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.