But what does that mean?

Well…I guess it means, in simple terms…knowing what you’re doing…at all times.

To me it means, being with yourself…feeling your breath on your lips when you breathe. Feeling the rise and fall of your chest. Feeling the ground underneath you when you walk. Watching your thoughts as you think and enjoying the moment of being alive.

Doing things intentionally isn’t nearly as common as you think.

Studies show that about 45% of what we do every day feels like decisions, but they’re actually habits.

That means almost half of the actions we take every day are actually happening on auto pilot.

Well, when we live on auto-pilot, we’re certainly not in full control of our lives, meaning that we’re giving a percentage of our control and power away to habits that we’ve formed in the past.

There is also a great chance that the habits you have either

1. Aren’t serving you to the highest potential
2. Possibly Destructive

The reason I say that is that there is a fundamental truth about Humans: We aren’t perfect. Even people performing at a very high level could always improve at something. There’s always a way to be more efficient in our lives. And there is always room for improving our mental game.

I’m sure you’ve also heard about the concept that 70-90% of our thoughts are the same as yesterday.

Well…if you’re in it to win it. Having the same thoughts over and over again probably isn’t serving you either.

So…

Here are 10 ways To Live More Intentionally so that you have more control over your life and ultimately become happier.

 1. Write Things Down

Make lists. Write things down. It truly works wonders. People often overestimate some abilities while they underestimate others. Most people overestimate their ability to stay organized, remember things and follow through on tasks or goals they need to achieve. Writing things down is one of the key’s that has helped me accomplish many of the things I’m proud of in my life. Don’t underestimate the power of a pen and paper. If you don’t usually write things down and you start the habit, you’re making a conscious decision to do something that is outside of your normal routine and pattern. By writing things down like your inner thoughts, feelings, daily tasks and goals you not only gain a better understanding of yourself through self-reflection but you also now have some additional motivation to follow through on the things you’ve written down.

2. Notice The Finer Details In Your Environment

When life becomes routine, our surroundings start to blend in and we start overlooking some of the little things. Ever wondered why moving to a new place, seeing a new site, or traveling is so gratifying or exciting? As humans, we’re predominantly visual creatures and our eyes play a big part in everything we feel. Consciously choosing to notice different things in your environment that you wouldn’t usually look at brings you back to yourself. It brings you back into your body and allows you cut the pattern you might be in at the moment. Our eyes are one of the greatest gifts we have as human beings and it’s important that we use them consciously and in a way that serves us.

3. Drink More Water

Water plays an incredibly important role in your health and unfortunately in today’s society, most people are dehydrated. With the abundance of processed foods, sugary drinks and restaurant options available, many people aren’t getting proper nutrition and still neglecting their water intake. By carrying around a large water bottle with you at all times, you’re not only contributing to your health (more energy, a clearer mind, better skin, more functional cells and better detoxification) you’re actually creating a positive habit that’s going to serve you well beyond most other habits you could form.

Taking a drink of water from your water bottle a few times per hour not only hydrates you, but also allows you to live consciously by breaking the pattern you are in and consciously choosing to do something positive for your health. Each positive thing you do builds momentum and momentum is the secret key to creating sustainable positive change.

4.  Learn To Say No

Learning to say no to is like a muscle. And with any new muscle that you haven’t worked out and strengthened, it’s going to be weak at first. Learning to say no can be one of the best things you can do for your life in the long run. Because it’s easy to say yes to the things that aren’t that good for you. And it’s easy to say yes to things that would distract you from what you need to be doing. Learning to say no allows you to take control of your life so that you can live more intentionally and more consciously.

5. Take Deep Breaths Often

Let alone the fact that many people aren’t engaging In some type of moderate or vigorous exercise regularly to get their blood flowing to oxygenate their muscles and cells, many people just don’t breathe deeply. By consciously taking deep breaths every so often, you bring yourself back into your body and break your pattern. Taking a moment to take a deep breathe is also a perfect time to be grateful for your health, the oxygen of the earth that is always there keeping you alive, and the moment you’re in. Because the truth is, that moment won’t last forever…

6. Stand Up For What You Believe In

All of us have things we feel strongly or are passionate about. And we’ve all been in a situation where we didn’t quite speak up about something, whether it was to fit in, not cause an argument, or we simply let it pass as “it’s not THAT important.” The problem with that is, is that every time you don’t say something when you want to, you end up walking away feeling a little dis-empowered. And feeling disempowered is never good for our growth.

The problem most people encounter when trying to stand up for what they believe in is that it opens them up to possible attack and criticism. In other words, haters. And most people are scared of that.

The flip side is, when you stand up for what you believe in, your life has the possibility to improve beyond your wildest dreams. Everything people want is on the other side of fear.

7. Do Something You Feel is Out of Your Character

Living intentionally doesn’t just mean breathing deeply and drinking more water. It means congruency between your thoughts and your actions. It means being in control of your life and the direction it’s headed.

That means that if you have thoughts about taking an action, take the action.

The world needs more action…from everyone.

You might have heard of Charles Cooley’s Looking glass Self which describes “Other people’s views build, change and maintain our self-image, and thus, there is an interaction between how we see ourselves and how others see us.”

To reduce this drastically, we could say that our personalities are a reflection of our “thoughts” about our environment. We might act, behave and think in a certain way as a result of us imagining that that is how our friends, family and acquaintances perceive us to be.

And so in turn…people create a box for themselves and for their life. They believe they can only do certain things and that other things are out of their reach.

But all that is false.

Doing something out of your character is one of the best ways to live intentionally. Because none of us have accomplished 100% of what we want in life and many people have things that they want to do, but are afraid of what might happen.

Doing something you think might be out of character is only in your head.

People accept you for who you are at face value.

The truth is that people aren’t in your head.

They don’t know your inner dialogue and every detail of your past.

They understand what you present them. So if you want to start acting “out of character” just do it. And you’ll find that people are far more accepting about it than you might have thought.

Living Intentionally through some of these practices are just some of the ways you can start taking control of your life, your health and your destiny. This post was inspired from my recent experiences and remembering that we are here on earth only for a short period of time…and that every moment is a gift.

1. Practice Yoga

The benefits of Yoga are countless, and many of them are key for long-term health:

Stretching – Yoga poses work by stretching your muscles, making your whole body more flexible. Stretching is beneficial for general relaxation and tonification of your muscles. In one study, people improved their flexibility by up to 35% after only 8 weeks of yoga.

Increase Blood Flow – Twisting poses bring out venous blood from internal organs and allow oxygenated blood to flow in once the twist is released. Inverted poses encourage venous blood from the legs and pelvis to flow back to the heart, where it can be pumped to the lungs to be freshly oxygenated.

Increase Mobility and Flexibility – During your first class, you probably won’t be able to touch your toes, but if you stick with it, you’ll notice a gradual loosening, and eventually, seemingly impossible poses will become possible. You’ll also probably notice that aches and pains starting to disappear, and your posture getting better.

2. Practice Gratitude

When was the last time you woke up in the morning, and immediately smiled, suddenly overwhelmed by a massive wave of gratitude, just for being alive? With all the struggles of everyday life, we tend to forget about the blessings in our lives. While getting too busy fixing the things that are wrong, we forget about the things that are right.

However, gratitude is one of the pillars of a healthy life, and our mental health -just as important as our physical health-, can benefit a lot from living a grateful life.

3. Try New Supplements

Food nowadays is not as nutritious as the food our grandparents and great-grandparents grew up with, so an extra input of certain nutrients is often useful to prevent any deficiencies. These are some that might help improve your health:

• Vitamin D

It helps your body absorb calcium and also has a role in your nerves, muscles, and immune system. Deficiency can cause rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults. Muscle aches and weakness, muscle twitching and light-headedness are common symptoms of vitamin D deficiency; and some studies have found that it is also linked to depression.

• Magnesium

Magnesium is required for the proper growth and maintenance of bones, for the proper function of nerves and muscles, among others. Magnesium supplements can help with irregular heartbeat, blood pressure, anxiety, fatigue, fibromyalgia, diabetes, kidney stones, headaches, PMS, asthma and hay fever, among many others

Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include cramps, tremor, spasms, fatigue, loss of appetite, apathy, confusion, insomnia, irritability, poor memory, and reduced ability to learn.

• Fish oil

Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, known to reduce inflammation in the body among other health benefits. It is most often used for conditions related to the heart and blood system, lowering high triglycerides, and preventing heart disease and stroke.

• ZMA

ZMA is a natural mineral supplement made up of zinc, magnesium aspartate, and vitamin B6. These three nutrients in your system can build muscle strength and stamina, speed muscle recovery, and improve the quality of your sleep.

4. Drink More Water

Around 75% of people are chronically dehydrated. Are you drinking enough water? Signs of fatigue, poor memory, difficulty focusing, and sleepiness, might be telling you that you’re not. Your body is 70% water (your brain is almost 90%!); water is essential for proper digestion and circulation, numerous chemical reactions, nutrient absorption, waste elimination and flexibility of the blood vessels. It regulates body temperature and acts as an internal skin moisturizer, as well as preventing premature aging due to toxic buildup.

5. Eat More Greens

A plant-based diet includes more nutrient-dense foods that will help keep you full longer and give you more energy with less toxins, making you feel better overall. Switching to a natural plant-based diet like veganism or any of its varieties, has many other benefits for your body, the animals and the environment.

Can’t think of what to eat? There are various vegan meal delivery companies that could help start you on your journey. Give it a try and let the new flavors, textures and ideas change the way you’ve always thought about healthy eating.

6. Eliminate or Reduce Toxins

Reducing or completely eliminating toxins from your diet and lifestyle will make it easier for your body to recover its natural healthy state. The list of toxins to avoid includes tobacco, alcohol, caffeine and sugar, which have an acidic effect -the process of neutralizing this acid spends energy from other processes, which affects your energy levels and ability to focus. Plastics and other hormone disruptors are another kind of toxins to avoid as much as possible, in order to get healthier.

7. Aim to Sweat Everyday

With sweating comes great benefits: an increased heart rate works as a “heart workout”, which improves your general cardiovascular health, and increases the blood flow to major organs. Sweating from intense exercise also releases endorphins, which help you feel good and prevent depression, stress, and anxiety. Sweating helps filter your blood and rid the body of toxins through your skin, making you feel lighter and better.

8. Get a Blood Test

General fatigue, mood swings, skin issues, vision sensitivity, joint pain and muscular weakness are common physical signs of nutritional deficiency. Mind fog, confusion, difficulty focusing, poor memory, or sleep issues, could also be signs that something is missing.

The best way to find if you have any deficiency, is to get a complete blood test.

9. Do a 3 Day Juice Cleanse

One of the easiest ways to start a reset in your system and rid your body of toxins by cleaning out your organs, is to do a 3 day juice cleanse. This has the effect of mild fasting, without the risk of upsetting your blood sugar levels or being too extreme if you’re not used to it.

10. Add superfoods into your diet

Superfoods are nutrient-rich foods that are especially beneficial for your health and well-being. Some examples are:

Turmeric – Curcumin in turmeric has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and neutralizes free radicals. It also increases the growth of new neurons and fights various degenerative processes in the brain. Curcumin is beneficial for heart health, and helps prevent cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. It can also treat symptoms of arthritis, and alleviate symptoms of depression.

Matcha Tea – If you haven’t heard of matcha tea, this is going to be life changing! Matcha green tea has over 100 times the antioxidants of regular green tea. The health benefits of drinking matcha tea include improved mental alertness and clarity, stronger immune defense and detoxification. It also helps relaxation and prevents bacterial, fungal and viral infections, cancer and type-2 diabetes. It assists in maintaining cardiovascular health, gastrointestinal health and works as a superb energy booster.

Spirulina – Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is rich in protein, minerals, B vitamins, vitamin E, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, and gamma linolenic acid (an essential fatty acid). It also has a high supply of carotenoids, which have antioxidant properties.

Spirulina can be beneficial for anxiety, ADHD, depression, diabetes, fatigue, heart disease, high cholesterol, improving your immune system and memory, PMS, and assist in wound healing and weight loss.

What are your ways of resetting your health? Feel free to share with us in the comment section!

Sources:

38 Health Benefits of Yoga

Vitamin D Wikipedia

Magnesium WebMD

Magnesium Wikipedia

Fish Oil Wikipedia

ZMA Wikipedia