When I was a teenager I remember thinking 30 was so old and 40 felt ancient! I turned 40 last month and definitely don’t feel anywhere near ancient. When I was younger I was so worried about “getting old” but as I am aging I’m actually loving it. I feel as if I’m finally figuring out who Abby really is and stepping into who I’m meant to be. 

Have you ever done that or is it just me?

I could have a conversation with someone or be at a party or meet someone at a kids ball game or go out to dinner with a group or have a phone call with someone or bump into someone at a store and then for the next day or longer I would play over and over and over something I said or how I acted. Like seriously would beat myself up about not saying the right thing or acting the right way. Sometimes certain situations would keep me up at night. Or months or years later the memory of that situation would come flooding back with all the same feelings and emotions. I don’t know why I’m like this but I have slowly worked through it over the years and this is the conclusion I’ve come to.

There is no right way to talk or act or be. I am me. I’m Abby. I am not anyone else, nor will I ever be. I had to learn to love me. All of me. My strengths, my weaknesses, my insecurities, all of it. 

Once I stopped trying to be someone other than me I was finally able to start loving and accepting who God created me to be. 

Do I struggle? Heck ya! Like.. All. The. Time. 

But I’ve learned to recognize the patterns and work my way through it with prayer and positive affirmations (self-talk). I don’t stay in that unhealthy space for long anymore but it’s still there. It still creeps up. And maybe it will always be there and that’s ok. I now have the tools to combat it. 

Age has taught me that there is no going back. There are no redo’s. All I can do is continue to move forward and make each day better than the last. 

Healthy lifestyle habits are key to living your best life and having a positive mindset. 

So my top daily healthy lifestyle habits are:

~ Start your day with intention (this is everything so check out my previous blog post for exactly how I do that)

~ Workout for a minimum of 30 minutes. This can be anything from walking, to biking, to yoga, to the gym, to at home workouts, to dancing in the kitchen. Schedule it every day as a non-negotiable and get your movement in. I use BOD (Beachbody On Demand) to stream my workouts. 

~ Drink half of your body weight in ounces of water. So if you weigh 150 pounds you should drink 75 ounces of water each day. And don’t just say “I’m good, I drink water”. Track it. You don’t know if you’re getting enough in unless you’re tracking it. And more times than not you will track and realize you are not getting enough in.

~ Know what your minimum amount of sleep is needed to feel your best and get that in each night. For me I need 8 hours. I love sleep and could sleep 9-10. If I get 7 or less I’m absolutely miserable. Everyone’s sleep number is different so find out what yours is because sleep is SO important. Don’t sacrifice sleep to watch Netflix or scroll your phone, get to bed with enough time to get the amount of sleep that YOUR body needs. 

~ Fuel your body with clean, whole, healthy, unprocessed foods. 80%-90% of your nutrition should be clean food choices. With only 10%-20% being treats. You will only know if you’re on track with this if you are tracking your daily foods choices. I’m also a firm believer in there not being any one way to eat. Stop following fad diets and learn how your body needs to be fueled. I intermittent fast, veggies most, lean protein, minimal carbs, lots of healthy fats and my superfoods shake every day is a must. 

~ Surround yourself with women who lift you up and encourage you to be the best version of you. You are who you spend your time with so choose your friends wisely and only spend time with people who when you walk away from the conversation you feel better, encouraged, and empowered. 

You have one life to live and one body to live it in so setting yourself up with healthy lifestyle habits will help you live your very best life. 

Remember it’s never too late to start! Who cares if you don’t have any of these habits incorporated into your day. You can choose to start today. 

Pick one habit a month and solidify that habit before adding another one in the following month, continue with this until you have all of the healthy habits incorporated into your day.

Your past doesn’t define you. Yes your past choices have led you to the life you have today but you can create a better tomorrow. You can choose a different path. You can choose to live life to the fullest. You can choose to be the best version of you. 

Every day I am just striving to be the best version of me and I plan on making my next 40 years better than my last!