Now that summer is winding down, it’s the perfect time to recommit to routines and optimal health. Achieving optimal health involves not just nutrition and physical fitness but also maintaining a clear mind. One way to clear your mind is through meditation.

Meditation is a powerful tool for stress management and overall wellbeing. It helps you focus, clear your mind of daunting thoughts, and most importantly, be present.

Here are a few meditation techniques to try:

1. Breathe Deeply: Focus on your breathing, feeling each inhale and exhale. Box breathing is a great technique – breathe in slowly for four seconds, hold for four, breathe out for four and hold for four. Can you feel your stress simmering away?
2. Guided Meditation: YouTube has a plethora of free guided meditations. Find one that suits your needs (like meditation for anxiety, affirmations, deep sleep, etc.), pop in your headphones and let the relaxation begin.
3. Walking Meditation: Incorporate the Habit of Healthy Motion while you clear your mind through walking meditation. Go on a ten-minute, slow-paced walk. Focus on your breathing and take intentional steps, feel the ground from heel to toe.
4. Write in a Journal: Journaling can serve as a form of meditation. Find a peaceful spot and write for at least ten minutes. Transfer those worries from your mind onto paper, helping clear anxious thoughts and promoting clarity.

Add these practices to your daily routine and observe how they improve your mindfulness, helping you stay focused and clear-minded in the present. For more meditation tips, contact me, your independent OPTAVIA Coach.

Achieving optimal health goes beyond eating nutritious foods, staying hydrated or getting eight hours of sleep each night. Here are some additional tips to help you reach your health goals:

• Cut Down on Screen Time: Schedule a time to turn off the TV and put your smartphone away before bedtime. Use this time to take a walk or spend time gardening outside.
• Get Moving with Chores: While chores might not be the most exciting activity, they’re a great way to get housework done and boost your daily activity. Dusting, picking up toys, folding clothes or vacuuming all help burn calories.
• Increase Your Step Count: Look for small ways to add more steps to your day. Park farther away from the grocery store, take a walk around the neighborhood when you get the mail or even walk around your house while on the phone to keep moving.
• Take Time to Reflect: Reflect on your typical day and make a list of possible activities you can incorporate to stay active at every stage of your journey.

As you start your journey towards better health, remember to start small. Every little bit counts and contributes to reaching your goals!

Let’s explore more ways to achieve your health goals together.

A Heart to Help

Before being introduced to OPTAVIA, Lara was a former teacher turned stay-at-home mom. Despite following a clean eating cookbook and working out on a regular basis, Lara’s weight hit a plateau, and she struggled to reach her weight loss goals.

One day, after working out, Lara learned more about OPTAVIA. “This was a sign – it was time for me to level up and get real with my health goals.”

When Lara turned 41, she invested in herself by becoming an OPTAVIA Client. She was hopeful that taking this step would benefit herself and her family. She craved a life that she could be proud of, both inside and out. 

After three weeks on the 5 & 1 Plan, Lara saw the results she had spent a year trying to achieve*.

Even better, her friends and family started to notice the results. One friend wanted to know what Lara was doing differently. Lara began to coach her friend to make small changes, which immediately fueled her interest in becoming an independent OPTAVIA Coach!

It wasn’t until she became a mentor to other friends and her mother – once she started experiencing health issues – that Lara recognized she had what it took to be successful as an independent OPTAVIA Coach. Since then, she’s never looked back.

“I heard my mentor and OPTAVIA Coach talk about how she was the dominant force in her own life, and it clicked. Lara became devoted to helping others become the dominant force in their lives by supporting them as they achieved their own optimal health and wellbeing.

Lara’s heart is forever grateful to OPTAVIA and its mission. She recognizes the burden of feeling physically unhealthy, and the pressure of feeling stuck in a toxic environment full of stress so she uses her own story to help others achieve their dreams.

“I’ve always treated coaching professionally, but now I fully embrace all that being a Coach has to offer.” With three grown children, Lara remains in awe that she has been able to maintain her own freedom by helping others live their best lives.