IronDAD: 5 tips to get heading in the right direction

Healthy lifestyle. We all want to have one. 

Every week, it seems like there is a new diet or plan to help you get healthy, but what does “healthy” really mean?

Do you focus on eating protein? Do you cut carbs? Maybe you eat like cavemen did or perhaps sign up for a calorie-counting app on your phones. Regardless of what method you choose, the important thing is that you are trying.

Deciding to take a journey to educate yourself on what is healthy and what isn’t will help you make informed decisions on what you put in your body, but it takes time — and that’s fine. 

Getting healthy is an ever-evolving journey of self-discovery, courage and making mistakes. It will take effort, but your willingness to learn more will pay off. 

We all have busy lives. Many of us are over-scheduled — rushing from one thing to the next. We have kids, work, extra hobbies, club memberships, and we like to watch TV. 

So, here are five simple things you can do right now to start off on the right foot: 

1. Eat something raw. Raw foods are the highest in nutrients and will give you nutrition in its purest form as nature intended. Salads are a great raw food, but you can make yourself a bowl of fresh organic fruit in the morning and that will work, too. If all else fails, eat a banana or apple on the go.

2. Shower pushups. Everyone needs core strength in their lives. Try doing 25 pushups before you get into the shower. You can do it. Even if you are on your knees and do a modified pushup, you can do it. If you can’t do 25, do five or 10 and work your way up. This is an easy one, and I hear actor Jamie Foxx does this, too! Don’t you want to be like Jamie Foxx?

3. Bedtime squats. Your legs house the largest muscles in your body and are just as important as your core. Before your head hits the pillow, do 25 air squats. With a straight back, pretend there is an imaginary chair under your bottom and pretend to sit, but just before you hit the chair, lift yourself back up. You just did a squat! 

4. Take a multivitamin. Make sure you take an organic, whole food vitamin only. You also may consider a time-release capsule or liquid multivitamin. As long as you go by these parameters when buying a multivitamin, you should be all set.

5. Take lots of vitamin C. Whether you take supplements in powder form, get your vitamin C from the food you eat or from fresh, organic vegetable juice, taking vitamin C will never hurt you. Did you know vitamin C is anti-inflammatory? Next time you feel a cold coming on, increase your vitamin C intake. Shorten your cold and lessen your chances of infection by taking lots of vitamin C. 

Cory Warren is a husband, father of three, vegan triathlete and Ironman. His blog, Real IronDAD, is a lifestyle blog about food, family and fun that helps passionate people, mostly parents, who have over-scheduled, busy lives maintain a healthy balance of plant-based nutrition, fitness and overall wellness. Visit him online at realirondad.com and follow him as “realirondad” on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube or Instagram.