Starting the journey for a healthy lifestyle! Today!

I must say that I am beyond excited to be able to contribute on this amazing blog!! Helen has been such a sweetheart to me and so easy to work with and I cannot imagine anything but great things happening in her future and in the future of this contributor space. My interest is to share what I know and what I have been learning for a while about fitness, health, and being fabulous & happy!!!

 Let us get straight to it: Making the commitment to become a healthier version of yourself is not an easy task. It usually comes from a wake-up call or a life-changing situation that "makes" you choose 'healthy or else'. It is really not the result of a thought or decision, but the product of a sometimes painful or scary situation which prompts you to choose you and your health over other things. That was my case and I am hoping that as we progress with the contributions, I could be able to share my story in more depth but for now I am going to tell you that choosing a fit and healthy lifestyle, literally saved my life!! I know that it is not an easy process and I am aware that the road to health could be scary, difficult and even lonely! 

Farmer's Markets are the best for produce purchases!! 

To get you started with a plan, you would need to commit to yourself and this new lifestyle. Being the type of person who loves To-Do lists, I thought I'd put a list together of the actual action items that you could use to get started and follow through with a plan. 

• Eat Right. Leave processed foods, junk food, fast food, preserved foods, high in sodium, high in sugars foods out of your plan. Go for veggies, lean protein, complex carbs and no soda nor too much caffeine.
• Do Cardio. Cardio speeds up your heart rate and keeps your metabolism moving! You want to do at least 3 times a week of 45 minutes where you keep your heart at a steady rate on a 2 minutes intense running or sprinting level and 1 minute slowing down. This will help to see amazing results and will assist in building endurance and strength.
• Lift Weights. Women must loose the fear of using weights! Lifting weights help in building muscle and will give you that toned look that you may be wishing for. No worries about getting too bulky or huge! It won't happen! The feminine body is not built to get those results. When you work your muscles, you can burn more calories than any other activity since muscles require more energy for healing after the weight training session.
• Drink Water. Aim for at least 10 glasses a day with an ultimate goal of 1 gallon per day. Need we say more?
• Sleep. Your body needs to rest to recover. 8 hours of sleep per night is the way to go! Period!
• Consistency is Key. Keep going! What you constantly do, you become!!

These are it for now!! Hope you find them useful and they help you in your journey of a better you!!

Best,