30 WAYS TO LIVE A

HEALTHIER LIFE

By

ZAJE BROWN-RICHARDSON

Copyright © 2017

Wellism.org

INTRODUCTION Do you sometimes feel like you can eat and live

healthier, but you don’t know where to start?

Listen, it’s not as hard as you think and I can help

you!

Just like saving $1,000,000, or starting a business, or

traveling across the world - everything starts with

simple steps towards reaching a larger, often thought

inaccessible, goal. Use this book to begin the journey

to living your healthier life!

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction

Table of Contents

Disclaimer

Chapter 1. Eating

Chapter 2. Moving

Chapter 3. Thinking and Doing

About The Author

DISCLAIMER This eBook contains information that is intended to

help the readers be better informed consumers of

health and wellness. It is presented as general advice

on health and wellness. Before beginning any new

exercise or dietary program it is recommended that

you seek medical advice from your personal

physician. This book is not intended to be a substitute

for the medical advice of a licensed physician. The

reader should consult with their doctor in any matters

relating to his/her health.

CHAPTER 1. EATING How to implement change in your eating habits

1. DRINK WELLISM’S ULTIMATE GREEN

POWER INFUSION!

The first thing you want to do to live a healthier life is

eat healthier. It may be the easiest idea but the

hardest to start. With all the snacks, fast food, and

different sugary drinks out there, it’s difficult to

decipher what is healthy and good for you versus

what is being marketed as healthy but isn’t really

good for you.

I’m a believer in drinking your vegetables to begin

healthy dietary changes. One way is to get yourself a

good blender (I have a Ninja) and buy frozen fruits

and vegetables. Frozen means the food was picked at

its prime and then flash frozen for sale in markets and

food stores near you.

We can help you get Wellism's raw, certified Kosher,

Vegan, and non-GMO synergistic blend of 15 of the

most potent superfoods on the planet. You won't find

a more powerful mix of superfood powders. Acai,

Maca Root, Spirulina, Alfalfa Leaf, Papaya and more.

Where else will you find a blend like that? You can

incorporate just a teaspoon a day (more if you’d like)

and feel the difference in days.

2. EAT FOODS THAT ARE CHEMICAL-FREE

You can eat foods that are chemical-free and toxin-

free by going to your local farmer’s market, local

health food shops, and also by trying out Melaleuca.

What all three of those suggestions have in common

are that they provide products that are clean, and

much better for the Earth and your body. Did you

know that some toothpastes contain an ingredient

related to formaldehyde to preserve it? And you are

putting it in your mouth!

You can shop locally and with Melaleuca, and

Melaleuca doesn’t just provide food products. We

have cleaning, body, and fitness products, as well as

essential oils. All top quality, and all cheaper than you

would find at top-name organic grocery stores.

The best way to live a healthier life, is by choosing

products that will allow you to do so. Choose what

you use in your home and what you eat wisely!

3. BEFORE YOU EAT WHAT YOU WANT,…

Eat something you need. Before that cake or pie, eat

some sautéed asparagus and almonds with fresh fish

and apple slices. Eat an orange before you eat chips.

Make a green salad with baby spinach, kale,

cranberries, and strawberries before you eat a burger.

Just by making a healthier choice before an unhealthy

choice will do a number of things:

• Retrain your mind to eat healthy above other

choices of food

• Retrain your taste buds to enjoy the taste of

fresh, nutritious food over heavy foods that sit

in your body and harbor disease

• Fill you up before you eat the unhealthy foods,

which allows you to eat less of the unhealthy

food (if any).

4. DAIRY FOODS SHOULD BE ELIMINATED

I’m not going to go into the “drinking another animal’s

milk is bad” jargon. Goat’s milk isn’t bad, and it most

resembles human milk. Cow’s milk isn’t good for you

because the milk is genetically composed to promote

growth in consumption. You probably aren’t looking to

physically grow that much, so you don’t need the

genetic components of cow’s milk. Not to mention the

hormones due to the cow’s being kept pregnant

constantly to produce milk constantly.

Easier said than done, right? Cheese, ice cream,

yogurt – all of these products have become a staple in

our daily lives.

So how about you take an assessment of your daily

eating habits. How often do you eat cheese? Ice

cream? Drink milk? Try to limit your consumption by

not eating any dairy on a certain day of the week, and

then gradually increasing the days of the week, until

you only eat dairy for a treat or at family functions,

and then maybe one day not at all.

5. ACIDIC DIETS

“Acidic” means foods low in pH that you should consume

sparingly, or even better, never. Foods that have an acidic

pH cause side effects like depression, headaches, acne,

and poor digestion. It allows bacteria and viruses to thrive

inside your body. In a constant acidic state, your body pulls

minerals available to help balance its pH levels. The first

place is your bones – calcium is the most important

mineral your body uses to neutralize acid. If you don’t eat

foods with calcium to help your body do what it does best,

and your body continues to pull from your bones,

osteoporosis and other similar conditions can develop.

This process is the same for all minerals needed – your

body will pull from places it has available to it until there is

no more.

You want to aim for an alkalized diet. This is will allow your

body to use the minerals and nutrients you are feeding it to

keep you healthy instead of constantly working to make

you healthy (due to a poor diet). Raw vegetables, olive oil,

raw fruits, almonds, avocados, raw milk – these are all

good for the body. Eggs, fish, soy and goat’s milk, cooked

spinach, rice, oats, and yogurt are all mildly acidic and

shouldn’t be consumed on a daily basis.

Beans, sugar, chicken, turkey, and salted butter are lower

pH. Most bottled water and sports drinks, along with white

bread, popcorn, peanuts and tomato sauces are even

lower. Lamb, shellfish, tobacco smoke, pork, stress,

microwaved and processed foods – all almost at the

BOTTOM of the pH chart with SODA being at the absolute

bottom. Don’t eat these, and if you currently do, start

eliminating them now.

6. THE PH OF WATER

Did you know that the pH of water can help or hinder

your health?

The optimum pH for human blood is 7.365.

Tap water is treated by municipalities to be around

7.0 – neutral pH. Most bottled water is not that high -

independent tests show pH’s around 3.0 – 6.0, and a

very select few come higher than that. Even bottles

that state pH near 9.0 or 10.0 have been shown to be

falsely marketed.

Some bottled water with pH numbers between 7.0

and 10.0 that you should make the switch to are

Evian, Essentia, and Fiji which is naturally neutral.

Dasani, Deer Park, Poland Spring, even Voss and

Smart Water should be avoided – pH levels are too

often below 7.0 and are detrimental to your body’s

overall alkalinity.

7. CUTTING SUGAR

Well duh, cutting sugar is a no-brainer.

But how do you start?

Look at your diet. Do you eat muffins or sugary

cereals or breakfast bars for your first meal? Stop.

Start eating almonds and a banana or other fruit with

a green smoothie.

Does lunch include a candy bar or cookies or cakes?

Substitute an organic bar or cookie. Still satisfying

your craving, but with natural ingredients.

Do you need sugar before bed? How about

eliminating dessert one night a week, and then

another night and keep going. Maybe you switch milk

chocolate for dark chocolate.

Make a change and stick with it. Don’t deprive

yourself or you’ll just end up bingeing one day on

sugar and it won’t be pretty.

And moderation is key. Get to a point where you are

eating sugar as sparingly as possible. Treat, but don’t

overeat!

8. CHEAP EATS ON THE GO

Fast food is not good for any of us at all, but as a

mom with 3 boys, sometimes it’s just convenient to be

able to pick up dinner and not have to worry about it

and just relax for the evening.

Here are some good places and options for those lazy

meal nights:

Chic Fil A – Grilled nuggets and superfood salad.

Pizza Hut – Pizza with extra peppers, onions, and

spinach

Saladworks – this one is easy. Pick or build a salad

with fresh spinach, lettuce, almonds, cucumbers,

corn, avocado, strawberries, mushrooms, and olives

in there.

McDonalds – Southwest Salad with grilled chicken

(skip the Dasani!)

Pick one of these or something similar the next time

you go through the drive thru!

9. LEARNING TO LOVE VEGGIES

Some people didn’t eat vegetable everyday as a child

and don’t have a taste for them as an adult. Maybe

it’s not easy for you to incorporate them into your diet

because you can’t find anything you like.

The trick is to make yourself get used to the taste

over time. Our taste buds have been conditioned to

enjoy the ma-made flavors of today – we have to

retrain our taste buds and reactions to tastes of

nature.

Try one vegetable – let’s say kale. It is a dense leaf

and not tasty to most. Put it on your chicken

sandwich, mix it with your alfredo, and make healthy

wraps with it in place of tortilla. Keep at it, and one

day, it will be normal for you and you can move on to

your next healthy choice.

10. HOW MUCH WATER TO DRINK

A lot of people say to drink a gallon of water daily and

that’s the magic amount.

That may be true for some, but is it true for a toddler?

Why not?

Because too much water is also bad for your health.

The magic number is half your weight.

If you’re 100 lbs, 50 oz of water is your target amount.

200 lbs, 100 oz. 185 lbs, let’s round to 95 oz.

A gallon is not the wrong goal! Just know that if you

reached half your weight in oz, then you’ve still done

well for the day.

11. WHEN TO DRINK WATER

You can try to drink a gallon water each day, but at

some point, you fall off and then you quit. Actually, if

you divide your weight into 2, that’s how many ounces

of water you need daily (180 lbs / 2 = 90 oz water

daily).

Keep trying to drink a gallon or whatever amount you

set daily because persistence is key. But what you

should also do is drink 8 – 20 oz when you wake up

and before bed. This will take care of 16 – 40 oz of

your daily intake alone!

Drinking the water at night will keep your water table

high, even though you may use the bathroom at night.

This just means the water is flushing toxins and

hydrating you, even as you sleep.

Drinking the water in the morning will restore your

water table, and will help cleanse your body of toxins.

It will also hydrate you and allow you to begin your

day on the right track!

CHAPTER 2. MOVING

12. GET MOVING!

The first step to getting in shape is moving in the first

place!

Get up right now and do 10 jumping jacks.

Done? Didn’t that feel good?

Ok, now tonight, do 10 push-ups. They don’t need to

be perfect, just get down in front of your bed and

throw in a bit of exercise.

Tomorrow, before your shower, run in place for 60

seconds. At lunch, run up and down the steps a

couple times.

Every day, just move more and more. Find a way to

do anything for just a little while and you’ve started

moving in the right direction – towards health!

13. SITTING? STAND!

Do you work in an office? Home or otherwise?

Do you go to Starbucks or another coffee shop with

counter-height tables?

Wherever you go, stand while you’re doing what

you’re doing.

Stand while typing. Stand while sipping. Stand while

snacking. Stand while talking on the phone. Stand on

your break.

Take a 5-minute break from sitting to allow for

increased circulation and stretch a little while you’re at

it!

14. PARK IN THE BACK

Are you one of those people fighting for a parking

spot near the entrance to your favorite store? Go on

and admit it – you are!

Do you have a child to get out of a car seat and into a

stroller, so you park close for convenience?

Try something different - park further back. Park

further back at work, while shopping, and even at

home sometimes if you can stand it.

You are now forcing yourself to get a shortbwalk in

everyday! The further back you park, the more

exercise you get because not only do you have to

walk away from your vehicle – you have to walk back

to it too.

Add a little jog to increase your mini-workout!

15. BOUNCE

The human body needs movement. The lymph

system covers every cell, and carries nutrients to cells

and waste products away. It depends on physical

exercise to operate. Without adequate movement, the

lymph system cannot work, and cells starve for

nutrients while they sit in their own waste.

This is where the bouncing comes in. Not literal

bouncing, but the bouncing motion that comes with

running and jumping. This will help reduce your body

fat, it’s highly beneficial for diabetics and people

suffering from other diseases, it’s good for your heart,

and gives you energy.

Try running in place, or doing high knees at various

times throughout your day.

16. STRETCHING

Stretching is often underestimated. Just take a look at

your posture right at this moment. You’re probably

hunched or bent over a desk or your phone, right?

This is causing undue stress on your entire body.

Stretching can improve your joint range of motion,

your athletic performance (even if it is just running on

the treadmill at the gym), and decrease your risk of

injury when exercising or engaging in physical

activities.

Stretching also increases blood flow to the muscle.

When you’ve been sitting for long periods of time,

stretching is necessary.

Try rotating your neck, stretching your chin to your

chest, and then backwards with your nose to the sky.

Stretch your arms over your head and towards the

opposite shoulder, one by one.

Flex your foot towards the sky and back down to the

ground.

Twist your torso left to right, as far as you can go.

Repeat as many times as you’d like, and your

stretching is complete! You can always learn new

stretching exercises along the way, but these should

get you started.

17. YOGA WORKS!

Yoga develops your inner awareness, breathing, and

strength of the mental and physical body. Studios

don’t have mirrors because yoga isn’t about your

appearance or how you’re posing. People who

practice yoga are more aware of their bodies, more

satisfied and less critical of their bodies, and helps

promote a positive body image and high self-esteem.

Yoga also increases mindfulness, and this can lead to

mindful eating. Being mindful of when you are full and

not eating past that point. Mindful of how food looks;

mindful of when you are sad or stressed and eating

through it. You become more in tune with your body.

Yoga has many other benefits and practicing is very

beneficial to your overall health. Before starting a new

exercise program, always be sure to check with your

doctor before starting a new regimen. When you get

the okay, check out some yoga studios or free yoga in

the park.

You could also try some free videos on good old

Youtube. Try to do some yoga once a week starting

out, and increase the days as your schedule permits.

18. SWITCH IT UP

One thing that we all know happens is redundancy

turns into stopping all processes. You want to make

sure you stick to something, and the best way to do

so is to switch things up.

You won’t completely miss out on moving towards

health and wellness by focusing on another body

system to keep your motivation steady. And you can

also stay consistent in one area while you make a

change in another. For instance, keep drinking your

green smoothies daily while you start yoga, and keep

the green smoothies when you switch to cardio and

strength training. This will keep the idea of living

healthy in your mind while trying new things, but still

feeling like you’re on a progressive yet consistent

track by keeping elements of your healthy life the

same.

19. YOUTUBE IT

I mentioned Youtube for yoga, but youtube is great for

anything new you want to try.

Look to Youtube for new recipes and cook while you

watch.

Youtube meditation and find your zen while the video

plays.

Youtube a new work out craze and try it before you

make a leap into a new regimen.

Youtube a new hairstyle and change your look for a

refresher to your self-image.

Watch a Youtube video for someone going through

the same thing you are going through today to show

you it’s going to be alright.

Basically, for a boost in your mental, emotional,

physical, and/or spiritual systems, Youtube is a great

place to go to devote some time to learn self-care on

your own for free.

20. WORKING OUT ON A BUDGET

Gyms are expensive.

Personal trainers are expensive.

Buying your own equipment and putting everything in

your home gym and training yourself is still expensive!

What if I told you stores like Dollar Tree, Five Below,

and thrift stores should be the only places you go for

your equipment?

Dollar Tree has your accessories like water bottles,

and calendars for your wellness schedule – all $1.

Five Below has work out apparel, wearable and hand-

held weights, yoga mats, wearable step counters,

exercise balls – you name it, they have it!

Thrift stores will be a tricky voyage, but if you shop

around you can find some great stuff. Treadmills and

stationary bikes, actual bikes, DVDs, name brand

work out apparel and footwear – all types of stuff. You

want to go to affluent neighborhoods where people

will give away quality items, and early when they open

so you can be the first one in line for the

merchandise.

CHAPTER 3. THINKING AND DOING

21. THINK YOU CAN AND YOU WILL

Have you ever watched the documentary “The

Secret”? The premise it that whatever you think about

will manifest itself in your physical life.

A great example is waking up in a bad mood. You’re

ready to call it quits on the day ahead already. And

then you’re getting ready for work and the coffee

maker isn’t working. You feel more in the dumps.

Then traffic. You feel yourself getting more angry

now. You’re feeling like your day is only going to get

worse. You’re late for work. Your boss is having a bad

day and you’re absorbing those vibes. The day just

continues to go downhill.

What if I said that you have the power to change all of

that?

Your mental process right now may be negative, but

since it’s your normal mental state, you don’t even

realize the impact you are having on your own

frustrations and unhappiness!

YOU have the ultimate control over how you’re going

to feel in different situations. YOU have the control

over your reaction to people and experiences. YOU

can choose to feel angry in the morning and keep that

feeling throughout the day, or YOU can choose to say

“No, I will not choose to sit in frustration. I choose to

get over this and get on with my day.”

It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to feel like the

most ridiculous thing you’ve ever done – telling

yourself to do something and then actually listening to

that instruction and making the decision to change

isn’t going to feel normal until it suddenly does. But

it’s up to you to do it and stay consistent.

Choose to be who you want to be. Choose to feel how

you want to feel. Choose to live how you want to live.

22. MAKE A SCHEDULE

In order to succeed with anything, you need to

schedule at least part of your day. This is along the

lines of writing things down to make sure you are

keeping up with everything in an orderly fashion.

The most successful people on the planet run

according to schedule. Early jog; check emails over

breakfast; meetings; phone conferences; lunch and

dinner could also be on the schedule to make sure

they are making time.

Your success is just as valuable and attainable as

anyone else’s. If you think and move like the CEO of

your life, you will create so many possibilities for

yourself. Create a schedule that can be an outline for

your day, and leave space for things that pop up. This

will keep you even-paced and curb feelings of

overwhelm or failure.

23. VISION BOARDS

One of my favorite things to remind myself of what I’m

aiming for in life is a vision board. You can have an

actual board, a poster, a desktop wallpaper, or even a

cell phone background be a vision board.

For your desktop or cell phone, just save pictures of

things you want. Flat stomach, Range Rover,

beautiful house, business store front – whatever you

want. Add them to Paint (on your desktop) and move

the photos where you want them. On your phone, you

can use an app to do the same thing.

You can also just write down your aspirations. Make a

list of things you are aiming for and frame it. Or at

least put it in a conspicuous place where you’ll walk

past it daily.

Make a point to periodically take your vision board in

and make sure you are on the right path. If not,

reassess your choices or maybe your goals are in

need of an upgrade. Keep doing this until you’re

successful in one area and can move on or add

another.

24. JOIN A MEETUP OR MAKE ONE

What’s one thing you want to do, but seem to have

plateaued? Meditation, yoga, eating healthy,

exercising – these all have meetups near you!

If you don’t see a meetup for something you want to

do, start one! Advertise on Facebook groups filled

with people that are interested in that sort of thing to

see if they’re in your area, or with people that are in

your area to see if they’re interested. Or do both!

This is an easy way to gain a network of people in

your area of interest that teaches you new things and

keeps you consistent with what you’re doing. This can

also introduce you to experts in the subjects you’re

building your level of expertise in – this pushes you

forward in your credibility with others! You’ll stay

energized and excited about your new change of

pace by participating.

25. ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERS

Being consistent is key in making a healthy change in

your life. Along with participating in meetups, you can

also get an accountability partner.

This can be anyone in your life that shares the same

goals as you. If you are looking to eat healthier, for

instance, find someone doing the same and check in

with each other on a set schedule (every 3 days,

weekly, biweekly – the more often the better!) to make

sure you both are staying the course.

This creates a system in your life where you know you

need to answer to someone else about what you’re

doing, so it creates a sense of responsibility to hold

up your end of the obligation.

If you don’t know anyone looking to make changes in

their life similar to what you’re doing, try and persuade

a friend to join you, or find someone in your meetup

that’s willing to create a friendship with healthy

changes in common!

26. REACHING YOUR GOALS

The biggest reason why people quit new regimens is

because they can’t see their success right away. With

everything being so instantaneous nowadays, it’s

hard to feel okay with things that take time and go

through a process.

One way to combat this is to set a huge goal, and

then break it down into smaller ones. This can help

you see that the goal is attainable, as well as allow

you to have successes along the way to keep you

motivated.

If you want to ultimately lose 100 pounds, for

instance, take the time to celebrate every 5 pounds. 5

pounds is a big deal! Don’t sell yourself short.

Giving yourself something to look forward to is what

will keep you from giving up when the times get

tough.

27. REWARD YOURSELF!

Speaking of celebration - make sure to actually

celebrate and reward yourself for a job well done!

Sometimes you need to give a little to gain a lot. Lose

5 pounds and reward yourself with your favorite

healthy snack. Lose 10 pounds and have a glass of

wine, if you’ve been abstaining from alcohol. Plan a

huge party or a spa day to celebrate and display your

weight loss when you hit your end goal.

The point is to celebrate big because reaching goals

is a huge accomplishment. No matter the size! You

are more than worthy of a celebration! And don’t look

to others for their progress or their affirmation of your

accomplishments. Stay focused on what you want!

28. KEEP AT IT

Keep going. Stay focused. When you think of giving

up, take a break to let loose a little.

Keep in touch with people who know what you’re

doing and who actually want to see you succeed.

People who won’t listen to you say you’re quitting and

will keep you motivated.

Write a journal when you start feeling like you won’t

make it so you can get those feelings out. The rip,

shred, or even burn that feeling to let those negative

thoughts go and make room for positivity.

No matter what – keep going.

29. THE TIME IS NOW

How many people succeeded by simply thinking of

success?

How many people succeeded by simply talking about

success?

How many people succeeded by simply searching for

success?

None.

Every single successful person DOES what needs to

be done.

Put forth the effort. Step away from whatever you are

currently doing internally, and physically make a move

to change your life. Not tomorrow. Not after the kids

go to school or camp. Not when the spouse goes to

work. Not when you feel better about your day or

yourself.

Now.

If something happens to you in the next hour, you

would want to have made the change in your life

when you thought about doing it.

Go now and make the You from yesterday proud of

the You today.

30. BE MOTIVATED AND HELP MOTIVATE

So, you’ve gotten to where you want to be and now

have new goals and aspirations. Congratulations!

What good will you be to your community if you don’t

spread that knowledge and engage others?

They say the best way to learn is by teaching others.

So be the teacher you would’ve wished you had and

be healthier by helping others move forward with you!

Help cement your goals in your psyche by spreading

the word. Tell yourself “You can do it!” by telling

others the same. Be an inspiration to yourself by

inspiring others.

You have opened the door. Let everyone else in and

stay committed to your success!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Zaje’ Brown-Richardson is a

writer and Wellness and Life

Coach. She has written for The

Good Men Project, and is

currently working on multiple

writing projects on beauty,

health, and wellness. Her

website shows more of what she provides as a coach,

including credit restoration for financial wellness, and

videos with her husband where they speak on various

topics. She is excited to network and build

relationships within the wellness community. Find out

more about Zaje’ on Twitter and Instagram @mrszaje

or on her website, wellism.org.