a better me, a better you

Here are some tips for mind, body, and soul satisfaction that will be of help for not only the next 3 week, but fo' life.

Get sleep: It's quite simple. The more sleep you get, the more energy you have the next day. I'm terrible when it comes to getting sleep, and if I do, it's inappropriate. What I mean by inappropriate is that I tend to sleep late and then sleep in. I get my 12+ hours, but I miss out on a lot during the day and regardless of how many hours I slept, I feel extremely drowsy. It's a great thing for mind, body, and soul, but only if you do it right. My goal is to be an appropriate sleeper. This means having a 12 am bedtime and a 9 am wake up time in my case. Also, it's better to sleep without distractions. This means no music, no TV, no texting, no stressful thoughts, etc. Turn off your phone or set it at a "Do Not Disturb" mode. I like keeping Post-its on my nightstand to write down everything I need to get done the next day so I'm not worried about it as I try to sleep. It also helps doing some meditation or breathing exercises to grant yourself enough clarity to fall asleep. 

Drink 8 glasses (8 oz.) of water throughout the day: This is always difficult, yet it's so simple. Water does amazing things for your overall health and appearance. Google it. I'm not lying. It's time to make it a habit. You can get easily fill a 2 liter bottle twice a day. Or, place 8 rubberbands or bracelets around your wrist and remove one after each glass you drink. The goal is obviously to have all of them off your wrists before bedtime. You can also eat foods with a high water content, like cucumbers and watermelon. Also, don't wait until you're thirsty to drink the water. Keep yourself pre-hydrated. It can be discouraging to not meet your goal, so it may be a better idea to start gradually. Instead of 8 glasses, you can set your goal to 4 and gradually increase that number each week or so until you get to 8+. Baby steps.

Avoid junk foods: soda, potato chips, and other processed foods. They're called "junk" foods for a reason: that's exactly what they are- junk. There are so many unnatural things about junk foods. I would avoid the inner aisles of grocery stores and just stick to the outsides.

Don't eat 2-3 hours before you go to bed: So if bedtime is at 12 am, don't eat anything after 8:45 pm. 

Keep sweets to a minimum: They are a guilty pleasure and hard to resist. Therefore, take baby steps until you don't feel the need to have them. I'm talking like 2 Joe-Joes per day max. Or 1 kiddie scoop of ice cream. You can always substitute your sweet tooth cravings with fruit.

When to work out: This is probably the most impossible thing to figure out, and the answer varies from person to person. I tried the 6 am workout before it wasn't for me, but others swear on it. Every time I strive for an afternoon work out, I usually had lunch right before and didn't want my workout to end up as the Rocky Horror Picture Show. When night time hits, I'm just too lazy and exhausted to get up and move. If you want an answer from the experts, it's best to work out in the morning because your body burns calories you already have versus those from food intake later in the day. Morning workouts also help you sleep better, which in turn helps you burn fat easier. Keep in mind that morning doesn't mean 6 am. If you work out as soon as your normal wake up time hits, then you're good to go. It all really comes down to acting on it and not worrying about when you work out.