Thank you Michelob ULTRA for sponsoring this post.

If you have been following me on my other social channels you know that I have worked for a healthier and more active lifestyle this year. During the past year I had not really been active at all. My eating habits were horrible and I barely slept. It is needless to say that overall, l my health as a whole was absolute crap. That combined with some major hormonal changes resulted in a weight gain that made me beyond uncomfortable with the way I felt and looked. 2018 was the year when I decide once and for all to actually do something about my lifestyle. And that started with some major changes for me and my health.

Not only did I have to go through changes with my heart. But I also transferred to a new school this semester and I knew that it might be a lot more schoolwork to handle. I had my mind set on the fact that even though school comes first. I have to make sure that my body and mind is in the right state so I can be as effective in school as possible. And that started with changing my way of living. Here are the goal that I set up for myself:

• Get more sleep (8 hours a night on average is my goal).
• Daily activity (light exercise) of 30 min minimum.
• 10,000 steps per day minimum.
• Workout at least 3 days a week.
• Cook more at home and pick healthier choices when eating out.
• Consistant eating.

Although not everything is easy, nor can be achieved overnight. It is all a trial and error process and different things work for different people. I have been trying different things. Changing things and sticking to the ones that have worked. I wanted to give som tips and insight into what I have done, what have worked and what you can try if you also need to improve some of these things in your life. I am pro for healthy lifestyle all the way, but I also understand that it is not as easy as it might seem.

Tackling my sleeping problems.

Sleep is 100% my biggest issue. Ever since my teens I have suffered from many sleepless nights and insomnia. I know a lot of people will tell you to take spelling pills. But for me thats not necessarily a remedy that works nor gives me the quality of sleep that I need. I want you to know that even though some of these things have worked for me, I am occasionally still having problems sleeping some nights.

My bed is for sleeping and nothing else.

As a college student it is easy to get stuck doing everything in your bed. I have been there. Especially during the times when you are sharing a room with someone else. Your bed becomes your space where you can watch your favorite movie on your laptop or find a quiet time to study. No more. My bed is now for sleeping and nothing else. I do allow myself to lay down and read before going to sleep. No electronics, no hanging out at the foot of the bed checking the phone during the day.

That creates a kind of calm when you finally do get to lay down in your bed and mentally prepares you for sleeping. If I feel like I have had a stressful day or have a lot on my mind for the next day I usually spray a lavender spray that I have to calm myself down. Some other things that I do is exercise more if I have a lot of energy that day, take relaxing bath and read books. My fitbit help me track my sleep and how I sleep. 

Achieving my daily activity goals and weekly exercises.

I have set my daily activity goals to 10,000 steps and at least 30 minutes of activity. Now that means that I have to be active for a time period which can include just light walks for 30 minutes. I do find myself a lot in front of my computer stationary during the days when I am not on campus. So what I try and do is take pause and go outside for a short walk. During this walk I can listen to music, watch my youtube videos or reply to emails. In other words I am doing what I would normally do, but I am doing it while walking. Instead of driving to the food store I will walk over there. And I try and do some small chores around the house daily.

Small things like that really makes a big difference. I also have a extremely nice gym at my university that is free for me to use. So I try and use it at least the three days that I am on campus. I even got my own locker there so I have no excuses not to go. The Michelob UTRA sweepstakes have actually helped me discovering new classes around my city as well. My Fitbit tracks my daily steps and activity for me so I can see my daily progress. 

Eating healthier.

Eating and cooking is actually really really hard if you don’t have the time or money to spend. Being a College student is already stressful as it is. And trying to squeeze in those meals and snacks daily can sometimes be really hard. Fortunately I go to a great school with an amazing campus. There are tons of food choices and many of them healthy and inexpensive. I often find it easy to go to the make your own salad bar for $5.

It is really the days when I am at home trying to get work and school stuff done that I struggle. With takeout and all the delivery options we have now it is easy to to spend $30 on a delivery meal. And it is also easy to forget the food in the fridge if you have been out doing some grocery shopping. So, what I do is that I only plan my food for about 2-3 days when I go grocery shopping. This way I don’t overbuy and know what I will be eating. Sure, it takes me a few extra trip to the store (more steps for me). But it ensures me that I won’t be buying food that then goes to waste.

If I know that I won’t have a lot of time cooking the next day I pick up an easy to make salad kit. Or something from the fresh food section that I can heat up. This may not be the most inexpensive option, but it is cheaper than ordering takeout and it makes sure that I actually do eat when time doesn’t allow me to cook.

Don’t forget to reward yourself.

This is something that is so, so important. If you put in the time and energy you will se results slowly. Meanwhile you cannot forget to relax a little bit and reward yourself for something good that you have done. Small steps is always the best way to change things. There is nothing wrong in enjoying a piece of chocolate, a day off, or a night out with drinks. As long as you don’t over consume and ruin your progress. That is why I am loving the Michelob ULTRA light beer with only 95 calories per bottle. And it still tastes just like regular beer.

Michelob ULTRA 95K Sweepstakes.

Michelob ULTRA are all for living a healthy lifestyle, but also about enjoying a cold beer without feeling any guilt. And that is why they are having this huge Sweepstakes where Michelob ULTRA has partnered up with different organizations to give away over 95,000 fitness experiences to help you stay on track with your fitness and health goals. To see the official rules and participate in the sweepstakes follow this link by clicking here.

Through the sweepstakes I got one month of free home workouts straight to an app in my phone. No purchase is necessary and all you have to do is follow this link and fill in your information.