blogging for health

Recently I came across this group of bloggers called Bloggers For Health and I was seriously excited. I'm definitely not a health and fitness blogger, but one of the reasons I wanted to start this little blog here was to keep track of my half marathon training. I am trying to work diligently on becoming a healthier person. My biggest goal is to feel good. Losing weight and looking better in clothes will definitely be a perk, but I am really looking to feel strong and like I can do anything.

The prompt for this week is to write about 5 ways to a healthier life. I love this wording. It isn't about 5 ways to lose weight, or 5 ways to run faster, I love the vague open wording. 

Right now I'm overweight, I'm working on it, but I'm not in a healthy place. It is taking crazy hard work, but I'm getting there. I hit a major plateau and trying to figure out how to bust through it.

So my five steps that I'd like to take to get to my "healthy place" are:

Eat more whole foods. I really don't eat very many processed foods to begin with, but I think the more natural unprocessed foods I consume the better off I'll be. Knowing what is in what you're eating is a huge step toward fueling your body in the best way possible. By far the easiest way to do this is to prepare the foods yourself or eat foods straight from the source. My favorite way of doing that this fall has been apples and pears right from the orchards. Nothing beats freshly picked fruit.

Incorporate different types of workouts. I'm working on becoming a runner. I like to call myself a runner, but I don't think I'm actually there yet. In order to become the best runner I can be, cross training is going to be critical. I've been trying to add lots of elliptical workouts and other outdoor workouts too. Hiking has been a great activity in the cooler weather!

Strength training. This doesn't just mean pumping iron in the gym, but that is definitely part of it. I need to work my core. I think core strengthening will make me a better runner and will just make me feel more fit in life. Feeling stronger is a big step toward feeling healthy.

Find more time for sleep. Everyone knows that sleep is imperative to a good life, but so many of us slack in that department. It seems like it would be the easiest, and really most fun, way to make strides toward good health. I'm making it a definite goal to schedule in more snooze time!

Make a plan for you. You can't take steps toward getting healthy if you don't know what healthy means for you. I am certain that I will never be a size 2, but I also know that I can be incredibly fit. I can eat foods that fuel my system and conquer just about anything. Knowing how to get there isn't easy but making a plan and having smaller goals. I made the goal of running the Princess Half Marathon and taking the steps to get myself there. After I conquer that goal, who knows what it next...hopefully a triathlon or two!