When you wake up in the morning, do you jump out of bed, full of energy, feeling well-rested and ready to tackle the day ahead? Or do you find it difficult to get up, feeling aches and pains and maybe stomach discomfort and lethargy? For many people, the morning is when they realize how healthy or unhealthy they have become.
There are numerous reasons for not feeling good. An unhealthy diet, prescription medication, lack of exercise, obesity, maladies in all of their various forms, stress, lack of sleep – the list is seemingly endless and is a reminder of how many things can affect the way you feel. But how you feel will determine how you spend the rest of your days.
If you are healthy, it is much easier to live in joy and with a sense of peace. If you aren’t healthy, then the rest of your life may feel like a long prison sentence.
Action – Begin to understand how all of your actions affect the way you feel. If you live in a big city, your lungs will be more challenged than if you were to live in a rural area. If you don’t eat fruits and vegetables, and instead eat an abundance of processed foods high in sugar, fat, and salt, then your entire digestive system will be affected, and every other part of your body too because the nutrition you provide it determines how it will function.
If you are stressed all of the time, or angry, or any number of negative emotions, your very cells are under siege. It is difficult to feel a sense of ease when you are tied up in emotional knots. Worry and anxiety put your body in a state of distress, and when this is chronic it leads to multiple malfunctions. By recognizing that every action you take either helps or harms you, you can choose consciously and start to advance towards a healthier way of living.
Steps – The easiest way to change how you feel is to change what you eat. Focus on whole plant-based foods and eliminate or reduce the amount of sugar, salt, alcohol and fat that you consume. Fill your meals with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. It will make an immediate difference. Eating this way has been proven to reduce multiple health problems including damage to the heart, the likelihood of getting cancer, and brain deterioration.
Take responsibility for the way you treat your body and become a better caretaker. If you feel lousy, look at what you are doing and decide to make some changes. You can take control of this, and there is strength in knowing that your choices do make a difference.
Why It Makes You Feel Better – Feeling good just feels good. There is no other way to describe it. For some reason as we get older we tend to accept that poor health is inevitable. It doesn’t need to be this way. As you take back control, eat better, exercise more, develop a positive mindset, and look after yourself, the way you feel can change completely. Once you begin to feel better, it will motivate you to continue and to make even more changes.
Example – Imagine being at your ideal weight, with perfect digestion, clear skin, bright eyes, and a pleasant demeanour. You wake up full of energy, feeling rested and excited about the day ahead. You feel so good that any little inconvenience in the day doesn’t bother you at all. You are motivated, happy and productive. This could be your life if you want it.
Take responsibility for taking care of yourself and expect to feel good. Find out which habits you have that aren’t contributing to good health and decide to make some changes. The rest of your life depends on it.