Every once in awhile we get out of sync with our health. We have all been there; the feeling of sluggishness, low energy and heavy brain fog that comes from poor eating, lack of sleep, not exercising and various other factors. Most people get this after a long weekend (getting out of a routine), after the holiday season (too many drinks with big meals) or after traveling (eating out too much). It’s important to remember in these times what it feels like and to remember that feeling when such times come again. For most people, staying on a tight schedule is not realistic, but we can manage what we do in order to stay on top of our health throughout life’s many moments. So when you find yourself in that place, this is how to get back.

1. Clean out your kitchen of  “junk food.”

   1. No more candy, chocolate, cookies, chips, soda… you get the picture

   2. This also means clean out your refrigerator and freezer, including ice cream and all deep fried foods.

   3. Only have food in the kitchen and eating areas.

2. Begin working on a plan for eating away from home.

   1. Know what you are going to eat before you leave the house.

   2. When you do eat out, the safest place to start on the menu is the vegetable section.

   3. Liquid calories add up quickly so stick with water

3. Eat slowly and enjoy the people around you.

   1. Practice putting your fork and knife down and time and completely having a minute or two in the meal when you don’t worry about your food. Try to enjoy the conversation and know that your food is not going anywhere.

   2. Our bodies believe that we need to eat as much as we can because we don’t know when our next meal will be. For some people in the world that is a very real situation, but for others we have to be ok with not eating everything on our plate and saving some for later.

4. Drink 64 oz of water a day (6-8 cups).

   1. The best time to start this is as soon as you wake up in the morning. Our bodies are slightly dehydrated from losing water during sleep. It leaves our body through the skin and each breath. We don’t necessarily need to wake up to drink water, but having a full glass in the morning can drastically improve our mood and make us feel great.

   2. Another good time to drink water is right before a meal. A lot of people actually get the sensations of hunger and thirst mixed up. When we drink a full glass of water before our meal, it can help us feel full which makes us less likely to overeat.

   3. How much water we need to drink also depends on our environment and activity level. If we move more and when the temperature is higher, we lose more water through perspiration and need to drink more to replace the water lost through perspiration.

5. Exercise compliance is crucial to feeling healthy.

   1. At least three days each week of exercise are needed.

   2. The lethargic feeling can be helped by moving our bodies. In general, moderate amounts of moving helps to bring new nutrients to our tissue and get rid of waste that our bodies no longer need.

   3. Frequency is the goal. Do not worry about how long you workout for, or how hard you go (at least, at the start). Just focus on getting in three days per week. Slowly try to add on a day or two per week, once three days a week is your new normal.

6. Buy good food from the market.

   1. First, go to the produce aisle. Find the fruits and vegetables that you love to eat. You can add in the ones you are not so hot about later.

   2. Find a lean meat source like chicken, fish, or lean beef to prepare at home.

   3. Search for some complex carbohydrates. Examples of complex carbohydrates are whole wheat pasta, whole grain bagels, and pita bread. These are a few great options but complex carbohydrates should not be the focus on our meal.

7. Schedule time to prepare your meals at home.

   1. If you have to eat a little later in the evening, it is ok to be a little more hungry and prepare food that is good for you (and tastes good).

   2. If you don’t have time every night, then set aside more time when you do have it. Prepare larger amounts of good food to store in the fridge and eat later.