Happy Holidays and a belated Merry Christmas to all! I hope you are doing amazingly well in your corner of the world. 2022 is at its end and I am resting my way into 2023 but also taking the time to look back over the last 362 days. Taking time off to rest every now and again is so vital to being fit and healthy. Sometimes we don’t even know how exhausted we are until our body breaks down and we’re bedridden and forced to rest. Anyway, I’m warm and cozy, have my hair in a bun, my snacks nearby and I’m ready to dive into today’s post.

I Had An Epiphany….

I realized that ‘Everything matters’…We are very fond of separating our lives into compartments like work life, relationships, religion, health & fitness, friendships, hobbies etc. But in actual fact, these pieces make up who we are and are intertwined or bleed into every other area no matter how hard we may try to compartmentalize. One area that’s not doing so well affects every other area. ‘Yeah…yeah, we know that already’, I imagine some reader say but take a minute to think it through.

Every step counts. I mean this literally. It’s hard to keep up with a fitness regimen. All the determination in the world will get you nowhere if your body is tired. On days where I can’t drive my tired body to the gym, I can walk through the house, go up and down the stair’s multiple times, do online Zumba, stretch or exercise in place. You’ll still burn calories which is better than not exercising at all.

Hydration is huge part of weight loss. I didn’t know this until a friend of mine who is a fitness buff and competitive lifter shared this with me. Being hydrated with WATER removes toxins from your system, aids digestion, reduces constipation, and improves your skin, brain function and overall health. When I hear medical professionals tell the public to drink 8 glasses of water a day, I roll my eyes because no one and I mean NO ONE is drinking that much water…its soo boring especially when you have zero calorie diet drinks and everything else out there. I know I wasn’t. But to get there, start by buying a half gallon water bottle. It doesn’t feel like that many glasses but trust me that I exceed this quantity in water intake these days. This water bottle changed my life and I know it can change yours.

Sleep is important. If you’re always on the go during a typical work week, take one day on the weekend to sleep, rest, relax and let your body recharge. When you rest, your cortisol levels come down, this signals to your body that you can relax; stress reduces and the craving for salty and sweet snacks go down. Its literally a domino effect. If you have a bad or poor sleep routine, it’s only a matter of time before it begins to take its toll on your life.

Procrastination has an effect on weight loss. Quit telling yourself that you will start tomorrow. You would start walking, start dieting, sign up for a gym membership, join a fitness group, sign up for a personal trainer…..you get the gist. START NOW! Use the stairs instead of the elevator. Opt for a low calorie dressing on your salad instead a high carb option. Opt for a healthy midnight snack or pass on a second serving at meals. What really matters are the baby steps.

You can’t do it alone. There is that 1% of individuals who lose ALL their weight in their basement while livestreaming on YouTube. Well, I hate to break it to you, but those individuals are far and in between. The rest of us who are the 99% need to have a support system, people with similar goals, text groups and accountability partners to motivate us on our down and lazy days. Now, if you aren’t sure where to find ‘those’ people, start with your circle. Find out from friends, neighbors and ask if they’re interested in starting for example a mall walking group, joining a class etc. If that isn’t successful, you can find fitness groups online via social media. There are no excuses. There is a group for everyone out there.

Little Habits = Big Results. Friends, if you’ve been with me on this journey for a couple of years now, you’d notice that I’m very skeptical about instant results especially when it comes to diet, health and weight loss. Not only does it take a toll on your body, but your brain hasn’t had enough time to master or take on new habits. Anything too fast or hastily done in my opinion isn’t sustainable. Start by tweaking the little things and slowly override the old you with who you want to become by imbibing new habits and better lifestyle choices.

2022 has been a good year. Life is seemingly back to ‘normal’. To all the readers of Periwinkle Starr, thank you for being a part of my journey. Thank you for the likes, comments and follows. The new year will be even better. Until I come your way again, be safe, upbeat and have a Happy and Amazing New Year!

Periwinkle Starr

(P.S. All photos are culled from the internet).