FFF Diva Advice: 5 Things I want you to do TODAY for your health

I received an email from one of my instructors at Operation Boot Camp that had some grrrreeeeaaaat advice that I just had share!

5 Things I want you to do TODAY for your health:

1) Eat more green veggies. Carrots and beets are good too for sure...but green veggies need to be a staple for us. Think broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach, kale, collard greens, asparagus... No they aren't the tastiest things on the planet. Eat them anyways. It's a fallacy that everything we eat needs to taste good.


2) Get more sleep. Whether its getting to bed 1/2 hr earlier or making it a priority to get a small nap midday, it will help your health, period. Sleeping is like recharging your battery. Think you're good cause you've trained your body to function on 5 hrs? I would argue that your performance would be even BETTER with more shut-eye. Not to mention the fact that hormonally, lack of sleep stimulates fat storage.


3) Squat instead of sit. Like we did at yoga today. Get low, and get back up using your legs, not your back. We have comfy chairs, couches, desk chairs...and bad backs!! Learn to squat with good form. Then learn to squat deep. Then find ways throughout your day to squat (seriously, not that hard..) and then do it. You know those sticks that older people use to grab stuff off the floor that they've dropped? Ok, let's try to put off using those as LONG as possible.


4) Laugh more. I don't mean this tritely at all. Laughter is scientifically proven to literally "turn up" our immune system via stimulating T cells and antibody immunoglobulins which attack dysfunctional cells and respiratory infections! It reduces at least 4 hormones known to be associated with the stress response, such as cortisol and epinephrine. Doctors recommend laughter for cancer patients- and not just to help them feel better! It actually stimulates healing. Plus guys, it's free and there are no negative side effects!!


5) Spend a little more money on experiences with people you love, and a little less on material things. It's a good reminder, especially this time of year. No one can ever take away the awesome memory you have of that time you almost died laughing with your best friends on that trip to _____ (fill in the blank). It doesn't even have to be expensive. Go anywhere- just go with people you love and have fun. It's shown that people have more lasting positive impact from special experiences than from our stuff. Our stuff is gonna go out of style, get dented, get outdated....