Healthy Body + Healthy Soul = Self Love and Happiness

On Pinterest, I was recently invited to a board about self harm and basically girls starving them self to get their idea of a perfect body. Then I saw on tumblr posts suggesting the very same idea. This honestly made me so sad, because I don't think anybody should have to get their feeling of confidence in that way. Confidence is something that makes you happy. And should be achieved in a way were you don't feel sad all the time. I think its terrible how young and beautiful girls have this idea in their head that they have to be skinny in order to be pretty. If you feel good on the inside then it's also going to make. This is not true. If you want to loose weight then please do it the healthy way. The results last and, you do it in a way where you feel good about yourself.  So today, I'm going to be sharing with you all my health tips to help you loose weight. I tried all of these and I must say that actually do work. In the past three months I lost about ten to eleven pounds.

Before I dive too deep into this post I just want to mention that being skinny or thin isn't the most important thing in the world. Being happy and confident is. I believe that if you are confident then you can be soooo much happier. And do not let your insecurities control you. One day I wanted to go on a run, but I was afraid of what people would think if they saw my thighs wobble while I was running down the street. So I didn't. A week later I realized that who cares if somebody does see that. They're not gonna post it on Instagram or Facebook, let alone think much of it. So that evening I went on a run, and I honestly felt so free. Not to mention, how great I felt afterwards.
On with the post, here are some of my tips for loosing weight, without starving yourself. And don't worry, none of these tips require gym membership. I know some people have a little freak out and think they have to spend four hours in a gym. I know I don't really like that.

1. Chew food slowly- it takes about 20 minutes for your body to realize that it's full, so chewing slowly keeps you from overeating.
2. Get a good night's sleep. - this is just for overall better health.
3. Go running- I cannot stress how much running helps. Running boosts your metabolism, while TARGETTING and TONING any problem areas.
4. Reduce salt intake- Salt has a lot of unwanted bad fats. Only have the recommended intake.
5. Reduce sugar intake- I cannot stress how important this one is. Sugar stresses the liver and turns fructose into fat, source and when you eat sugar it tricks the brain into wanting more of it.
6. Eat a lot of fiber- the great thing about fiber is that it applies itself twice. One is you're burning calories while digesting fiber. And two, fiber aides in digestion.
7. Drink lots and lots of water- Water just makes it easier to digest your food and is better for your health all around and it clears your skin.
8. Never skip a breakfast- If you skip breakfast and wait 2-4 hours to eat, then your body is in starvation mode. And then when you finally eat, it makes it a lot easier for your body to store fat. Make sure that breakfast is your biggest meal of the day. This way you have energy until the next time you eat.
9. Never drink carbonated drinks otherwise known as soda- These drinks are loaded with sugar, salts, and are packed with harmful artificial ingredients and preservatives, this way they have numerous harmful affects on your body.
10. Avoid starchy carbs after 4:00- These include bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, cereal etc. Some people who are a little bit stricter cut these food out of their diet completely, but that depends on a number of variables.
11. Only eat when you're hungry- I know the first instinct we have where we're bored is we go to the fridge in hope of food. So instead, drink a glass of water then wait 10 minutes and see if you're still hungry. Or you can watch a movie, paint your nails, doodle, do 50 jumping jacks, watch Youtube videos, read a blog post, and clean the house . There is so much more to do with your time than just eating.
12. Your biggest meal should be breakfast and your smallest should be dinner- I've previously mentioned this, but I'll recap. Your biggest meal should be breakfast because that way you'll have more energy until lunch. For breakfast I usually I have oatmeal with cinnamon, granola, and fruit, with a handful of almonds. And to drink I have Chi Spice black tea, And your smallest should be dinner, this way its easy for your body to fully digest. I usually have what my dad is cooking, but I eat it minimally if its a starchy carb.  
13. Drink green tea- Green tea is the best for weight loss. It boosts your metabolism and is a natural detox with an impressing amount of antioxidants source  
14. Eat foods that shrink lipid cells/ prevents them from growing - Ex Blueberries, raspberries, kale, red cabbage, black beans, blackberries, and red onion.
15. Eat healthy fats- Ex avocado, hummus, almonds
16. Eat foods that eliminate bloating- Ex Oatmeal I have this for breakfast almost everyday, I add granola, fruit, cinnamon.
17. Only eat foods mainly made of natural ingredients- This tip is not originally mine I read it off of another blog post, I don't officially know who wrote it, but anyways this is sooooo important. So the Mariani bar might have more calories than the 90 calorie Special K bar, but the ingredients are all natural, so your body can easily digest and USE the ingredients rather than storing them as fats. I think that what the food is made up of it more important than how many calories the food consists of.
18. Think of this Analogy: your body is a car- You see you would take care of your car, you wouldn't give your car a bunch of things that would harm it. You would only give it things that would make it feel good and look great.
19. Do yoga- If you're like me and you suffer with anxiety then yoga really does help. I noticed that when I stopped doing it for an amount of time, I didn't sleep as well and I was a little bit more panicky, so its a great stress reducer and it also works your muscles in a  different calm soothing way.
20. Do physical out door exercise- Every Sunday my family and I go hiking. Its so nice to be outside getting fresh air, while getting exercise that isn't too challenging.
21. Take photos to mark your progress- I like to do this because it reminds myself how far I've come and where I used to be.
22. Have something sweet every now and then- I honestly do this just to keep me from going on a HUGE binge and eating everything in sight. But if you eat sweets in moderation, then the crave for them won't build up and up. And you don't have to plan it out to the meal, just be a little conscious about it. Its nice to reward yourself every once in a while and its good for the soul.  

Anyways, I hope that this post has helped you in some sort of way. Remember to take care of yourself. Don't do it for outside appearance, or for that boy, do it for your overall health and happiness and self love. It is so important to feel good about your self. And don't stop until you reach you're happy.  I wish there was a way were we could spread fitness support around the world. Think of how you'll feel when you are so much more confident and happier. Take care of your self.

P.S.
If this gets enough views then perhaps, I'll do further research and attempt to make a part two.