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This Is What a Healthy Day Looks Like

What we need to do is make sure you have successful days. Having a healthy day is actually fairly simple. Humans were designed to move, your goal every day is to be more human. You've got 24 hours in a day and ideally it looks like this.
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The new year is fast approaching. Getting back to health will be the goal of many people in 2015.

Let's break this down

1) You want to improve health over the entire year.

2) Each month you need to make count

3) Ensuring your week is planned and you establish a rhythm is crucial

4) What you do daily will make your weeks successful. Successful weeks make strong months, ensuring 2015 becomes your healthiest year.

What we need to do is make sure you have successful days. Having a healthy day is actually fairly simple. Making sure you are ready for it, and you are supplied with healthy food and keep times available to move and be alive. As you read this, keep in mind that every hyperlink will go to a visual, it's making sure you get the idea and have a simple solution. So click the blue links as you go!

Humans were designed to move, your goal every day is to be more human.

You've got 24 hours in a day and ideally it looks like this:

10 p.m. or 10:30 p.m. -- Head to bed. Sleep resets your body's hormones and allows you to be energized the next day. It's the first line of defense for overeating, and proper hunger response.

6 a.m. or 6:30 a.m. -- Wake up, this gets you your 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Drink a big glass of water and take time to think positive thoughts about the day. You are alive, and this is when gratitude for that fact begins. This is a building block of yoga. I suggest practicing a simple form of yoga first thing, or going for a walk on the treadmill. Nothing fancy, 20-30 minutes.

7 a.m. breakfast -- Must contain protein. I'm not telling anyone to become vegan but I will say this world needs to eat less animals. I don't believe we need to eat zero animals products, but the overconsumption creates a sick, exhausted, and overweight society. Start most days with a smoothie that contains a lot of greens, hemp for protein and almond milk. Other days, have eggs with veggies in it or on the side. I enjoy scrambled eggs, berries and an apple. Drink 500ml of water as well.

***Head to work***

Side note to employers. This is the ideal message for your employees to ensure absenteeism and presenteeism decrease in your workplace.

10 a.m. -- Move at work. I like to think of this as bringing back recess. Plan this in your day. Five minutes of deep breathing and yoga. Then simply go for a walk. Grab food. This is where I like to really change things up. Try having a snack that's quinoa-based. You can cook up a lot of quinoa at once, and portion it out for a few days of healthy eating. I like to put a little honey in my quinoa, add cinnamon and fruit. Have 500 ml of water.

Noon -- leave 20-45 minutes for activity. It is never too short. Even if you get swamped, keep the rhythm of even a 10-minute walk. I dream of workplaces that have showers and areas for people to do 30-minute workout videos, or have places for people to power walk and get a little sweaty. Even in the dead of winter, all you have to do is go get 20-30 minutes outside. Bring warm clothing, it allows you to get dressed, go, and take everything off as well as eat. Lunch should be a spinach-based salad. Change up the protein you add on top. Make it different everyday, and you'll never get tired of it. Also drink 500ml of water. At this point you are at 2 liters, congratulations.

2.30 p.m. -- Drink 500ml of water. Grab a handful of nuts and some fruit or try something completely different. Hemp hearts, vegetables and hot sauce. This meal is critical to make sure you don't over eat at dinner. Push away from your computer, relax for 10 minutes while you eat. Take some deep breaths, and reflect on a successful morning.

5:30 p.m. -- Dinner. Be creative. I can't tell you how shocked I was with the first veggie burger I ever ate. They are now a staple. I'm also a firm believer in fish or chicken and vegetables.

Now you have a whole evening to just be alive. Run errands, do what needs to get done. If you have young kids, dinner may not be a sit down event, but having a great meal isn't hard. If it's prepared and you toss it in the oven, it can be done. Maybe your eating time changes based on kids schedule, but it has to happen.

I make sure I get an intense workout done in the evening. It's something I like to do. I'm not "ripped" or a cover model, I'm simply a healthy guy who likes to go work with workplaces and create healthy environments over a full year using my degree in Kinesiology and Applied Health. We work towards days like this for the entire office. If intensity isn't your thing, don't force it. Walk for 30 minutes, swim, bike, dance, just move.

It looks regimented, but it's really not. The hard part in the day is being prepared. That's where the success is. The best workplaces provide healthy options for food and allow time away from the desk without guilt. If you are an HR person, or in charge of corporate culture, work towards healthy days and your payroll will show it. The costs of absenteeism, obesity, and lost productivity will decrease quickly. Six weeks of perfectly healthy days changes most of the major markers of health.

Have fun with it. Take 2015 one day at a time. Be prepared, and feel free to tweet at me, ask questions on instagram and follow my new vlog. Health and Wellness is one the most confusing topics out there because it's presented on a large scale. Take it day by perfect day. I'm just a regular guy, my day has deadlines, appointments, and frustrations. It also has health as the priority.

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