23 Steps to a Healthy Season
We’re halfway through the year, and it’s a great time to assess the progress of your health, fitness, and other goals you started for 2023.
Or… maybe you didn’t have any and are thinking about creating some goals now.
That’s fine!
With a new season upon us, here are 23 tips to make this your sunniest yet.
Forget regret. Abandon perfection. Embrace consistency! Consider these 23 things we can all do all the time to improve our lives. I’m here to help you live your best life by being fit – with strength, endurance, flexibility and fun.
Move your body every day. You don’t have to go to the gym every day. But do something – walk around your neighborhood, do body-weight moves at home, take a dance class. Whatever. Just move.
Limit your calories if you’re trying to lose weight. It’s a simple formula: Eat fewer calories than you use, and you will lose weight.
More fruits and veggies, less candy and chips.
More lean protein, fewer candy bars and donuts.
More water, less alcohol and soda (even diet).
Lift weights. People over 50 need to practice strength training two to three times a week. It won’t make you bulk up like a 25-year-old male bodybuilder. It will improve your functional abilities, health, mood, balance and looks.
Don’t eat in front of the TV. Mindless eating can cause weight gain.
Consider hiring a trainer.
Or enroll in small-group training.
Either way, talk to your trainer about your goals (you want to go on a ski trip, or you want more confidence with your grandkids). Your motivation matters.
Also share your limitations or concerns. A good trainer knows how to accommodate you.
Tell your loved ones you love them more often.
Meditate, pray, or practice mindfulness every day.
Do the thing. You know the thing I mean. Do it.
Focus on losing fat more than weight.
Sleep well. Rest well. Relax well. It’s so important, no matter what your level of fitness or exercise intensity.
Remember, exercise is the miracle drug. It’s good for your bones, muscles, balance, heart, breathing, mental health and sleep.
Practice an attitude of gratitude. Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do. Be thankful you can move as well as you do.
Remember exercise is fun – even when you don’t feel like it.
Get outside – for movement, for reading, for fresh air and sunshine.
Wear sunscreen and other protection.
Read a book – and turn off the news and social media.
You do you. Nobody else can, after all. And one of the gifts of being older is the confidence to evaluate options and embrace your choices.
I’m here to help. And I look forward to talking with you and answering any questions you have. As the season begins, remember: Turn to everything in its time. And it’s always time for healthy habits.
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