The 5 Habits That Transformed My Health & Changed My Life
Jan 24, 2024Episode 11
Shauna Grey
If you've been listening for awhile you know I've been on a journey to transform my health over the past two years.
In this episode, I share with you the five key habits that have made the deepest impact and have helped me achieve my goals. It's time to bust some myths and celebrate the transformation that can happen when you commit to change.
These aren't just habits; they're the building blocks to a clearer, more dedicated life, and I'm thrilled to walk with you through each transformative step.
If you want some support around these habits, I'm running a FREE Fresh Start February 5-Day Healthy Habits Challenge where a group of us will track these habits together and hold each other accountable. We start on February 5th! If you want in, you can sign up here: https://simplifiedsavvy.myflodesk.com/fresh-start-february
If you've been listening for awhile you know I've been on a journey to transform my health over the past two years.
In this episode, I share with you the five key habits that have made the deepest impact and have helped me achieve my goals. It's time to bust some myths and celebrate the transformation that can happen when you commit to change.
These aren't just habits; they're the building blocks to a clearer, more dedicated life, and I'm thrilled to walk with you through each transformative step.
If you want some support around these habits, I'm running a FREE Fresh Start February 5-Day Healthy Habits Challenge where a group of us will track these habits together and hold each other accountable. We start on February 5th! If you want in, you can sign up here: https://simplifiedsavvy.myflodesk.com/fresh-start-february
Welcome back to the Savvy Scoop podcast, where we give you the full scoop on all things living your best life. So if that's your jam, you are in the right place. New episodes drop every Wednesday for you to enjoy, as always. I'm your host, shana Gray. I'm a healthy habits and accountability coach for women looking to create simple habits and routines in their health and homes for growth and development in their lives. If you're a fan of the show, I would so appreciate you rating and giving it a review wherever you listen or you can also watch it on YouTube Maybe you already are In addition to my kids, who are both the only people that watch me on YouTube. So let's go, let's get some more YouTubers over there and you can subscribe over there too, so that you never miss an episode.
Speaker 1:
Okay, so if you have listened from the beginning or you follow me on social media, you'll know that just over two years ago, I embarked on a health and wellness journey, so that was October of 2021. I was 50 pounds overweight. I had crippling anxiety and paranoia. I was constantly jumping on again, off again, eating well and exercising like crazy or not doing any of that, eating like crap and not moving. So, yeah, I talk a lot more about that and my journey of getting started on a previous episode of the podcast, the journey back to myself, if you wanna hear the whole story about where I was, but in a nutshell that's what was happening. So at that time I was like enough is enough. It is time to take control, take care of myself. It is I'm putting myself first now. It's now or never. So I started working with a health coach and, honestly, I've changed a lot of things in my life over the past two years, but there are five habits that I believe have gotten me to where I am now, five key habits. Like I said, there's tons, but if I had to pick five of the ones that I would that stick out, that I would recommend. If you're just getting started where I would start, this is what I would do.
Speaker 1:
Two years later, 50 pounds lighter, I am stronger physically and mentally, I am happier, more present, more joy and peaceful than I've ever been. So let's get into those five habits, shall we? So the first one is working out, specifically lifting weights. I love lifting weights, so that's amazing because I really think that you should find a form of movement that you enjoy to start, but lifting weights is so, so, so good, and especially for women and I know a lot of women shy away from lifting weights. They either think that they're going to get bulky, which is such a myth, so like, let's just put that myth to bed now. You, you're not going to get bulky. That's not like unless you're doing some super, super heavy and and it's just not going to happen. Okay, so unless you start getting into really working towards getting that, that bulk, it's not going to happen. So let's put that myth to bed once and for all.
Speaker 1:
It is so, and if it's intimidating, I understand that, but it is so easy to get started. Just start with really lightweight. It's like literally two, three pound weights. Find a free video on YouTube and just start lifting weights. It is so good and, honestly, lifting weights is the thing that has changed my body composition completely, more than any other form of exercise I've done. It has made the biggest impact on me. I feel so strong. Watching yourself get stronger, feeling yourself get stronger, is one of the best feelings ever, so I would highly recommend lifting weights. That is definitely something that has a habit that has changed my life at least three times a week. The second habit that has completely changed my life is getting outside most days and getting making sure that I get my steps in.
Speaker 1:
So when I first so I embarked on my health and wellness journey two years ago, and after the three months that I was when I finished working with my health coach, I was looking for a way to make sure that I kept these healthy habits going when we stopped working together. So I decided to do 75 hard, and part of 75 hard is doing. One of the things is doing an outdoor workout for 45 minutes every day. It can be as simple as walking, and that's what I did. I took a 45 minute walk every day, but I the time that I was doing it was January to March or January to April, so that is like the coldest time here where I live in in Canada and I can honestly say that that winter that I got outside every day was the best winter for my mental health. Every other winter I get seasonal effective disorder. I think it's one of the sad. It's like you get sad when the weather is so gloomy and cold and awful, but because I was getting outside, I was moving my body outdoors, getting the fresh air If there was any sunshine, I was getting a little bit of that and it just truly was so, so, so good for my mental health.
Speaker 1:
Also, getting those steps in every day In addition to my weightlifting workouts was truly a game changer, honestly, keeping my body moving, and I believe it's why I did start to drop weight quicker in that time. And it's not all about the weight loss. Honestly, really for me, the getting outside was the mental health, but it is. It wasn't added lovely perk.
Speaker 1:
And if something else that I also recently learned is, 10,000 steps seems to be the magic number, but you actually don't need to get that many. That was actually what I learned is some kind of marketing thing and there was a company that wanted. I can't remember the whole story, but the fact matter is there was a company that was trying to promote some kind of walking thing and they did 10,000 steps because it's an easy one and whatever. Actually, there is research that has found that 7,500 steps is like if you take more steps and that obviously it's not going to be bad for you, but the the value and benefits that you're gonna get from any steps beyond 7,500 isn't as much as what you're gonna get from zero to 7,500 if that makes sense. So I aim now for 7,500 steps every single day. I try.
Speaker 1:
I find that if I can get outside for a 20 minute walk at some point in the day, that, in addition to just the regular movement that I do in my day, quite easily gets me to that 7,500. So it doesn't have to be a long amount of time outside. 20 minutes or two 10 minute walks, I mean really whatever you can do. But if you can get those steps in and if you can get some of them in outside, I really think it will help you both physically and mentally, which I mean why not? Right? We're all trying to get that holistic, the holistic wellness going, so okay, the third habit that completely changed my life is prioritizing protein.
Speaker 1:
We're not counting calories, we're not tracking anything. I mean you can if you want to, but for me I am someone who has struggled with my relationship with food in the past. I have gone through periods of not certainly not eating enough, being hungry all the time. I mean a lot of time. In my teen years I did that. Even in my 20s I did that. So yeah, I will say I've had a struggle with food for a long time, either restricting it or then eating to, or then eating way too much of it. So this completely changed my life.
Speaker 1:
I can't I am not somebody who can track and count, because it brings back my disordered eating and I get like overly focused, I get too focused on the numbers and then I get too restrictive, I get too I don't know what the word is, but I just get I get obsessive a little bit about the numbers and then I start to again start to restrict too much and then I get in my own head and if I'm not perfect, if I go by the numbers, then if I'm not quote-unquote perfect, then I can easily slip back into my disorder anyways, like, oh, forget it, then we're just gonna go and eat everything, or we're or we're being perfect. It's one or the other for me. So this has allowed me to like let go of all of that by just and prioritizing my protein, trying to get at least 30 grams of protein at each meal. I actually aim for 40, but if I can get at least a minimum of 30 at each meal and I want to try and get at least a hundred grams in the day, so you're trying to get. So third minimum of 90, but really I try to get a hundred or more.
Speaker 1:
But just looking at protein being the star of the show in all of my meals and then building my meals around the protein has helped me so much because I'm not hungry, so I eat three larger meals rather than snacking and that has really made a massive difference on my relationship with food. I am not hungry, I just I eat when I'm. I eat my three meals because they are so protein-filled and satisfying. I have noticed my cravings have almost completely gone away. Not saying I, like you know, I never crave a treat, obviously I do, but the cravings have really significantly diminished and I just I'm not always thinking about my next meal. I eat my meal and then I move on, which, if you've been somebody who was obsessed over your food your whole life, is really, really freeing. So yeah, prioritizing protein has been a huge game changer for me.
Speaker 1:
The other habit has been aiming for seven, minimum of seven hours of sleep per night. So I am a natural night owl. I always have been. Staying up late is not difficult for me whatsoever. I can turn around and boop. It's 1 am and I'm still up and not at all tired. That's just how I am.
Speaker 1:
Instead of trying to completely combat this, I tried for a really long time to go to bed at 10. And it was good. Don't get me wrong. I did feel good going to bed that early, but it was. I also felt it was just too early for me. I felt so much anxiety and pressure and then all of a sudden my evening felt too short and I felt like I was rushing to get into bed for this magical time of 10 and close my eyes, and it was just. It actually became more of a stress. Whereas 11 is a really good time for me, my kids are asleep between 9.30 and 10. And then I have time for myself to unwind, to have my evening routine and relax before I drift off to sleep by 11. So figure out what works for you, but that's been what has worked for me. But then and then I get up at six I need to get up. I was trying again. I was trying to do a 10 to five and it was so great to be up that early, but I just found the getting to bed by 10 so stressful that it just wasn't worth it. So 11 to six seems to be a reasonable time for me. It's something I can do. I really can do almost every day. So being able to get up and go to bed at the same time most days is really, really helpful.
Speaker 1:
And you wanna get at least seven hours of sleep because, I mean, frankly, it's just good for you. You know and I'm not somebody who requires a ton of sleep Some people require more. So they're looking to get eight or nine hours. For me, as long as I get seven, I'm feeling good. So, but I used to get a lot less. I mean, I used to get between five and six most nights and I would say, oh, I don't need a lot of sleep, which I just said, and I don't. But I've noticed a huge difference in my mood and energy and also my cravings when I get five to six hours of sleep versus when I get seven plus. So for all my night owls, I know, I know I feel you Do your best, even if 11, you can do it. I really think you can.
Speaker 1:
So the fifth and final habit that I know a lot of you are not gonna be happy with me about, but it is just the dang truth cutting out alcohol Not cutting back completely cutting it out. This is the one, to be honest, that this is the one. If I could only pick one habit, this would be the one, because this is the habit that allowed all the other habits to happen. Because I would do great even if I said, okay, I'm not gonna drink during the week, okay, so great. So then I did.
Speaker 1:
I got up Monday to Friday, did my workout, got my outdoor movement and prioritized my protein, got my seven hours of sleep. I mean, that's a good chunk of your week and I get that and that is really good. But then I would say to myself I would really like to be active this weekend as well. And I can tell you that as soon as I got to Friday night, it was just party time. Whether I was out partying which I never was, let's face it, I'm a 40 year old mom, so I'm not out partying every Friday night. I was at home. I was at home just hanging out, watching shows, and again everyone would go to bed and I would be up till 1 am still snacking, drinking my wine, and then, guess what, I wasn't getting up on Saturday morning to do my workout. And I've already done five days. So did I need that six workout.
Speaker 1:
No, however, I mean, I just drank a whole bunch of wine and ate a bunch of junk food, and again, you can do that every now and again, but if you have real health goals, do you really wanna completely sabotage yourself every Friday and Saturday night? And do you wanna spend your weekends feeling like crap because you drank too much wine on Friday night and then you did it again on Saturday night? I'm just saying that's what would happen, and then it slowly lead into okay, sunday fun day, and then suddenly I'm getting up for my Monday workout and I'm not having as much energy. So, while I may have gotten up, you know, the effort isn't quite there as much for the workout. And again, it just really it was something that every time, I would make a promise to myself and then I would have some wine and then I would have some snacks, and it just leads to all the other decisions that you're like oh so then now, and now I'm sleeping in past, what I wanted to.
Speaker 1:
It's just not how I wanted to live anymore. I wanted to be clear-minded, present at my healthiest and I wanted to keep the promises that I made to myself, and that was the biggest thing. Alcohol made me not keep the promises that I made to myself. Okay, I'm only gonna have two drinks tonight and I'm gonna go to bed by midnight and I'm gonna get up by seven and do my workout. And I can tell you right now I would never stop at two drinks and I would never go to bed by midnight and I would never get up and do my workout on the weekend. So cut out alcohol and now I'm somebody who keeps the promises that I make to myself. So that's how I was able to consistently stick to all the other habits.
Speaker 1:
Okay, you may not like it, but that's the truth for me. If you want more information about my sobriety journey, I did share about that in a previous episode. So go back and listen to it and please don't hate on me for this being the fifth habit. Like I said, if you don't, if you wanna just cut back, that's totally fine. That's a decision. It's a very personal decision that you have to make on just telling you my experience and what cutting alcohol has done for me. So that's it. Those are the five habits that have changed my life.
Speaker 1:
If you are finding that you are having trouble keeping up with the healthy habits that you wanted to have for yourself. I am actually gonna be running a free five day Fresh Start February challenge, starting February 5th. So be sure to give me a follow at Simplified Savvy, get more details about the challenge or just send me a DM there and say I want in on the free five day challenge and I will let you know as soon as I release all the details. It's gonna be I said five days of accountability and it's gonna be around these habits. I'm gonna talk more about these habits, we're gonna hold ourselves accountable to these habits and hopefully it'll kickstart you and you can continue with these habits for longer than the five days. So that's all I have for you today. Thank you so much as always for listening. I so appreciate it. I'll see you next time.