What are you doing to clean up your health and wellness this spring? I’ve got good news for you: It’s not as hard as you think. The secret is the K.I.S.S. principle: Keep It Simple, Silly. Don’t try to do everything all at once. Start with small changes instead. Consider these three areas:
TIDY UP YOUR NUTRITION
This is the probably the area with the biggest potential for drastic positive change, but also the area where it’s often easier said than done. Theoretically, it’s easier to not eat 500 calories than it is to go burn 500 calories with exercise, but that is easier said than done when staring down those free donuts in the breakroom. So start small. Evaluate your eating habits (be honest!) and whether or not over time they meet your goals. If not, let’s clean it up! Make little changes, like adding in better substitutions (more fruits and veggies, less sugar and processed foods) and reducing your portion sizes. At the end of the day, eat real food!
TIDY UP YOUR ACTIVITY
Notice I said activity — not just dedicated exercise. Exercise is activity, but not all activity needs to be exercise. It would be awesome for you to immediately decide to exercise more, but if that’s not anywhere near where you’re coming from, start small with something you like to do (gardening/yardwork, walking outside, etc.) and build up from there! If exercise is something you normally like to do but you’ve slacked off a little in the past few months, be kind to yourself. Start where you’re at instead of looking back at where you’ve been.
TIDY UP YOUR MIND
Finally, what are your daily habits that prevent you from living your best life? Self-care is not selfish, and it’s never as hard as it seems.
Remember: K.I.S.S. Start small and pick up some easy wins to get the ball rolling. Dine out a lot? Aim for a reasonable number of home-cooked meals for work and at home with family.
Poor sleep quality? Put that phone down at night and set a firm bedtime instead of mindlessly scrolling through social media. (Trust me, you’ll feel a lot better about yourself and your friends, and you’ll sleep a lot better too!)
Whatever you’re working on, simply remember these overarching themes: Start small and keep building, prioritize, have a purpose and goal in mind, and don’t be afraid to do this for yourself. If you focus on these things, you’ll be just fine!
