Where to begin your health journey
20 min read
This is a longer blog post than I would like, but I couldn’t slim this down anymore! This information is valuable and I wanted to make sure I gave you enough information to get started on your very own health journey. I’m a bit behind on my posting schedule anyway so I will consider this making up for lost time. :)
order of operations.
There are many, many, many things you can do to start taking control of your health. Thinking about them all at once, and trying to tackle them all at once, can be overwhelming. It may even set you up for failure. I believe in the order of operations.
For example, you can work out all you want, but if you don’t address your diet first, your workouts won’t be as effective and you may get frustrated with how slow your progress is. BUT if you tackle diet first, your workouts will be much more effective. You will see results much faster, you will feel more accomplished, and you won’t have to work as hard.
Although exercise is a very important part of any health journey, I’m actually not going to talk about exercise at all today— that will come later. There are some foundational bases I suggest you tackle first and foremost to set you up for success on your health journey.
Summary
Remember, the order of operations. You do not have to tackle everything at once. Just tackle one step at a time, in the right order, and you will be more successful.
5 first steps to take on a health journey
Self-care is a hot topic, but what does that really mean? Self-care is defined as the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health. Self-care is not doing things that feel good in the moment while jeopardizing our health in the long run. Self-care is making your health a priority. This step is the foundation of a successful health journey. That’s why it’s first on the list.
Everyone around you, including yourself, suffers when you don’t take care of yourself first and foremost.
I personally understand how hard this concept is to grasp. As a single mom, working full time, living on her own hundreds of miles away from her family—I get it. How do you find time for yourself when you feel like you’re drowning in a sea of responsibilities, everything is a high priority, and there just isn’t enough time in the day? If you feel like you’re drowning right now, it’s even more imperative that you start to make time for yourself. Ironically, the more you prioritize your health and make time for yourself, the more time and energy you will have for everything, and everyone else. It seems backward, I know, but I’ve experienced it firsthand. It is not a myth.
If you want to see a change, you will have to make a change.
Our choices, and our results, reflect our priorities. If you are unhappy and want to see a change, you are going to have to make some changes. You know yourself better than I do. I’m sure you have a gut feeling about where you need to start making changes. I’m also sure if you’re really honest with yourself, and you try to see more possibilities than problems, you will find some time for yourself.
personal anecdote.
I spent 10+ years trying to lose weight and get fit and it was a constant uphill battle. Every time I got close to achieving my goal, I eventually backslid. I always gained the weight back, and in some cases ended up more unhealthy than before. Why? Well, part of the problem was that I was not doing the proper order of operations, but ultimately, my health was not a top priority.
Yes, I worked out and ate healthy the majority of the time, but I also continued to eat garbage food on the side, drink alcohol several nights a week, stay up late, smoke cigarettes, and smoke weed every day. If you look at my choices, it’s clear that my health was not actually my priority. My priority was doing things that made me feel good in the moment.
Once I made my health a top priority, my choices started to reflect that. Then my results started to reflect that too.
I chose to make time for myself.
I chose to only eat out at certain places. I swore off fast food, fried foods, and processed foods.
I chose to only drink 1-2 nights a week. And instead of 4-5 drinks, I had 2-3. I also quit taking shots.
I chose to get 7-8 hours of sleep 6 nights a week and gave myself one night a week to stay up late (if I felt like it).
I chose to quit smoking cigarettes.
I chose to only smoke weed recreationally on holidays, or special events, with my friends and family.
Don’t shame yourself into changing. Love yourself into evolving.
Notice how not everything was a cold turkey quit for me. I also didn’t tackle all of that at once. It took me some time. But once I started feeling better and getting the results I wanted, I realized I didn’t even miss the things I once thought I couldn't live without.
Summary
Self-care is defined as the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health. Ironically, the more you prioritize your health and make time for yourself, the more time and energy you will have for everything, and everyone else. Our choices, and results, reflect our priorities. If you are unhappy and want to see a change, you are going to have to make some changes. But don’t shame yourself into changing. Love yourself into evolving. Little changes add up and make a big difference over time.
“Your beliefs control everything you do. If you believe you can or you believe you cannot, you are correct.“ —Keith Johnson, author of Be Confident
Our thoughts shape our reality. Did you know that our brain can’t tell the difference between what is just a thought and what is reality? When you think negatively, talk badly about yourself, or make up scenarios in your head, your body will process those thoughts and feelings as if they are reality. Several studies and experiments have proven this. (1, 2, 3, 4)
Negative thinking not only distorts how you view yourself, but it’s actually bad for your health.
Negative thinking impacts our nervous system. It also contributes to the development of mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. When consumed by pessimism, self-doubt, and negative thoughts our brain triggers the release of stress hormones like cortisol, which can lead to increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and tense muscles. Over time, this turns into chronic stress which can disrupt our hormonal balance and the neurotransmitters in the brain, negatively affecting our mood, immune system, digestion, and sleep patterns.
This is a very important step for anyone, but especially those who want to have a successful health journey. Check out this thought process diagram from the book I’m reading right now, Be Confident by Kieth Johnson. This diagram shows how our positive and negative thoughts directly link to our success or failure.
positive people have negative thoughts too, but they redirect them and do not entertain them.
You can not have a positive life and a negative mind. If you truly understood how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought again. What we think about on the inside becomes our reality on the outside. We are the product of our thoughts.
If this is something you’re struggling with, I’ve added some helpful images directly from my Positive Mindset Pinterest board to help you change your negative thinking patterns into positive ones.
personal anecdote.
I’ve always been an optimistic individual plagued by low self-esteem. I would hide my negative thoughts behind sarcastic, dark humor, thinking that it would protect me—WRONG. Eventually, I could physically feel the flush of stress hormones, and anxiety, take over my body when I entertained negative thoughts. It was a dark cloud that blanketed me in a tingly rush of sadness and defeat that left me limp and lifeless. I also started getting hot flashes—it got really really bad. But it helped me realize that I had to address my thoughts for my health’s sake.
I started to practice gratitude. I started to prioritize my health and my self-care. I didn’t ignore the fact that I was unhappy about certain aspects of my life, or my body. Instead, I accepted my feelings as feelings but not truths. I started doing affirmations and replacing my negative thoughts with positive ones. At first, I didn’t believe the positive thoughts I had about myself, or the affirmations, but I took a “fake it till you make it approach.” It didn’t take long for my brain to rewire. Once I replaced my self-deprecating thoughts with empowering ones, my outlook switched from negative to positive. Suddenly my problems turned into opportunities. I was able to find ways to address the things I was unhappy with, with a positive attitude. Literally, my whole life improved.
pro tip.
Set a timer for 5 to 10 min and write as many positive affirmations as you can. A great friend of mine shared this tip with me recently, and I love it! I even started doing this with my 10-year-old daughter. This simple exercise is powerful.
Other mindful exercises include gratitude. Spend 5 to 10 minutes writing down what you are grateful for. You can also spend time focusing on your strengths and accomplishments. This will help build confidence and resilience from within.
Most importantly, as soon as a negative thought comes along redirect that thought, and reset your mindset. This will take practice. Be kind to yourself, and learn to love yourself, even if you are not where you want to be. A positive mindset is a powerful tool.
Summary
Our thoughts shape our reality. Addressing our negative thinking is a very important step on our health journey, but also in general. You can not have a positive life and a negative mind. Negative thinking not only distorts how you see and value yourself, but it’s actually bad for your health. Negative thinking impacts our nervous system and can lead to chronic stress. If you truly understood how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought again. Use mindfulness, gratitude, affirmations, and thought-redirecting exercises to help you rewire your thinking patterns and turn your problems into opportunities.
Let’s talk about stress. Specifically cortisol real quick. Cortisol is a vital hormone produced by the adrenal glands in response to our body’s fight or flight response, which is triggered by stress. A little cortisol is good, but too much cortisol leads to a hormonal imbalance. Prolonged exposure to cortisol, (chronic stress) is linked to numerous health issues like inflammation, digestive disorders, weakened immune systems, mental health disorders, heart diseases, and more. Plus it accelerates aging.
it is crucial to recognize the impacts of stress and prioritize stress management.
personal anecdote.
This is another step that was challenging for me, at first. In 2018 I decided to move from Pittsburgh to Chicago with my 4 year old for a new job. I had never lived out of state before. Leaving my friends and family behind was challenging. And unfortunately, the job I moved for turned into a toxic relationship. I was struggling financially, and mentally, and physically. I was miserable. Everything about my life was stressful. How could I possibly relax, or make time for myself?!
But, once I understood the impacts of chronic stress, I started making time for myself and my health. I learned how to recognize unhealthy coping mechanisms and swapped them for healthy ones. I started taking more baths (which is one of my favorite stress relievers), getting more sleep, limiting my alcohol consumption, practicing gratitude, and doing more breathing exercises/yoga. Then I started working towards getting a new job that paid better money. Sometimes we have to leave a job, or certain people behind, when we start prioritizing ourselves and our health.
learn to recognize unhealthy coping mechanisms and swap them for healthy ones.
Social media scrolling, emotional eating, self-isolation, and substance abuse are some examples of unhealthy coping mechanisms. They feel good in the moment and may relieve stress temporarily, but they don’t serve as a stress reliever in the long term and often leave us feeling worse off once the high is over.
Replace your unhealthy coping mechanisms with healthy ones. You can journal, listen to music or a podcast, do some yoga or exercise, take a walk, take a bath, read a book, sit and breathe for 5 minutes, call a friend or family member, take a nap, do an art project, practice gratitude, get a pet, do something fun, do something that will make you laugh—these are all things that will have positive long term effects and help you lower your cortisol levels.
pro tip.
Low levels of magnesium will affect your body’s ability to cope with stress. If stress is an issue for you, taking a magnesium supplement could benefit you. Natural Vitality Calm is my magnesium supplement of choice. I take it daily in small doses.
Summary
Stress management is a crucial part of our health journey. Chronic stress is linked to numerous health issues like inflammation, digestive disorders, weakened immune systems, mental health disorders, and heart diseases. Plus it accelerates aging. Stress management is an act of true self-care and a choice that reflects that our health is a top priority. Learn to recognize unhealthy coping mechanisms and swap them for healthy ones. Sometimes we have to leave a job, or certain people behind, as a form of stress management. Low levels of magnesium will affect your body’s ability to cope with stress. Taking a magnesium supplement could also benefit you.
Lack of sleep has been linked to an increased risk of various health conditions, such as heart disease, obesity, and mood disorders. Sleeping is a healing state your body wants and needs to function optimally and feel safe (aka get out of fight or flight mode). Sleep is essential for hormone regulation, weight loss, immune system maintenance, and cognitive functions like concentration, problem-solving, memory, and decision-making. It improves our ability to cope with stress and maintain positive mental health. It even enhances creativity and supports cardiovascular health.
There is a link between cortisol and sleep. Not getting enough sleep raises cortisol, and raised cortisol can cause poor sleep—it can be a vicious cycle until you break it. This is why stress management comes before getting enough sleep on my list.
If you are one of those people who say they function just fine on 4-6 hours sleep— I challenge you to get 7-8 hours of sleep for 7-10 days in a row. Just experiment a little. See if you notice a difference in your energy, performance, cognitive function, behavior, etc., or if you really do function the same.
personal anecdote.
I had no idea how impactful sleep was until I started getting 7-8 hours every night. My previous average was 4-5 hours, and some nights I didn’t sleep at all. Then I honestly wondered why I was so moody and irritable all the time. I would get so frustrated with my daughter over the stupidest things, and my memory was horrific. Then my moody behavior and failure to remember simple things made me feel guilty. It stressed me out even more. It was a bad cycle. I knew I needed sleep also, that was the worst part. But at the time, I was so busy drowning in a sea of responsibilities that I thought getting 8 hours of sleep per night was impossible. Eventually, sleep became my top priority though.
Once I started prioritizing getting 7-8 hours of sleep, consistently, my stress level wildly decreased. My mental clarity improved, and my memory improved, including my ADHD. Believe me when I tell you I was an entirely different person. Now I highly covet my 7-8 hours of sleep and I want to encourage you to get enough sleep.
having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep?
I understand getting enough sleep, or quality sleep, can be hard for some people for various reasons. I personally believe that is your body trying to tell you that you have other health needs that have to be addressed first. Our bodies want to sleep, but maybe your body is having a hard time performing that function. Some factors that affect sleep are medications, alcohol, chronic pain, sleep environment, and diet. Here are a few things you could try for a better night’s sleep.
Limiting phone and tech usage an hour or two before bed
Eat dinner earlier if possible
Don’t snack before bed, especially on sugar
Don’t eat junk food or processed foods
Don’t drink alcohol before bed, or close to bedtime
Exercise earlier in the day
Incorporate a relaxing bedtime routine
Dim or turn off some lights an hour before bedtime
Sleep in the dark, or get an eye mask
Look into your chronotypes and sleep according to your natural circadian rhythm
Go to bed with the sun and wake up with the sun (I do not recommend this during the winter months 😂)
pro tips.
I used an app called Sleep Cycle to help me track my hours and encourage me to sleep more. Now that I am in a good habit of getting 7-8 hours, I no longer use it, but it really helped me get started! If you pay for the upgraded version it will even record you when you sleep, tracking your snoring habits, and sleep talking. I only sleep-talked once, but it was hilarious to hear.
Summary
Lack of sleep has been linked to an increased risk of various health conditions, such as heart disease, obesity, and mood disorders. Sleeping is a healing state your body wants and needs. Sleep is essential for hormone regulation, weight loss, immune system maintenance, and cognitive functions like concentration, problem-solving, memory, and decision-making. If you have a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep, that could be your body trying to tell you that other health needs may have to be addressed first, like stress management. Other factors that affect sleep are medications, alcohol, chronic pain, sleep environment, and diet. Recognize sleep as a choice that reflects your health is a top priority and try to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night.
One of my biggest passions is nutrition, and I have a lot of nutrition information that I am excited to share with you, but none of it will help you if you are still eating processed foods. You must understand that your body needs nutrient-dense fuel to function optimally, and processed foods are not the right fuel—I don’t even consider them food.
When you eat processed foods, you are really just eating chemicals, bioengineered ingredients (GMOs), and engine lubricants. Even foods labeled as “healthy” often contain the same harmful ingredients as foods you consider to be junk foods. We are the sickest, most over-fed, undernourished country, and processed foods are to blame.
What are processed foods?
Processed foods are convenient pre-packaged snacks, ready-to-eat meals, canned goods, frozen foods, and sugary beverages. They are food products that have undergone various mechanical or chemical alterations before reaching your mouth. These alterations may include adding preservatives, flavor enhancers, artificial colors, or texturizers to extend shelf life or improve taste and appearance. The processing often involves refining grains, removing valuable nutrients, and then adding back synthetic nutrients, sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.
personal anecdote.
It wasn’t until my daughter and I completely swore off all processed foods and fast foods that our health and weight actually began to improve rapidly. We were barely eating processed foods to begin and the items I bought were all labeled as “healthy”—I thought I was making good choices. The truth is, there is no such thing as a healthy processed food.
My daughter has a very inspirational health journey story of her own, which I am looking forward to sharing more about in a later blog post. Long story short for now, she went from being sick and obese to a healthy and happy child, who barely gets sick and no longer has health problems. Eliminating processed foods was one of the key factors in her health journey. As it was in mine, and will be in yours.
start with healthy swaps.
I’m a huge fan of swapping unhealthy things for healthy ones. It’s hard to quit a habit cold turkey, but if you replace unhealthy habits with healthy ones, you won’t feel so deprived, and your success rate will be much higher.
If you eat a lot of processed foods, I suggest working your way towards eliminating processed foods one or two items at a time. Unless you want to go cold turkey—you know yourself better than I do. I just want you to succeed! So I encourage you to do whatever works best for you on your journey to eliminate processed foods. Doing so is one of the best things you can do for your health. It will make a huge difference in how you look and feel, and play a huge role in the success of your health journey.
pro tip.
When you grocery shop, stay on the outskirts of the store. That’s where you will find whole foods like meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. If you really struggle with temptation while walking around the store, and you can afford it, shop online and have it delivered. I’m a big fan of Nose to Tail meat boxes, Walmart+, and Costco delivery through Insticart.
Summary
Eliminating processed food from your diet will make a huge difference in how you look and feel, and play a huge role in the success of your health journey. We are the sickest, most over-fed, undernourished country, and processed foods are to blame. Even foods labeled as “healthy” often contain the same harmful ingredients as foods you consider to be junk foods. There is no such thing as a healthy processed food. Real food doesn’t have ingredients, it is ingredients. It’s hard to quit a habit cold turkey, but if you replace unhealthy habits with healthy ones, you won’t feel so deprived, and your success rate will be much higher.
begin your health journey today.
The problems we have didn’t happen overnight, and they won’t be solved overnight. I call it a health journey for a reason. Many of the problems we face with our health are the result of compounded issues over time. But luckily, positive and healthy habits compound over time as well.
Start tackling these 5 steps, one step at a time, in order, and your health journey will be more successful. These 5 steps have made such a difference for me on my health journey and for my life in general. I know they will do the same for you.
Don’t underestimate the power of little changes, and consistency.
If you start making changes today, even little ones, you will start to see and feel positive effects sooner than you would if you do nothing. Do not underestimate yourself. You have the power to make changes. You have the ability to turn your life and health around. I believe in you!
This is just the beginning.
Now that we have the basics covered, in my next blog post, I will dive a few steps deeper. I will talk about exercise, hydration, and supplementation.
Summary
The problems we have didn’t happen overnight, and they won’t be solved overnight. If you start making changes today, even little ones, you will start to see and feel positive effects sooner than you would if you do nothing. Do not underestimate yourself. You have the ability to turn your life and health around. Begin your health journey today. Start tackling these 5 steps, one step at a time, and you will be setting yourself up for a successful health journey.
questions or feedback?
I love hearing your feedback! I also love answering questions, so please comment below if you have any thoughts or questions. Is there something you would like me to go into further detail about in a later post? What did you love about this post, or hate? Also, feel free to share some of your tips or tricks for others to see.
Have a great rest of your week. ❤️🙏🏼