If you’re like most people who strive to improve themselves my guess is that you want to make this new year, your year to remember. So let me begin this post with a positive affirmation. “Beginning with each new day, you will create a greater year for yourself.”

What better way to have a great start, than to have a game plan set up on how you’re going to execute your health and fitness goals in perfect fashion.

I have made myself the promise that from this day forward, I am going to dedicate my time and effort to make kind-hearted people become the best versions of themselves.

The majority of people like to climb up the ladder, whether it be in regards to finances, job security,  spirituality, or overall health. I don’t know very many people who wish they were more unhealthy and destroyed their body more with toxins and foreign substances that degrade one’s level of health.

In order to reach a state of optimal health and be well, it will take a high level of discipline and commitment. I have spent a large amount of time studying natural medicine and the topic of holistic health, so I would like to give some valuable advice for start.

To start off the year properly design a list of your favorite foods and what you eat on a typical week. After writing each food down on a list, grab a pen and check off each food that contributes to a healthier life or increases vitality.

Once you have checked off the foods that you feel are helping lead you to an increased state of wellness, begin to divide these check-marked foods into specific categories. Depending upon the food group that the specific food falls into, now ask yourself whether that food belongs on the list of Foods to Avoid.

My List of Foods To Avoid Includes:

1. Foods Containing Trans Fats. (Mostly Deep Fried Fast-Food.)
2. Foods With Excess Sugar. (Cookies, donuts, soft drinks.)
3. Refined Grains. (White rice, white bread, white pasta.)
4. Processed Foods.
5. Foods With Unknown Ingredients. (I call these foods chemical soups. Stay away from MSG, aspartame, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and other preservatives.)

After you have narrowed down your food groups and identified the foods that you eat, make sure you stick with the foods that are helping to contribute to a higher level of vitality. Once you become committed to “saying goodbye”, to your unhealthy foods and bad habits of junk food consumption, you can begin to realize some changes.

The next step towards upgrading your health this year is to get yourself in the right frame of mind. If you are not in the right frame of mind you won’t get fit and healthy. You need to dig deep within yourself, and find motivation to exercise, eat the right foods, find inner harmony, and surround yourself with the right minded people.

If you wake up each day, you must have something motivating you, or someone to live for. Living in the western world most people are fortunate enough to have access to all the tools and knowledge needed to live healthy and successfully.

To reach for higher ground and enhance your life, don’t just look for prosperous health, but make it happen by stretching your mind and body. Make a commitment towards reaching the gym, hitting the workout with drive, and strengthen your body.

Be sure to take these steps this year…

1. Detox Your Life.
2. Put Yourself In Situations That Make You Happy.
3. Exercise With Weights, Sports, or Martial Arts.
4. Do Yoga or Meditation.
5. Think Positively Each Day.
6. Read More Books.
7. Be Realistic With Your Health.
8. Be Optimistic About Your Health.
9. Reconnect With Your Inner Spirit.
10. Take Whole Food Vitamins and Minerals.
11. Laugh and Spend Time With The People You Love.
12. Get Enough Sleep Each Night.
13. Avoid Toxic Media and Television.
14. Look To Live In A Clean Environment.
15. Get Enough Fresh Air Each Day.
16. Manage Your Stress and Cortisol Levels.

Every day you can strive to make your life and your environment a better place, but it starts with you and only you.

In order to make each day better this year, aim to reach a state of natural balance. If you at least become aware, you’re half-way towards entering a state of optimal health. Once you become aware, take steps even further by taking action on your path towards optimal health.

A lot of people talk about what they want to do and they do it for a short time, but they fail to be consistent their goals. Make this this the year where you’re consistently persistent with getting what you want with your overall vitality.

Sources:

100 Ways to Stay Young. Parragon, 2011. Print.