I'm gonna be honest. Quarantine has had me feeling down in some way or another. Mostly, it was feeling bored or feeling less motivated or just annoyed at what was happening. Something that has always been a struggle for me is eating out of boredom, and without being as active as normal, it started taking a toll on my physical health. Which then lead to taking a toll on my mental health. It's so important to take care of both physical and mental health because the two are cohesive and need to align. When I started to care less about my physical health, my mental health started to suffer. And, one day I woke up and realized that I was not feeling like my boss-ass-bitch self and something had to change.
I started focusing on the number on the scale instead of how I was feeling on the inside, and that's when I really knew something had to change. I had to retrain my mind to stop focusing on a stupid number and to start refocusing on how I was feeling on the inside. When I had this challenge before, I started focusing on just eating healthier and doing workouts that made me genuinely joyful.
These tips are just what has worked for me. Everyone's body type and health are different. That's what makes us all unique and very special. Pay attention to what your body needs!
Find a healthy, realistic meal plan that works for YOU.
There are so many fad diets out there that just do not work for everyone. Besides, I hate using the word "diet" because I feel like it has such a negative tone to it. Focus on altering your meal plan to what will make you feel better. I decided that I was going to focus more on portion control since I have a problem with overeating, out of boredom. There's no need to cut out the stuff I love to have. But, instead, control the portions. I have also been loving fresh fruit lately, which satisfies the sweet cravings in a healthier way. I believe that if you are focusing on just altering your meals to healthier options, it will help your mood and give you longer lasting energy throughout the day.
Focus less on calorie burn and focus more on FUN
Most workout videos on my YouTube feed are titled "How To Burn XX Calories in XX Minutes". Instead, find a workout that you actually enjoy doing. Trust me, it'll make you feel a lot better afterward.
One of my favorite workouts to do is kickboxing. Although I don't have a heavy bag to punch at the current moment, punching in the air still works and gives me the same outcome as if I were to be actually punching something. Any dance cardio is stuff I love to do, too. Find a workout routine that just gets you moving and smiling and you'll feel the results start to just make you feel better and happier.
Focus more on feeling healthy rather than the number on the scale
I have this horrible habit of stepping on the scale WAY too many times during the week. For so long, I have let the number on the scale define the way I feel about my appearance even if my confidence was high that day. NO MORE. It does way more harm than good to let that silly number tell you how healthy or unhealthy you are. In fact, it doesn't do any good at all. Your weight just doesn't define your confidence or your self-worth.
The number on the scale is just a number. It's not who you are. It's not your worth. It's JUST a number.
