Your health, what you eat, getting good sleep and managing your weight is something we all know we could be doing better. The research is clear and the amount of books and articles on what to do is overwhelming.
Simply put the more you invest in your health and exercise the happier and more productive and effective you will be in your personal and professional lives.
And whilst I am neither a nutritionist nor health and fitness expert, I will share the changes I made.
Food
I started to eat more vegetables, meat, fish and fruit. I tried to cut our the hot chips and muffins along with the amount of coffee I drink.
I started to drink more water and reduce the amount of carbs, dairy and gluten I included in my diet. I removed as many processed foods as I could and reduced the amount of soft drinks I was consuming.
I stopped smoking in my 20’s and was never a big drinker so reducing this was not too big of a thing for me.
I started listening to my body more so that when I felt full I stopped eating. And instead of a piece of cake or ice cream, I replaced that need for a sweet fix with fresh fruit.
Simple things really and all common sense. If you can start looking at food as something you need to fuel your body, you will think twice about the things you are putting into your mouth, and maybe start replacing that soft drink with a glass of water and that muffin with an apple.
The important point here is that I am not talking about going onto a diet here, because diets normally have a start and a finish date. Rather this is about making a fundamental change about what you put into your mouth and how much, and whether what you put in is fuelling you or feeding you.
Sleep
Different people need different amounts of sleep. For me, if I am in bed at 9.30pm and asleep at 10.00pm I will wake myself just before 5.00am and be ready to jump out of bed.
And whilst everybody is different, most healthy adults need between 7-9 hours of sleep each night, with children and teenagers needing more.
And the quality of your sleep matters also. You want to be having a deep and restful sleep; one that means you don’t wake up until the next morning.
So if you’re not getting this sort of sleep, and find yourself waking up regularly, worrying or being anxious about the things in your life or having consistent restless nights sleeping, you need to do something about this. Go see your doctor or do some research on how to fix this.
A good restful night lays the foundation for a great day ahead so this is something that needs to be established.
Manage your Weight
Why should being a healthy weight matter you ask? Well it matters for a few reasons.
If you are a healthy weight you look better and feel better about yourself. If you are a healthy weight it is a sign that you respect yourself, because letting yourself get fat is being disrespectful to yourself.
Now don’t get me wrong. There is a difference between body shape and body weight. Your body shape is something you can’t control because it is how you are made. Your body weight on the other hand, is something you can control.
And again, I understand that there are other medical reasons why you might struggle with your weight, but for the majority of us this is not the case and being at a healthy body weight reflects the fact that we have a healthy respect for ourselves.
Being at a healthy body weight means you look better, which also helps you feel better about yourself. So, I use the 80/20 rule; when it comes to managing your weight 80% of that outcome is driven by your food intake.
Exercise
I have always know how important exercise was to me but it was only when I started my transformation that I made it central to my day.
And for me, the key value driver from exercise is the way it makes me feel. Shawn Achor’s research suggests that fifteen minutes of exercise is the equivalent of taking and anti-depressant and whilst I have never taken an anti-depressant I can tell you that when I start walking, running, doing some weights or laps in the pool I always feel better about my life and myself.
At the moment I am walking for 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes at night. A lot really but the opportunity it gives me to reflect, make my big decisions, plan my day and prioritise my efforts means I am so much more productive for the remainder of my day and more effective in my business and personal life.
The bottom line about healthy choices is that if you focus on the right diet, getting good sleep and doing the right amount of exercise you are laying the foundation for a healthy mind first and foremost, along with a healthy body. You can operate at optimum levels for longer, be more effective and productive, and be a better leader, parent, partner and friend.
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