Let's Look: HOW WE KEEP HEALTHY

A few bloggers I admire, Shay and Erika, do a monthly "Let's Look" series where they talk about a certain topic and give their hints, tricks and a peek into how they handle every day life! I absolutely love reading this series, so I'm linking up with them today! 

Today's topic is How We Keep Healthy! Keeping healthy is something I have to really work on, because I can sometimes let laziness get the best of me and good intentions go to the wayside. I think Shay hit the nail on the head when she said healthy really boils around luck. Some times people face horrible health obstacles both mentally and physically, but today I'm going to touch on a very broad approach of the habits I try to keep to stay healthy

1. Drink Lots of Water - Every day, I fill up this large 64 ounce bottle with filtered water and take it with me throughout the day. I'll admit, it's a lot of water to get through every day. In the morning when I first wake up a drink a glass of water before having my morning tea. I drink water with every meal to keep adding to the goal of at least 64 ounces of water each day. Of course, I will still drink a soda every now and then, but I try to leave those for a weekend treat. 

2. Exercise - This is a hard one for me. I have an Apple watch which I rely on to make sure I get up and move a little each hour and try to meet a daily minimum active calorie burn. When I work out, it's usually at home after dinner and currently my goal is to work out 5 days a week. I could use some work in this area with consistency. 

3. Diet - Currently my husband, Matt, and I are on the keto diet. Cutting our carbs and sugar seems to help us both immensely meet our goal weight. I struggle with cravings, but cooking all meals at home and taking my lunch to work really helps. Cooking at home allows me to control the ingredients, avoids temptation of good looking menu photos and is also cheaper. I grow a large garden and we raise our own steers for butcher. We are able to control how many of our vegetables are grown and they quality of our beef by doing those two things. 

4. Supplements - The pandemic is what encouraged me to take a look at getting some daily vitamins and minerals into my body. I started taking vitamins C and D, turmeric, and magnesium on a daily basis. 

5. Limit Depressing News - The past several months, I have started limiting the amount of news I consume. In the past, you could have called me a news junkie. I always have the news on the tv in the background at home, listen to talk radio on my drive and podcasts during workouts. I have limited the amount of time I listen to all of those things and shifted my podcasts to those who talk about homemaking, life hacks and early retirement rather than current events. 

6. Being Smart about Sun Exposure - As a teenager, I was a tanning bed addict. I worked at a tanning salon for several years in high school and that's where it started and continued until my early 30's off and on. The fear of melanoma and early aging has made me quit that unhealthy practice. I now use sunscreen when working out in the yard and attending outdoor events and use a fake tanner product for that summer glow. I'll also grab a ball cap or cowboy hat to shade my face and ears when outdoors. 

7. Limiting Activities - I have discovered it's okay to enjoy spending time at home in the evenings and on the weekends without having a packed schedule. I used to feel guilty when someone would ask me on Monday what I did over the weekend and I didn't have a fun story or outing to gush about. Now, I feel okay telling them, I did nothing and it was absolutely glorious! Some weekends, I just need to read a good book, take a nap and enjoy home. 

That's pretty much all I do on a daily basis! The sweet things in life can still be enjoyed as life is about balance and moderation. 

Next month we will chat about daily cleaning!