Living a healthy, energy filled lifestyle takes an honest and raw commitment.

Not to fear- Eventually the commitment will be a natural occurrence.

     Whether you are newly committed to your fit lifestyle, or you have been a beacon of health and vitality for years, there are promises we all must self-constitute. It’s like a disciplinary self love that ends up being the light from within. Here are some promises you can make with yourself to turn your healthy body and lifestyle into overdrive:

“I promise to be honest with myself.”
Is it serving me to skip a workout or active-living opportunity? A lifestyle consists of preferences, choices, opinions & communications- ultimately leading to habits. On the libra scale, your inner voice will know that fulfilling your body’s purpose of movement and strengthening will trump the desire to keep up with the Kardashians.

“I promise to thank my food.”
     Why is thanking our food purposeful? To start, it prepares us both physically and mentally for a meal, believe it or not! The anticipation allows your body to adjust to ‘mealtime’ mode, and triggers salivation (hello metabolism kickstart). Appreciating the food you have allows you to savour the meal and ultimately feel more satisfied once the meal is finished. Anticipate how the food will serve you- this kind of makes the processed junk  seem pointless for its lack of nutritional content. Over time, allowing yourself to be thankful for the food, its purpose, the opportunity to eat and the satiety you feel afterwards will naturally help you to make better selections and portion sizes.

“I promise to routinely work out- and enjoy it!”
Whether you prefer dancing, lifting, running or hiking- enjoying the activity is at par in importance with the physical action. Its natural to push yourself further when you feel like you are accomplishing a feat on multiple planes. “I’m more fit and healthy, I held that yoga pose longer than I could before, my posture is great, I feel amazing!”. Take classes, hire a personal trainer [a great trainer will creatively incorporate your niches into a result-yielding program ;)] and experiment on your own. Love it, DO IT!

“I promise to discipline myself. I promise not to ‘punish’ myself.”
Discipline is accountability. Truly pivotal lifestyle & body changes can only manifest with the partnership of discipline. You know you set that reminder for a reason, don’t ignore it! Something came up? Reschedule. Tongue says yes, arteries say no. My advice? Listen to the arteries. On the same token, you are allowed to treat yourself. Keyword TREAT (Its not a deserved delight if you do it all the time). Do not give up, partake in self-pity or overwork/undernourish your body if you happen to slip up. Tomorrow is a new day where you will return to your course of healthy habits.

“I promise to celebrate and treat myself.”
You work hard in many ways to maintain your lifestyle. Take a day off to rest and indulge. This day is not only gratifying in its instance, but it allows you to regenerate, reenergize and really appreciate the “why” to your strife. Hit the ground running the next day!
If you lost 2 pounds, buy a new article of clothing. Write yourself a thank you note. Tell someone who can celebrate it with you. An ounce of joy is the alchemic reaction of 10 ounces of discipline and effort. Enjoy that valuable, precious joy.  Oh, and if you reach a big goal, that’s party or vacation worthy.

“I promise to nurture valuable relationships.”
Every person is as good as their support system. Just as much as you need others to support you, you are needed vice-versa. Express love, appreciation, anticipation and honesty. The people who love you most will exchange these vital emotions with you. If you are being unhealthy- expect them to tell you! Practice putting your ego aside and considering the advice. Assert the advice you have for others as well. Loving and feeding your truest relationships will establish strength in you and them.
These people will be the ones you celebrate with when you’ve reached your goal weight, passed a physician’s test or reached a new physical peak.

“I promise to consider my body, mind and soul as one in the same.”
**NOTICE** Dear Atheist readers, the term ‘soul’ is non-denominational. Feel free to interchange it with ‘morale’, ‘disposition’ or ‘conscience’. This still applies to you.

     Your ‘body’ is a physical manifestation of your ‘soul’, influenced by your ‘mind’. This can be exemplary in those whose soul is depressed- they may eat unhealthily and in excess, as well as move lethargically if at all. The emotions are caused, on a long term scale, by a constantly negative thinking mind- “I can’t, I hate, I don’t believe.” etc. This results in physical manifestations like high blood pressure, larger waistlines, lower lung capacity, digestive issues, skin problems and more.
Quite the opposite is true of a positive minded person. “I can, I will, I like” etc. If you fail, the mindset of “I can” will push you to try harder, or in an alternative manner and “will do” does become “done”. Taking the positive mindset and applying the premise of health will lead to success, eventually. Know what you want, have a vision in mind and apply action. If anything is off about you, try the process of elimination: Is my morale up/ soul healthy? Am I thinking and acting in a happy manner? Is my body in a state of health?

Voila! The promises any fit-healthy-happy person keeps to stay on their track. Try keeping these promises with yourself for 30 days. Your fitness results and general lifestyle is sure to benefit.

A morning routine to awaken the mind and body can make all the difference in daily functionality- and with commitment, will elevate overall health.

I will touch on the following: Awakening, nutrition and stress management.

Awakening

Most of us wake up to the sound of an alarm. The choice of alarm sound can make all the difference in your day. Waking up to a blaring emergency horn will certainly wake you up, but can evoke anxiety and stress. You might even lose sleep if the thought of waking up to that alarm strikes your mind. Chose a subtle alarm, like birds chirping, drums, a waterfall- something that you won’t feel the need to shut off immediately.

Much like in yogic practice, slowly bring consciousness to your body. Wiggle your fingers and toes. Take a deep breath. Bring your body and mind out of the morning fog. Turn on a light… especially if you wake up before the sun. Our bodies are programmed to shut down with the darkness and rise with the light.

Stretch your still muscles and breathe deeply.

Nutrition

Start the morning, as soon as you can, with 16 ounces (two glasses) of water. This will flush and awaken your digestive tract as well as purify the blood, among many other benefits.

Perform your cleansing/ showering routine after the water. By the time you are finished, you will most likely have urinated & passed a bowel movement. People who suffer from constipation will benefit from this, although it may take more time to have the ‘regularity’ effect every morning.

Protein and fats are important at the beginning of the day. Clean protein and fats in the form of coconut oil, tree nuts, beans, seeds & organic* dairy (Greek yoghurt, kefir, whey & cottage cheese) are the healthiest choices. A quick breakfast can be whipped into a shake with these ingredients in addition to cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla, stevia/ raw sugar and fruits to add flavour.  Some fruit at breakfast will allow for quick energy through the natural sugars, as well as add vitamins and minerals to replenish your body’s supply. Add a generous handful of washed spinach to your shakes! You’ll barely know its there.

Brew a cup of green or mint tea, add lemon and sip this with your breakfast.

Coffee drinkers can enjoy a cup with almond milk & stevia or raw sugar, cinnamon, coconut oil or even blend hot with a banana for a sweet frothy boost.

Stress Management

Read a book on a favoured topic while you eat / sip. Have organic, friendly conversation if others are awake, and save your emails, phone calls black friday sale canada goose and other official business for a time slot after your morning routine is complete. Accommodating for generous time in your morning routine makes all the difference. You will wake up more peacefully, enjoy every drop of water, have fun getting ready, and thank your nutrition- all to face the day with a clean body and mind.

With these practiced gems of knowledge come a myriad of benefits; healthy blood pressure levels, body fat loss, pure blood and a positive mentality- just to name a few.