At the end of part 1 of this blog, I had you write down 3 things about how you care for your body that you would like to improve on. Did that happen? If yes, great! If no, that’s okay, I’m here to give you some practical tips to hopefully help you get on track! Either way - these should be helpful for everyone - even if you think you’re a pro now.Sleep: Try to get 8 hours/night! We know life is busy. Things come up. As the queen of FOMO, I get it….but you can choose to make sleep a priority in your life or not. A nightly routine can be really helpful in getting your body and mind ready to rest. Humans tend to love routine, and removing the stress of making any kind of decision can be helpful in shutting down your brain for the night. Try some of these:
Meal prep:We know it can seem like a daunting task, but meal prepping can be a life saver for literally any kind of lifestyle. There’s no snacking while you’re cooking every single day because you’re only cooking on one day. When you’re hungry, it’s ready to heat and eat. Your portion sizes are more likely to be controlled by a scale instead of whatever your heart is telling you at the time.Don’t know what (or how) to cook? Wow, look at this guide we have made for you with a ton of simple recipes including ingredients, instructions, and nutrition facts.Also, if meal prep is stressful for you, check out this graphic with 5 tips to maximize your time and effort while prepping, as well as how to trick yourself into eating more vegetables:
Oh, also! This includes planning out snacks! Try to stick to things that you can easily grab-n-go. Have veggies chopped and in bags. Single serving hummus packs, applesauce pouches, RX bars, etc. Here are some graphics for some easy protein options, and healthier sugar suggestions for when your sweet tooth awakens:
Water: Drink your water!! ½ your body weight in oz/day. Getting a nice, reusable water bottle is helpful with this. You can personalize it, add stickers, engrave it, whatever you want to do to help you remember to bring it everywhere with you and also enjoy drinking out of it.Straws are also helpful! It takes away the barrier of physically unscrewing a cap, probably dropping said cap, finding it again, blowing off the dirt, and putting it back on your bottle.Work smarter, not harder.Alcohol: No, we aren’t going to tell you to go sober, but we are going to help you figure out ways to drink responsibly when it comes to your recovery! Check out this graphic for tips:
Supplements: We’ve already talked about anti-inflammatory things to add into your food, but for a quick boost without cooking, Turmeric comes in pill form and is a great option. Fish oil is also a great way to get those Omega-3s into your system quickly.Vitamin C should be on hand always. This is such an easy way to boost your immune system, why wouldn’t you pop these regularly? Orange juice is high in vitamin C as well, but can be high in sugar if you aren’t careful. Adding a squirt of lemon juice to your water is low calorie, and adds a little zest to the water you’re already supposed to be drinking. Note: adding lemon juice to your water can be harsh on your teeth! If you’re going to do this frequently, make sure you drink out of a straw to avoid damaging your enamel. If you generally have a hard time falling asleep, you could try Melatonin! Your body naturally produces this, but sometimes needs some help. Ideally, this is not a forever fix, but could be helpful while establishing your bedtime routine. You could take it every other day, or just take half of one before bed. Eventually, your body will learn to quiet down as you get ready for bed based on your routine (if you stick with it), and you can stop using the Melatonin altogether. Quick disclaimer: sometimes this can cause you to have more intense dreams than normal, or just remember your dreams if you don’t already. If nightmares are an issue for you, I would stay away from taking Melatonin. The end:Hopefully this has been helpful in pointing out some areas of your life you would like to change. Whether you are using this blog as a tool for general health, or specifically for recovery and performance, we hope that you will make some good changes for the sake of your body. You only get one. Take care of it!If you are ready to really jump into getting your health under control, our 90 Day Journey would be a really great starting point. In these 90 days, you get 4 one-on-one personal training sessions, unlimited group CrossFit classes, nutrition coaching, monthly body metric scans to actually track your progress, and a high level of accountability. We would love to walk with you towards whatever your goals happen to be. There are none too big or too small. We want to know about them and help you get there.Click this link to schedule some time to chat with a coach and get started!