Just as you check your bank statement or have a mechanic go over your car, you need to do the same thing with your body and your health, and examine the lifestyle choices that have got you where you are today. So, get nude, get yourself in front of a mirror, get out the tape measure and the bathroom scales and benchmark where you're at right now. Don't stop at the physical either. Ask yourself the hard questions - am I happy with myself? how's my alcohol consumption? Is that job of mine working for me? A little bit of honest introspection can be the spring board to you being a better version of yourself and making yourself happier and healthier in the process.
2. Sometimes we just need to, well, grow up.
Some of us just keep on being university students. You know - eating pizza, drinking Coke, smoking, hanging around dumb places that just don't really support us to be the person that we really want to be. It's tempting to hang on to just a few of those teenage ways of being but we never really move forward and can end up clinging to the halcyon days that were long on sleep-ins and short on responsibility. It's not a question of not having a good time now and then. It's more about seeing some of the less sensible things that we do for what they really are, and then taking back control.
3. Unclutter your life - start with your kitchen.
Here's the deal. Us humans are programmed to eat the food that is the most readily available to us. So if your kitchen is full of crap, and you make sure there's plenty of biscuits in the office, you can rest assured that most of the clutter is going to end up on your butt. Your kitchen is ground control for your weight, your moods, your sleep patterns, your energy levels, your fertility, pretty much everything that keeps you happy and healthy, so that is where you need to start your uncluttering. So here's what to do. Position your wheelie bin in the middle of the kitchen floor. Then working your way around the fridge, freezer, cupboards and pantry throw everything in the bin that is crap. If you've got to stop and think if it's crap or not, throw it away anyway for wasting your time. As each item gets thrown away shout 'get the @#$% out of my life! I'm sick of you holding me back!' Next, go to the laundry. Repeat.
4. The three shopping lists.
OK. We've already established that your kitchen is central to your health and wellbeing. Next we're going to stock it with food that will keep you alive and kicking butt. Devise a shopping list for your fridge, your freezer and your pantry. I don't have to tell you what to put on it, because you already know. It's always good to have a couple of rules of thumb though. When you open your fridge door you want to see lots of green things and things that are still alive, things that would grow again if you stuck them back in the ground. Vegetables, fruits, grains. In your freezer will be lots lean meats and fish, carefully wrapped in meal size portions, and in your pantry will be lentils, pasta, olive oils and herbs and spices, and zero refined foods. Remember - if it ain't there, you can't eat it.
5. Look at your routine.
I get sick of hearing people (women particularly) say they don't look after themselves because they are too busy looking after their partners and family. Let me tell you girls, it's no coincidence that the hostie on a Qantas flight tells you to fit your oxygen mask first before helping your kids fit theirs. You must put yourself first if you're going to be effective, productive and around long enough to see the result of your efforts. So get out your diary and set time aside for appointments with yourself - appointments for a workout, for tennis, for a few laps of the pool, for a game of squash, whatever. But make it a priority - you need to be the best that you can be if you are to offer the best version of yourself to your loved ones.
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