Try and Reach 10,000 Steps Daily:

Walking is just as effective as running and easier on your joints. I used to do Barry's Bootcamp religiously and noticed my lower back feeling sore, and not the good kind of sore, after just about every class. Living in NYC has caused me to walk nearly everywhere, everyday because I don't have a car there and it is one of my favorite things to walk around when the weather is nice and get a feel for the unique culture in each part of the city. I try to reach 10,000 steps a day because one: it's amazing for you, and two: you're burning about 400 to 500 calories a day, which means you're losing one pound each week. That's pretty great huh?! Walking is proven to increase cardiovascular health, increase mental health and clarity, and burn fat effectively and naturally without putting strain on your body. I use my Health App to see how many steps I'm walking a day. My best friend likes to use the Steps App to track her activity.

Stretch in the Morning and at Night:

When I wake up every morning, I naturally like to roll around a bit and stretch in bed. In fact, after doing some research on the benefits of stretching I found a whole video of different yoga stretches in bed that are highly effective. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-0hecDc82s. It's great to wake up your spine and stretch after being stagnant for so long during your sleep. Stretching is an amazing way to elongate your muscles and it actually can help tone your body entirely. Before going to bed at night, I like to just let my head and arms hang by my feet and stretch my hamstrings because I walk so much throughout the day. Stretching helps calm my body and mind making it easier for me to fall asleep at night and get the proper rest I so much desire.

Make an Effort to Eat Less Sugar and Carbohydrates:

Sugar is literally a drug, It is nearly impossible for me to go a day without sugar, so I've figured out a way to ingest less by making healthy food substitutions. For example, you're craving something sweet like a gooey chocolate chip cookie (I crave this everyday LOL), but you know you shouldn't be eating something like that late at night, or frankly at all. My favorite way to beat a sweet tooth is with fruits like strawberries and oranges because they have amazing texture and are naturally sweet. I also like to use a coffee around 4PM, when my blood sugar is low everyday and I am dying for something filled with sugar. Black coffee is actually proven to lower heart disease in women and is speculated to lower your risk of a stroke by 20%. That being said, coffee or even tea are great to boost your energy and provide you with some satisfaction to make it through your day. When it comes to carbs, I try my best to stay away from any white starches like potatoes, white bread, rice, etc. The best way to monitor your carbs is to try and not eat any past 2pm. Whole wheat toast, granola, sweet potatoes, and brown rice are some of my personal favorite types of carbs but I try hard to not eat them past 2pm. Eliminating carbs completely is not necessarily the most effective thing to do for your body as natural carbohydrates like the ones contained in fruits and vegetables are vital for giving your body and immune system the "storage system" your body needs for energy.

Do you have any daily fitness goals? Comment below!