Now is the Time to Make Changes!

3/22/2020

It's a wake up call! It's a time of forced isolation, mandatory family quality time and prescribed meals-at-home. Take this Coronavirus nightmare and turn it into something positive for you and your family. It's time to make changes!

I've consulted many people on their physical and nutritional health, and normally I hear excuses like "I don't have time..".

"I don't have time to exercise."
"I don't have time to make healthy meals."
"I don't have time to meal prep."
"I don't have time to get 7-8 hours of sleep."
"I don't have time..."

But, now is the time to start making some changes to your routine. Start creating new healthy habits for YOU AND YOUR FAMILY! Here is some help to get started....

Stay Physically Active

Easier said than done for most, but now is the time to start scheduling it to your calendar and make it a priority. The best thing to do is to physically put it on your calendar for the same time every day. Plan for 7 days a week, and then if you end up missing a day, it's ok, but just always plan to do it every day. At least 30 minutes a day of moderate to intense physical activity. You your kids won't leave you alone that long, then make it a family activity. They can do the exercises right along with you. Children that watch their parents exercise at home will actually teach them how important staying active really is. Take advantage of this time.

Need help with at-home workouts? I have you covered. Just join Joy's Gym, the Facebook Group to give you free at-home daily workouts. https://www.facebook.com/groups/joysgym

Eat Whole Foods

Let everyone else stock up on the canned, processed and nutritionally poor foods. You can start buying fresh, nutrient-rich foods that really "feed" your family. What's better than that to keep your immune system in top working order? If you ditch the packaged/canned foods, all of a sudden you are going to reduce your daily intake of unhealthy ingredients like added sugars, sodium and dangerous preservatives/dyes.

Where to start? Find clean, healthy recipes that don't use any pre-packaged, canned foods. Everything should be made from scratch and try to reduce or eliminate products like dairy, fatty meats, soy, refined grains/flours, added sugars, and other unhealthy ingredients. Keep a file of the healthy recipes you like so you can refer to them in the future to make meal planning easier. I'm posting some Joy-Approved recipes on the Joy's Gym Facebook Group as well. You can check them out. https://www.facebook.com/groups/joysgym

Free recipes and meal ideas at Barberry Health Center on Facebook or follow Joy's Gym, the Facebook Group.

Joy's Gym: https://www.facebook.com/groups/joysgym

Hydrate

Drinking enough pure, clean water is probably the easiest and most beneficial thing anyone can do for their health. Did you know that every cell, every organ and every THING in your body needs pure water to function? Give your body a boost and feed it clean, pure water.

One of the purest and healthiest sources of water you can drink isn't bottled water! One of the best sources is RO (reverse osmosis) water. RO filters removes impurities from the water, like lead and arsenics.

If you struggle with drinking enough water, try adding fresh fruit, vegetables or herbs to your pure water for some added flavor. Do NOT add packaged powders or other mixtures to it.

How easy to just make sure to drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water! It's something everyone can start working on right now. Need help getting started? Download a water app to help you keep track of your water intake. Or find a reusable, safe water bottle and figure out how many refills you need to drink during the day to get in enough each day.

Sleep

The average adult need between 7-8 hours of sleep. Children and teens need even more on a consistent daily basis. Is this your normal routine? If it isn't, now is a great time to create the habit. Although the requirement is 7-8 hours for adults, you must know that quality of sleep means more than quantity. Teach yourself how to get good quality sleep to maximize your sleep time.

Sleep is essential for many reasons, but the one of the most important is the time your body needs to repair itself and detox at night. Your body works overtime at night, so make sure to give it ample time that it needs to get things done.

Here are some tricks to try in order to get good quality sleep...

- Stay Consistent. Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every day.
- Don't eat or drink (other than water) anything 3 hours prior to going to bed.
- Avoid caffeine or alcohol in the evenings and later in the afternoon.
- Exercise every day!
- Make sure your bed and pillows are comfortable.
- Turn off blue light electronics at least 1 hour prior to going to bed.
- Don't read in bed.
- Make sure your room is dark.

Manage Stress

This can be a confusing and stressful time. Keep the stress and anxiety at a minimum by practicing stress-reducing exercises. Yoga, meditation and exercising every day can help manage it. Other things that help are keeping a journal, avoid unhealthy foods/drinks, laugh with your family, listen to music and practice deep breathing.

Take this time to get your priorities in line and under control. Start creating healthy habits and you'll see how easy it is to stick to it once our lives get back to normal. Be safe. Be healthy. Be strong.

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