If there is one thing that the past year has taught us, our health should be our first priority. And everyday changes we make in our bodies impact our health greatly. My husband recently inspired me to take a closer study of my health and the workout app on my fitness watch helped get me motivated!

There are three rings on my Activity Tracker that I want to accomplish every day and closing each ring has been my daily goal! Let me walk you through each ring that got me making healthier changes in my life daily.

Move is the number of calories you burn by moving. So depending on the goal I set daily for calories I want to burn, I am motivated to be physical and reduce the amount of time I spend sitting and bingeing. The pandemic has made it normal for us to finish a series in on sitting and that is something I am trying to stop myself from. Not only do I feel unproductive but it is really bad for my overall health considering I have a chronic disease that needs maintenance.

Move literally gets me moving! Chores get done faster now. I am a lot less lazy and even my work was positively affected by this. And even when I’ve checked all the numbers on my to-do list, this paves way for other activities that I can explore especially with my kids! We get to work out together, go down to the park for a walk, or just singing and dancing! Anything to get my butt off the bed and off the couch!

This ring has also helped me make better choices with the food I eat since I wouldn’t want to burn calories so hard only to put it back! There may be days I would want to indulge but mostly, it’s good calories and less junk food for me!

2. Exercise 

The second ring, Exercise, I realize is something that I completely have foregone the past years! So much so that I have developed high blood pressure and obesity!

Exercise is the number of minutes where your activity level equals or exceeds a brisk walk. But what I loved about this ring is that it became a moment I devote to myself. The me-time that positively impacts my life. Having 2 kids and a small home to maintain can get pretty exhausting. I’m thankful for the 30 minutes to 1 hour I get to be alone and focus on my health.

So give yourself an hour a day to do a simple yoga routine. Heck, start off with 10 minutes and that’s a point already to your physical health! What’s important is that you spend time with yourself that will help me improve your health, physical or otherwise!

3. Stand

The pandemic has limited our activities profoundly and it doesn’t help with us making better choices for our health. We work from home, we do ur groceries and shopping online, we might as well have our phones and keyboards stuck in our hands. My daughter even noted how the husband and I looked like those pudgy characters on Wall-E, always sitting on our computers! Que Horror!

So this ring definitely gives me a reason to stand even while writing on my computer, to step on the treadmill, and start brisk walking while watching a riveting part of The Handmaiden’s tale! Yes! It has come to this if only to close my Stand ring!

And to be honest, you don’t need a fitness watch to get you motivated! Our current situation is enough for us to realize that our lives have to be lived! And if it is worth enjoying, we have to take care of our bodies. I am taking small steps right now, little babies compared to others. But I know I am better than who I was two weeks ago. I have more energy and I sleep better. My mental health has improved a lot that I am even eager to write more now.

I thought the past year made it so easy for me to give up but now I know it was preparing me to appreciate the most basic things and to love the simple life that allows me to be happy! 

Healthy changes no matter how small is significant! So go ahead and do something with your life today!