I hope you are ready for the #WEALTHChallenge. The first step to a WEALTHY lifestyle is WELLBEING

Your HEALTH is your WEALTH.

Let me explain:

//

Our bodies consist of three things:
*what we eat,
*what we drink, and
*what we think

If we are always unhappy with how you feel, then this will affect what you think. As you upgrade all these areas and subtract all of the negative and toxic things in your life, you will allow the truly vital things to flourish. Then, you can focus your time, energy and willpower on your dreams and passions. Taking care of yourself first it's not selfish. This will not only help you achieve the results that you want faster, but you will also be in a position to help others.

1.EXERCISE

Exercise increases mitochondrial (the part of the cell where we make energy) number and function. The right "dose" of exercise can do this effectively and over time we notice that people who are moving more or moving more appropriately express better energy and improved sleep (which also means that generally feels of lethargy and fatigue improve).

My recommendation is normally to do 1-2 exercise sessions per week which fall into the high intensity box - defined as exercise where you cannot talk.

Two to three times a week exercise session should be moderate intensity, you can talk but not be able to sing when you do these.

Finally, we should move our body daily in a way that encourages blood flow but doesn't stress the body. This means we can get nutrients to muscles that need to recover and allow the nervous system to reset.

So for someone who is pretty fit we are looking at 2 high intensity, 3 moderate intensity sessions a week, that's 5 sessions and 2 rest days.

For someone just getting starting we are looking at 1 high intensity session (which may only be 10 minutes to begin with) and 2 moderate intensity sessions per week, so that's 3 training days with 4 days a week for active rest.

As fitness develops, a beginner could increase the number of sessions they complete ina week but the goal isn't necessarily to add in more sessions or go for longer, but to do more work or lift more weight within the same session break down, so that we can keep the body progressing over time.

If I know that I'm going to have a busy day, I usually exercise at home for 10-30 minutes. I have put together some quick home workouts. I usually do 3 sets of 20 reps.

2.NUTRITION

My nutrition rules are simple: if I can't pronounce the ingredients and if it's got sugar I don't eat it. Plain and simple.

It's been 4 months now since I totally took out sucrose from my diet, and I have to say that I feel so much better and my energy levels have improved considerably and also lost a lot of weight.

I personally find my energy and digestion is much better when I eat 3 meals a day with no snacks and I leave 12-14 hours between eating dinner at night and having breakfast the next morning.

This allows insulin sensitivity to restore between meals and gives my digestion a break to do it's job.

If you are only just starting to make dietary changes and you are not ready to let go of your snacks, focus on increasing vegetables and protein first and when you are ready, take the leap to 3 meals per day.

The total benefit is that this approach helps to keep the metabolism flexible and allows it the opportunity to fat as fuel in the absence of food. You experience less peaks and troughs in blood sugar which can wreak havoc with energy.

Here are a few meal ideas:

From more inspiration, follow me on Instagram @weworkout365

3.WATER

In the morning, when you wake up, wash your beautiful teeth, face, and drink your first generous glass of water: 0.5l minimum. Why? Because your body dehydrates while you are sleeping. If you think about it, while sleeping your body has spent a whole day without water. Drinking water first thing in the morning also refreshes you and gives you energy for a new day.

It is important to drink water slowly, sip by sip for at least 10-15 minutes. If you are drinking water like a shot of tequila, all the water intake will pass through your kidneys and it will be like you haven’t drank anything. It will be removed via urine, along with minerals. So, drink slowly and give your body the time to absorb the water.

What effect does water in the morning has on an empty stomach?

First, the role of coffee. You do not believe me? Try it and see if for yourself. Once you had your water in the morning, after half an hour, you can enjoy your breakfast. And then, by noon, you can drink water whenever you feel the need.

Bear in mind to not drink water an hour before lunch, let your stomach alone to empty well. After lunch, wait 2 hours before starting drinking water again. If you drink earlier, there is a chance you will dilute the gastric juices and you might prolong the time food spends in the stomach, leading to fermentation or gastroesophageal reflux.

How much water should you drink?

Very important: If until yesterday you used to drink 1 cup a day, do not go straight to drinking 2 liters, because your kidneys are not yet adapted to this effort.

Gradually increase, with a maximum 100ml per day, so that you give your body time to get used to the increased hydration. So hydrate yourself, but progressively and being careful about what your body needs.

4. SLEEP

One night of bad sleep can increase your stress levels and blood glucose control. I know when I haven't slept well I either have no appetite or I just want to eat ALL the (sugary) food.

Creating a good bed time routine where you take time away from your devices, read a book or, what I have been doing recently, a short positive meditation before bed, can all help for less worry and more restful nights.

5. STRESS RELEASE

Everyone knows someone who went through a really stressful time and lost a lot of weight. Stress in the short term is energising. It gives us that buzz to get things done and to cope.

However, chronic long term stress can slow down metabolism and negatively impact blood sugar control, inflammation and your waist line.

Bearing in mind that a lot of "healthy people" can have excessive amounts of stress because they are over-exercising. Exercise should be balanced with enough time for rest and recovery - this is another topic for another day.

Finally to add, sometime we cannot change the things which are happening in our life, but we can change how we think about them and how we show up to negate the impact.

I know it's a long post, but I hope you found it useful. If you'd like me to cover any of the above topics in more depth, leave me a comment below.

Love & Light,
Joanna

Follow my journey on:
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @JoannaAxinte, @weworkout365
www.joannaaxinte.com
wwww.futurize.io