Healthy Habits to Support Vitality and Focus

Poor habits can be hard to break, and positive habits are even more challenging to start! Choosing healthy habits builds confidence, supports a clear mind and focus, and helps us maintain stamina to achieve our goals. It may sound cliché, but developing and supporting healthy habits and routines will change your life!

Although it can be easier said than done!

How do you create habits that will support you to achieve your goals?

How do you create habits that support you in living a life you love?

If you are feeling lethargic, wake up tired, can't switch off, or are feeling overwhelmed and stressed most of the time, let's take a look at some habits that may need to shift.

Let the end-of-day' Wine Down' or 'Wine O'clock' Go.

I know, I know, I am hearing you … 'Ocea! Don't take away my end-of-day joy! It's all I have to relax after a busy day.' Well, it may not be doing what you think it is for you. You may believe it to be relaxing, but alcohol consumed daily (especially solo) is not supporting your overall metabolic health. Alcohol impacts the levels of inflammation in your body, prevents you from sleeping well, and shuts down your prefrontal cortex, making healthy food choices less likely. For many people, it drops their blood sugar, eventually leading to cravings for sugar or processed carbohydrates.

Instead, try a mocktail, iced herbal tea, or infused sparkling water in a wine glass. It is often the connection or the moment you need, not the wine. If possible, even a walking meditation is a great idea to allow the day to wash over you and reframe your wind down.

Focus on Protein and Strength Training

If you want vitality as you age, you need sufficient protein and calcium intake. Prioritise lean, quality protein at each meal. This includes grass-fed beef, organic pasture-raised turkey and chicken, and wild salmon. You may like to sip or cook in beef bone broth. Also include calcium-rich foods such as yoghurt, sardines, and dark leafy greens. You want to build and maintain muscle mass; if you feel strong, you will be more likely to take risks and try new activities, all adding to the quality of your life. Of course, ensuring you have sufficient Vitamin D, magnesium, phosphorus, Vitamin C, zinc, and potassium will support bone health, especially for women through menopause.

Find Your People

When you make lifestyle changes, it often changes the dynamic of relationships. You may experience little encouragement and even resistance from those you cherish. Let it go. I had a friend (of 17 years!) criticise me and bad mouth me to mutual friends when I decided to change my lifestyle and improve my health and well-being. I was sad for a while, grieved the friendship and let it go. What has been wonderful is that through enhancing my health and well-being, some friends have decided to do the same — they look and feel fantastic, have loads of energy and are kicking goals. It's so exciting to be part of that! So, I encourage you to find (or create) a supportive community that will cheer you on, and you can cheer them on. In doing this, you will find similarities in focus and mindset, which will help inspire you and keep you motivated and committed to living a life you love.

Nurture Your Gut Microbiome

While gut microbiome science is still relatively new, discoveries are made regularly, and it is agreed that it plays an essential role in immunity, mental health, and well-being. Eating 6 -9 cups of vegetables and 2 – 3 pieces of fruit daily will help your digestive and elimination pathways. Ensuring your gut health and elimination pathways work well may support a better mood. Ensure you eat the rainbow when it comes to plants, and my tip to help you meet your daily quota is to fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables and leafy greens at each meal.

Eat Breakfast

I know there is much information about fasting, and if that supports your vitality and focus, you should follow your body by all means. However, I believe that if you are eating whole real foods, meeting your fruit and vegetable requirements, having water as your main drink, supporting your digestive and elimination pathways, exercising, and managing your stress levels, you will usually wake up hungry. Eating a balanced breakfast will set you up with energy through the morning, support your blood sugar levels and prevent you from cravings later in the day. If you want clarity on supporting your digestive and elimination pathways and some nutritious meal ideas, read around my blog. Also, I created seasonal self-guided nutrition resets that will provide you with nutrition education, meal ideas, recipes, ways to manage your stress and a journal to reflect on how your well-being impacts your energy and focus. Learn more about them here.

Take a Mid-Day Mini Break

Give yourself a 15-30 minute break each day. Take that time to be screen-free, to breathe, reflect and just be. If you can go for a walk, enjoy some nature. It will be extenuating circumstances for something not to remain there when you return. You will be surprised at how such a pause can inspire you, re-energise you, and support your focus and productivity for the balance of the day. If you can't leave your desk, pop on your headphones and settle into a 10-minute mindfulness meditation. I have created some for you, and they are available HERE.

Manage Your Stress

Manage, minimise or change your perception of stress; it is the only way to prevent disease. When you function from a state of chronic stress, you impact your brain health, digestive and cardiovascular systems. You are not living your best life when you are constantly stressed. Use techniques such as mindfulness to support your resilience, eat well, and gently move. Ensure you support your body with nutrients such as Vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium. Laugh as much as you can! You can read more about the healing power of laughter here.

If you are in a position to make lifestyle choices and create healthy habits, you are very fortunate. Much of the world lives with food scarcity, a lack of education about health and well-being and little access to healthy choices. Please don't squander your ability to support your health and live a life filled with vitality and joy.

You don't need to make changes all at once. Choose one that seems realistic for you. Once you are confident with that change and can feel and see some results, add another change and continue until you know what works best for you. It is all about the progress and the compounding impact of what you do most days that makes all the difference.

What changes do you feel you could make to support your vitality and focus? Send me an email or  a DM on Instagram.

As always, remember that when you fall in love with yourself, the rest falls into place.

OM xx