5 Beginner Friendly Ways To Improve Your Physical Health
Health and fitness advice is infinite nowadays.
Everyone has something to say on how to improve your gut health or how you can lose 5 pounds in a week.
As someone who has been in the health and wellness space for a few years now and has been in a relationship with a fitness and nutrition expert, I can confidently say the bulk of it is pure nonsense.
You don’t need to follow a low-carb diet to lose weight, you don’t need to consume 27 different supplements to be healthy, and you definitely don’t need the fat-free option.
When it comes to taking care of your physical health, it boils down to a few basics.
Reduce This ONE Thing From Your Diet
You’ll be amazed by how much better and more satiated you’ll feel if you swap out your “healthy” alternatives (i.e., overly processed junk) with real, wholesome food.
When I first started my fitness journey, I, too, fell into the trap of thinking a 200–300 calorie protein bar with 20+ different ingredients was going to do my body better than having a regular, well-balanced meal.
However, I’d end up hungry and cranky post-protein bar because it didn’t actually fuel me or satisfy me.
In a study, 20 healthy adult volunteers, 10 males and 10 females followed a diet for one month. One group was provided with meals made up of ultra-processed foods, and the second group had meals of minimally processed foods.
Note: Ultra-processed foods go through multiple processes (extrusion, molding, milling, etc.), contain many added ingredients, and are highly manipulated. Examples are soft drinks, chips, chocolate, candy, ice cream, sweetened breakfast cereals, packaged soups, chicken nuggets, hotdogs, fries, and more.
Both the ultra-processed and unprocessed meals had the same amount of calories, sugars, fiber, fat, and carbohydrates.
The study found that on the ultra-processed diet, individuals ate about 500 calories more per day than they did on the unprocessed diet. Additionally, they ate faster on the ultra-processed diet and gained weight, whereas when following the unprocessed diet, they lost weight while eating the same amount of calories.
What you can do:
Trust me; I love a good bagel. I’m all for movie snacks. But there’s a line between enjoying yourself every now and then vs. overdoing it. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
Shop in the outside perimeters of the store. This is where you’ll find fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy.
Avoid the center aisles, which is typically where you’ll find processed foods with random preservatives and chemicals or additives that keep them shelf stable and make them last longer.
I consider my lifestyle 80/20. I’m healthy and on top of my shit 80% of the time, which means when I do crave a bagel or want to indulge, I don’t feel guilty about it, nor will it harm me in the grand scheme of things.
Add This Simple Habit Into Your Daily Routine
Incorporate daily walks outside into your lifestyle, preferably in the morning.
Sunlight is life-giving. Fresh air is good for you. Walking can be therapeutic. If you’re someone who lives a sedentary lifestyle, this will massively improve not only your physical health but your mental health as well.
I work from home; there are days when I am glued to my computer, and by the time I look up, it’s 6 o’clock, and I’ve barely moved outside of going to the gym in the morning. On these days, I feel stressed, irritable, and mentally exhausted.
Dr. Andrew Huberman, Neurobiologist, states that optical flow, as the actual movement of objects past us as we walk, quiets some of the circuits responsible for stress.
Optic flow is the motion pattern generated by an eye that is moving relative to the environment. So if you are walking, things that are stationary are going by. You move forward; the trees stay in the same spot.
“That morning walk calms me through something called optic flow. Self-generated optic flow — by walking, running, or cycling — shifts the brain into a state of relaxation that’s not seen when you’re stationary … When you move through a space, and you’re active, there’s a natural calming of the brain circuits involved in threat and threat detection.” — Dr. Huberman notes.
When you’re working at a computer, your eyes aren’t moving. What you see is two-dimensional and fixed in space.
Creating optic flow is the direct opposite of what most people are doing all day. Dr. Huberman notes that creating optic flow reduces stress in the same way EMDR (eye movement therapy used to treat PTSD) can heal trauma.
And on that note, there are two other important reasons to go outside early in the morning. Morning sunlight on our retinas helps reset our circadian rhythm, making us sleepier at night, and sunlight improves our mood.
What you can do:
Depending on your lifestyle and routine, try waking up 15–20 minutes earlier so you could fit in a short walk.
If you’ve got a 9–5 and you’re busy with commuting, gym, kids, etc. — take a walk during your lunch break. Stop avoiding the sun and smearing sunscreen all over your face.
If all else fails and you can’t get that sunlight, at least take an evening walk after dinner. Your dog will thank you, and so will your body.
Doing This Activity 2–3x Per Week Will Change Your Life
Weight training is going to help you with blood sugar stability, increased bone density, lower body fat, better mental health, and to top it off; it can highly improve your overall self-esteem.
“In a new study published in The British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers found that while doing either aerobic exercise or strength training was associated with a lower risk of dying, regularly doing both was associated with an even lower mortality risk.” — New York Times
Carver Coleman, a data scientist as well as one of the authors of the study, said switching from a sedentary lifestyle to a workout schedule can be comparable to “smoking versus not smoking.”
What you can do:
Taking a step back from only doing cardio, cycling, or whatever exercises you do and incorporating weight training can be intimidating.
You might even feel like you don’t need to do it because you walk 10,000 steps every day or you take cycling classes regularly, but none of those things are as powerful and as beneficial for your body as weight training.
If you feel intimidated, put your headphones in, turn on a playlist that pumps you up, and just do the damn thing. Nobody is paying attention to you; this is your time to work on yourself.
If you don’t know where to start, find resources online. There are tons of individuals out there that know what they’re talking about when it comes to building a workout program — vet them and find something beginner friendly.
I have various videos on my YouTube channel sharing workouts you can utilize that were all created by a certified personal trainer.
Add This To Your Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
The majority of people don’t get enough protein in on a daily basis. This is a key macronutrient in a healthy diet.
Everyone will tell you a different number, but it depends on your weight, gender, height, physical activity levels, goals — etc.
Fats, carbs, and protein all affect your body in different ways; however, protein is the most filling. It helps you feel more satiated — with less food.
Additionally, protein is the building block of your muscles, so eating enough protein will help you maintain your muscle mass as well as promote muscle growth when you couple it with weight training.
What you can do:
My protein intake will differ from yours because I am actively trying to put on more lean muscle, but a good rule of thumb is to incorporate 25–35 grams of protein with each meal.
Do This Before Going To Bed
Getting quality sleep is crucial for your health. Your mood depends on your sleep, your energy balance, intellectual function, alertness — you name it.
When you’re tired, you’re not performing at your highest level. Sleep helps you think more clearly, have quicker reflexes, and focus better; additionally, when you’re sleeping, your body releases hormones that help repair cells.
Dr. Michael Twery, a sleep expert at NIH, says that sleep affects essentially every tissue in our bodies.
“It affects growth and stress hormones, our immune system, appetite, breathing, blood pressure, and cardiovascular health.” — Dr. Michael Twery.
However, it’s not about how long you sleep; it’s about the quality of your sleep.
If you’re consuming alcohol, eating sugar right before bed, or scrolling through TikTok, your sleep quality will be affected.
That glass of Chardonnay isn’t actually helping you sleep; in fact, it disrupts your sleep cycle because alcohol in your system means you spend less time in the important Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of sleep, with the end result that you wake up feeling more tired.
What you can do:
Moderation is key with everything. If you enjoy drinking, monitor the number of times you’re drinking per week. If you’re drinking more days out of the week than not, you need to address it.
If you find yourself waking up tired and unrested, you’re probably not setting yourself up for a night of good sleep. Here are a few helpful tips:
Make sure your room is dark and relaxing. Leave your laptop and electronics in the other room. If you’re watching TV — at least wear blue blockers.
Adjust your room temperature. “A cold sleeping environment helps lower your body temperature, making it easier to experience deep sleep.” — Sleep Advisor (I keep the room temp at 66 when I go to sleep!)
Try going to bed at the same time — at least during the weekdays.
Avoid large meals right before bed. Avoid alcohol.
Monitor your caffeine intake. Caffeine stays in your system for a long time, don’t drink it after a certain time.
Exercise. Being physically active throughout the day can improve the quality of your sleep.
The common thread between these 5 tips is that they’re all foundational things you need to work on — and when you do, you will start noticing a difference in not just your appearance, but in the way, you feel in your day-to-day life.
I’m in the business of helping others become their best selves in natural and sustainable ways. I don’t want you to omit the things you love, nor do I want you to feel like being healthy is a chore.
To recap:
Reduce your processed food intake.
Incorporate walks outside and sunlight into your lifestyle.
Weight train 2–3 times a week.
25–35 grams of protein with each meal.
Prioritize your sleep quality.
