Readtime: 4 Minutes

Superman has Lex Luthor. 

Batman has the Joker. 

Mario has Bowser. 

And your heath and fitness have Busyness.

More often than not, the arch nemesis of our health and fitness is typically our busy lives and schedules.

When crucial or very important things need done, actions like healthy eating, exercise and sleep often get sacrificed.

Many times, the solution ISN’T to “want it more” or “make it a priority” but rather to make investing in your health and fitness MUCH more easy and simple.

That’s what I wanted to share today, a step-by-step “healthy habits kickstarter” that will help you implement a few healthy habits that will increase your energy, decrease stress and anxiety and keep you on track toward a healthier, happier you… in only 21 days. 

Each week (for 3 weeks total / 21 days), you’ll practice just one habit at a time (one thing at a time is the BEST way to keep things simple + easy).

And by the end of the 21 days, you’ll have 3 new healthy habits built into your daily schedule!

So let’s dive in.

Days 1-7: A Quick Hydration Boost After Waking

Habit #1 – Drink a big ass glass of water soon after you wake up.

As simple as this sounds, this is actually one of the most powerful habits you can adopt for your mental clarity, physical energy and overall health.

You breathe out water vapor with every exhaled breath (fun fact: you can see this water vapor during cold weather when your breath creates fog!). So, after hours of consistent breathing while asleep, you’ll wake up mildly dehydrated.

Dehydration can increase brain fog, decrease energy, increase food cravings, and generally lowers your overall willpower and motivation.

The goal here is to quickly begin rehydrating by drinking a big glass of water very soon after waking up.

The amount of water doesn’t really matter. I aim for around 16oz of water, but drink an amount that feels good to you.

I do suggest you place a cup or water bottle somewhere conspicuous so that you won’t forget.

While I was building this habit, I would place my cup on top of my cell phone before I went to bed… I never forgot to drink my water when I did that! Lol. 

Days 8-14: Move Your Body A Little Bit Every Day

Habit #2: Move your body every day, even if it’s just a little bit!

We (as humans) are designed to move. Physical activity isn’t just good for health, energy, fitness and living longer, it’s practically a magic pill for living happier too. 

Physical activity instantly elevates your mood (makes you feel more positive, happy and energized) while at the same time dialing down feelings of stress, anxiety and depression.

For maximal results, aim to move your body at least a little bit every single day. Here are some of my “fun sized” exercise favorites:

• A 10-20 minute walk around the block (my favorite).
• One max set of pullups (or pushups, or squats, or lunges, etc)
• Choosing two different exercises (ex: squats and pushups) and alternating between them for 10 minutes.

Create a list of 1-3 physical movement activities that you enjoy and can easily do no matter where you are (airport, office, wrangling the kids at home) and, at minimum, try to do at least one of them each day.

Every little bit of movement or exercise counts!

I cannot more strongly emphasize how absolutely transformational a little bit of intentional, daily movement can be, especially for your brain and mental health!

Days 15-21: Get Outdoors Each Day

Habit #3: Get outside for a few minutes each day.

Similar to daily physical activity, there are loads and loads of health and fitness benefits from getting outdoors. Natural light is a powerful regulator of your hormone system (commonly called the “circadian clock”) which in turn powerfully affects everything from your sleep, mood and energy levels.

Even a few minutes spent outside in natural lighting (even on a cloudy day) can help keep your body’s systems in balance.

Anything from sipping your morning cup of coffee outdoors, to going for a walk around the block will help!

Pro Tip: I like to combine my outdoors time + little bit of daily movement together in the form of a short walk. “Stacking” these benefits together is a highly efficient use of time. Additionally, I’ve found that walking is one of the best activities for relaxing my mind, lowering my stress & anxiety, and is actually the time that I think of my best creative ideas or answers to problems I’m trying to solve. Highly recommend outdoor walking!

The 21-Day Habit Kickstarter:

I know this may sound kinda overly-hyped (and kinda overly simple), but these three habits have powerfully improved my mental health (lower stress + anxiety), mental performance (less brain fog, more clarity + creativity) and physical performance / fitness (faster recovery from lifting and running).

If you want to give this 21-Day Kickstarter a try, I’ve created a tracking sheet that you can download a free copy of right here

Starting with habit #1, practice each habit for 7 days, adding in the next one after each week.

And no worries if you miss a day or aren’t “perfect.” You never, ever need to be perfect in order to get results.

If you have any questions about any of this, simply hit “reply” to this email and ask me.

See ya next week!