It’s excessive. And wasteful. Your body is not a garbage can. Treat it like a temple. (*Powerful Conversations, Episode 8, The Truth About Dieting, Nutrition, and Self Control.)
We are all busy. I am a single mom and I run my own business. Everyone has a busy schedule. If you want to make a change and set habits that lead to success, that is a choice. All you really need to do is eat right, exercise, and listen to your body. But sometimes that can be really hard to do, so when you feel like it’s not quite working, here is my go-to list of tricks that will help you get through the day and leave you feeling good. If what you are doing now is not working, change something.
- Drink water - two large glasses of cold water soon after you wake up. Add a little lemon if you’d like. Why? Often we feel hungry when we are dehydrated. After sleeping for 6-8 hours, our bodies need to be hydrated and drinking water wakes up our digestive system.
- Before eating, get moving – 5 to 10 minutes of moderate activity. It’s a great way to wake up your body and get your blood flowing. Bonus points if you break a sweat. See below for a list of resources.
- Take a cold shower. I shower with warm water and always end with 30 seconds of cold water. This wakes up your body and helps you feel more alert. If you’ve had a hard workout it’s also a great way to cool down your muscles.
- Eat well. Your body is a temple. Treat it like one. Include a mix of colorful fruits and vegetables – kale, blueberries, avocado, cabbage, bok choy, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, squash, carrots, grapefruit, cucumbers, apples. You can’t make a bad choice. Richer colors usually mean more antioxidants.
- Spice it up. Turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon, garlic, ginger are full of amazing health benefits. Spices that give heat will temporarily raise your metabolism. Cinnamon, turmeric, and oregano reduce swelling so they are good for your joints. Add spices to your salad dressing, smoothies, oatmeal, salads, sauces, soups, etc.
- Eat what you enjoy. Don’t make yourself suffer. Enjoy your favorite foods. But be careful. If your favorite foods are on the naughty list, don’t eat them all the time, and don’t eat large portions.
- Move some more. Movement throughout the day keeps your metabolism engaged and makes your body more effective at shedding toxins and burning fat. Go for a walk at lunch; take walking meetings; take a 10-minute yoga break in the afternoon; take the stairs, etc. Find a way to incorporate cardio, resistance training, and yoga.
- Sleep. I am equal parts morning person and night owl. I love to wake up early and start my day. I also love to stay up late and often get my inspiration around 11 pm. But, I can’t do both. If I could reliably take a nap from 2-4 pm it might work but otherwise, I need 7 hours of sleep, which means I can be a night owl when I don’t have early morning meetings and vice-versa, but I can’t do both. Listen to your body and get your sleep.
- Meditate. Exercise slows down aging and contributes to mental clarity. Meditation, focus, and reflection calms our bodies and our minds and allows us to be more effective with the time we have and more grateful for the choices we make.
- Visualize the outcome. What do you want to change? Why is it important? If you feel stuck in your current routine and you want to see change, then visualize what you want, set your intentions for what you need to get there, and set habits to follow through on your outcomes.
Your health matters. Life is grand. Make it count. Need a day of rest from your routine. Don’t worry about it. Skip a day, but don’t skip two days. Keep on track and create winning habits.
Do you need help setting winning habits? Schedule a free sample coaching session with me now.
If you would like a coach to help you set action, focus on your goals, and hold you accountable, get in touch. I would love to help.
(Disclaimer: *I am not a nutritionist. I am a certified professional coach. I love to read and learn about fitness and nutrition for the body, soul, and mind. This is not advice. It is a list of techniques that I have found work for me. I hope this post will give you at least one piece of advice that you can incorporate into your life to make positive change. I interview thought-leaders from across industries on my radio show/podcast, Powerful Conversations. Subscribe to get weekly updates on upcoming episodes.)
Resources:
Erin Stutland’s five-minute challenge
Leandro Carvalho’s Brazil Butt Lift