It’s time to put down the coffee! Take action on these 5 simple wellness tips to quickly boost your energy now!

Tip 1: GET THE JUNK FOOD OUT OF YOUR HOUSE!

Junk food is everywhere. From salty snacks and fried foods to sodas, candy bars, and cookies, many feel it’s hard to choose healthy options. Junk foods contain addictive ingredients like sugar, artificial flavorings, and MSG that makes it hard to stop eating them.

We all know these foods cause serious health issues, but can’t seem to stop eating them. This is because these foods are designed to be addicting! The easiest way to overcome an addiction is too change your environment (aka stop buying the junk). If it’s not around you’ll be less likely to eat it.

Ingredients to avoid:
• Anything with a long shelf-life; packaged in plastic containers, metal cans, or cardboard boxes is usually highly processed
• Artificial food coloring, flavoring and presevatives such BHT, sodium nitrite, sulfites and sodium benzoate
•Artificial sweeteners like aspartame, splenda, and sucralose.
• Trans fats, often called hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated oils, or shortening

Take action RIGHT NOW to purge your kitchen of any artificial junk food!

Start by reading the labels of the foods you currently have in your home. If there are artificial chemical ingredients such as preservatives or artificial coloring/favoring get rid of it…give it away, donate it…do anything but eat it!!

It’s time to stop bombarding your body with food chemicals. Take action by cleaning your kitchen and body out of junk food. Get started now! Click Here for a simple 1 day green smoothie detox.

Tip 2: EAT REAL FOOD

Okay so now that the junk is gone…it’s time to get eating some REAL FOOD!

It’s scary today the vast majority of the food we eat isn’t really food. A more appropriate term for the vast majority of food we’re eating would be “food-like” products.

Real food is food that was grown on a tree, comes from the ground or from a farm not a lab.

Today focus on eat three meals comprised of REAL FOOD… lean protein (chicken, wild-caught fish, beans), good carbohydrate (quinoa, farro brown rice, sweet potato), healthy fat (avocado, olive oil, coconut oil) and as much green veggies as you can eat (salad, broccoli, kale, spinach)

REAL food will nurture and nourish your body and provide long lasting energy throughout the day without the crash.

Today make it a priority to eat REAL food and plan WHAT and WHEN you’re going to eat it.

Click Here for a healthy shopping list to get started.

Do this: Schedule and plan 3 meals made of REAL food. Replace one junk food snack with real food today:

Some ideas…
Apples, oranges, and bananas are great on the go snacks. Feel free to have two if one leaves you hungry!

Slice of sprouted or gluten-free whole grain toast with almond butter and preserves.

Homemade trail mix of almonds, raisins, chia seeds, pecans, and dried blueberries.

Addition tips…
Always eat breakfast. Eat a fiber and protein dense breakfast to stabilize blood sugar and help reduce cravings.

Make sure that you are getting a balance of protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats at every meal.

Get high quality sleep! Our hunger cues get thrown off track when we don’t get quality sleep. Sleep balances leptin and ghrelin, the hormones that tell us when to start and stop eating.

TIP 3: HYDRATE

The #1 thing that could be robbing you of your precious energy…dehydration!!

Imagine sailing through your work day with steady energy.  Yes, as simple as this is many people over look it. Aim to drink 1/2 your body weight in oz. per day

Many people crave sweets when they are dehydrated.

Water is one of the most neglected sources of nourishment in standard diets.

Next time your feeling low energy ask yourself “did I drink enough water, today?”

We need water to balance our electrolytes and keep hunger cues in check.

Fill up a large glass and keep it on your desk – hydration is critical to proper
health, and a crucial step to avoiding junk food binges.

A good way to judge if you’re hydrated is to observe the color
of your urine. The clearer your urine is the better. If you urine is really yellow most likely you need to drink more water.

If the taste of pure water really doesn’t appeal to you, try adding one of the following to jazz it up:
• Lemon and lime slices (my personal favorite)
• Strawberries and mint
• Chia and pomegranate seeds
• Grapefruit segments
• Blueberries and basil
• Sliced grapes

TIP 4: CREATE A BEDTIME RITUAL

There have been drastic changes in lifestyle during the past decade. Due to technology (especially computers) and the hustle and bustle of society, overall people sleep less.

Before all the advancements of technology, including electricity, people went to bed when the sun went down and awoke when it rose.

Studies have found many people are getting less than eight hours a night.
How much sleep do you typically get? If you’re not getting enough quality sleep, it’s time to upgrade your poor sleep habits!

1. Create an optimal sleep environment
Keep your bedroom as dark as possible and cool. Sleep on a supportive mattress with clean bed sheets. No LED lighting from electronics such as TV, cell-phone or other devices should be allowed in your sleeping space.

Shoot to limit watching TV and using your phone at least 30 minutes prior to your ideal bedtime.

2. Implement a ‘bedtime ritual’
A ‘bedtime ritual’ is something you do every night to prepare your body and mind for sleep. Creating a bedtime ritual or a routine that winds the body and mind down is important for two reasons.

The first is that when done consistently, it triggers the body to prepare for sleep, and second, it helps create deeper, more restful, quality sleep. Create a ‘bedtime ritual’ that is relaxing and involves minimal stimulation.

Examples I highly recommend are:
• Drinking herbal tea (specific blends formulated for sleep)
• Read an empowering or inspirational book
• Meditation or simple breathing exercises
• Gentle stretching or foam rolling
• Listening to relaxing music

TIP 5: ACTIVATE YOUR MIND AND BODY THROUGH MOVEMENT

Have you ever felt stressed and tired from carrying the days little frustrations but after a little physical activity (walking, or working out) felt lighter and more energized?

Although it may not seem like it, physical activity actually revs up the body and provides sustainable energy. Unlike junk food and the imminent energy crash it leads to, the effects of exercise last long after you stop activity.

Action Item:
1) Schedule physical activity on your calendar every day!

You don’t have to engage in strenuous activities to see results. The goal is to find a type of exercise you enjoy, and then integrate it into your life on a regular basis.

Here are some ideas to help you get started:
If you’re already a work-out devotee, consider mixing up your routine to
jump start your body:
If you love to dance, take a class at a local gym or dance studio.
If you’ve never done yoga, drop into a beginner class and see how it feels.
If you like to jog in your neighborhood, try strength training.
Do something different to keep it fun and your body guessing.

Whatever activity you choose, treat it like an important meeting on your calendar and stick to it. Trust me your mind and body will thank you.

TRY THIS:
Next time you’re at the office or at home with the kids, refresh your energy and combat stress by taking a break in the middle of the day.

Instead of surfing the web or grabbing a snack, get away from your desk or the kids and take either a 15 minute walk while taking 10 deep breaths… I guarantee you’ll feel so much better.

In order to keep our bodies happy and healthy, we need to get and stay moving!

Imagine what you could do and how good you’d feel in just a few months after continuing to make these small changes!

I offer many online group and personalized 1-on-1 health coaching programs to help people experience how good their bodies are designed to feel.

CLICK HERE  to learn more