Tag Archives: lifestyle habits

Eating Wisely

I will start out by saying this is not an endorsement for a trendy diet plan. I am not going to sell you the latest diet or cure for obesity or flat tummy remedies. This blog is about making wise food choices. It is necessary to learn how to create a healthy relationship with food, so you avoid impulsive choices.

For starters, you need to be selective on what you eat a not just for weight loss but optimum performance. Your ideas about food need to change before you can learn to make healthy choices.

Trendy diets and food supplement work temporarily because you are essentially starving your body. Once weight goals are achieved, you regain the weight, because you go back to making the same old food choices. In order to successfully develop permanent eating patterns, you need to be mindful of the following:

Get a medical check-up to make sure you do not have deficiencies or chronic health issues that may be impacted by a major diet change
Keep in mind that everybody type has a different chemical make-up which is why one diet does not fit every individual
Food is more than just a tummy filler; it is a combination of nutrients that supply our body and brain with fuel
Smart food choices also provide our brain with the necessary chemicals to help regulate our moods
Food is chemistry, which is why its a mood enhancer and used as fuel for physical function
Avoid doing a trendy diet just because it worked for a friend. Keep in mind we all have different lifestyles and dietary needs
Remember, when you begin your food modifications, is not a temporary phase, but a lifestyle upgrade
Learn to cook in order to avoid eating foods with hidden calories and sugars
Avoid processed foods as much as possible because they always have hidden sugars and salts that keep you craving more food, so you keep consuming more
Though you should avoid processed foods, the truth is not everyone has the money or access to fresh produce, which means you need to read labels for food traps such as sugar and extra salt
Moderation is essential, however before achieving it, you will need to reset your cravings
Practice harm reduction when it comes to food choices, which means learning to identify food groups that keep you craving more consumption
Avoid eating for comfort since it will lead to more unhealthy choices
Clean out your food pantry and refrigerator of all processed junk food high in sugar or salt
Always use a grocery list when food shopping in order to avoid buying unnecessary junk food
Practice food planning since it will help reduce impulse eating and poor food choices
Learn new recipes for healthy meal planning
Make your food appealing to the eyes by using colorful vegetables
Learn to consume food with high nutritional value for your lifestyle and specific body type.
Remember food consumption will be different from person to person, for instance, a bodybuilder has different dietary needs than a runner or someone who practices yoga.
A balanced health plan includes some form of exercise
When going out to dinner, enjoy yourself, feeling deprived only makes you crave more
When socializing, try to select events that are non-food related such as attending museums, art galleries, concerts, dancing, biking, hiking, walking, etc.
Avoid sugary snacks, but If you must snack, pick snacks that are crunchy, packed with nutrients and naturally satisfy you.
Keep healthy snacks in your home or carry with you to avoid random sugar products
When spending the day out, take some emergency snacks with you, since it will not only save money but also keep you from consuming junk food
When living with others, plan meals that everyone can enjoy and benefit from
No need to be a vegan to be healthy since not everyone can thrive on plant-based meals only, specifically if they have problems digesting raw vegetables or need high-levels of iron
Include the whole household in the meal planning in order to avoid having to higher food bills, cooking separate meals and sabotaging healthy eating

Changing your lifestyle is a big part of eating healthy. Diets do not work because they are based on plans that are meant to kick-start weight loss and not necessarily as a lifestyle. Most trendy diets cannot sustain us because they often lack balance and omit food groups we need. As individuals, our bodies require different food groups and nutrients to thrive and function based on our lifestyle and not some cookie-cutter formula.

Reference

Clean eating for beginners resource

Enhancing our Motivation

Getting motivated is not always an easy task. Though many of us want certain things in life, we often do not obtain our desires because we lack motivation. Many of us are not driven to achieve our dreams just because we are entirely motivated. Though in one hand we want certain things, need them or desire them, we manage not to go after them. In some cases, we need to get our act together and can not afford to remain unmotivated. For instance, individuals suffering from poor health, have miserable jobs or living situations will benefit from becoming motivated toward change. Motivation is needed to develop good habits and behaviors.

To achieve any goal, or create changes, one needs to get motivated. One needs to develop a need and desire to move forward and continue until goals are achieved. There are many reasons individuals lack motivation and reviewing the causes can help us understand ways to improve personal drive.

Depression – reduces personal drive and desires to engage in many activities.
Low self-esteem – not believing one is capable of achieving much, keeps a person from trying
Negative beliefs – thinking nothing good will ever happen, therefore why bother to try
Fear of failure – afraid of looking foolish and making mistakes
Performance anxiety – fear of not being able to perform flawlessly and achieve positive outcomes
Lack of knowledge – unaware of the process involved in obtaining a particular goal
Poor expectations – always expecting inferior results
Boredom- the task is tedious and meaningless

How a person views themselves and situations they face can destroy their desires to proceed with any goal or project. Believing that they will fail before they even start, will decrease the drive and make a person give up before seeing results.

There are ways to improve your motivation. It will take some practice to develop your ability to remain motivated and committed to your goals. Here are a few things you can do to enhance your motivation:

Use a simple schedule.
Make a small to do list
Review your progress at least once a week
Keep your goals simple and doable
Do one or two things per day to help you remain committed and focus
Do not move your next goal until you have completed the first one
Make your task as enjoyable as possible
Be consistent
Attempt to finish one task per day

The more you engage in an activity, the more it becomes a habit. The good thing about a routine is that it becomes second nature and motivation is not required as much to maintain the behavior. The key to developing practices that produce desired results is consistency, which eventually will replace the need to consistently try to get motivated.

BodyMakeover – Food Planning (part 2-3)

When it comes to changing your relationship to your body, the first step you need to address is how you eat and how much you consume. Though exercises help you burn extra calories, the food choices you make will provide you with the fuel to keep you going and the energy to function daily. Without a proper food plan, you will feel too tired to attend the gym successfully and lack the endurance to workout for significant periods. When developing a food plan with the goal of losing weight, you need to make decisions that you can live with on full-time bases. Begin with a simple and easy selection that will not break the bank.

To succeed in reshaping your body, you need to learn to view your goals as a lifestyle makeover, and not a temporary fix designed just to help fit into your bikini or wedding tux. Your goals need to become lifestyle habits and designed with the idea that it’s a plan you will maintain even after reaching your goals. Therefore, it is vital that you make your decisions based on what you are able to let go of and what you are willing to adopt as part of your daily routine.

You start where you are at now. Here is a simple sample of some dietary suggestions:

Before going on any significant food modification see a doctor and make sure you follow proper nutritional recommendations.
The recommendation for a physical has several logical reasons; helps determine your bloodwork and BMI; will help you make smart dietary choices based on your body’s real needs, and identify potential health issues that can be aggravated by food changes
Review your eating and cut back in some areas. Reduce white flour products, sugar intake and extra portions. Notice I said reduce. Until you are sure about your dietary needs, make sure not to try any restricted diet without proper medical guidance
Your eating should be realistic to your budget, lifestyle and health needs.
Keep in mind regardless of your medical history you can start by eating smaller portions and not skipping meals.
When it comes to eating, cook more home meals and try to take lunch to work.
Reduce take out and restaurant meals.
Engage in activities that involve fewer meals and are more physical, such as going to the park for walks, biking around town, going to museums, dancing, roller skating, swimming.
If you are dating, suggest activities that involve more outdoor activities.
Keep a journal to record your progress.
Get a few cookbooks or look up online good recipes
Try new vegetable recipes since vegetables are low in calories and are an excellent source of nutrients, packed with vitamins. You don’t have to become a vegan or vegetarian to enjoy quality vegetable dishes.
Learn to cook with real butter and olive oil
Measure your food. Many problems are not about the types of foods we eat but how much of it we consume. Food serving does not consist of a whole box, and a cup is 8oz not 32 ozs or 16 oz
Break the habit of adding a little extra for flavor. Keep in mind an extra spoon of oil or butter as an additional 100 calories
Download food tracking apps to help you stay on point at least for four weeks. One excellent app is LOSE IT.
To lose a pound weight, you need to consume 500 calories less than your average intake. To obtain your ideal weight, multiply 15 times by the number of your ideal weight, which will give you the total calories you need to consume. For instance, to maintain the weight of 135lb, multiply 15 by 135, and it gives you 2035. However, if you are unsure how much to lose, see your doctor or professional nutritionist.
Keep in mind; you can lose weight without counting calories, however, tracking your calories will give you an idea how much you consume and will train you to become mindful of your choices.
Try what is referred to as clean eating, which basically means eating less processed foods. Mainly enjoy meals that do not come in cans or pre-made. Yes, I am suggesting you cook. There are a lot of hidden calories and loads of salt and sugar in pre-packaged meals.
Stop lazy eating. This means again, you need to start preparing your food and reduce take-out or ready-made meals.
Avoid rewarding yourself with food. You are not Pavlov’s dog. Believe it or not, that constant rewarding yourself with food has trained you to seek food whenever you do something good.

Changing how you eat is not always easy. It is not fun, especially when you have learned to see food as something more than fuel for physical activities. For many foods is a comfort, it’s an activity and a social event. For many, food is viewed as the only joy they can experience, especially if they are broke, can’t travel or have limited social outlets. Food can represent many things and change our relationship with it will take time and commitment. Keep in mind just because you are trying to reduce your weight it does not mean you have to eat tasteless or boring meals. Healthy food can be not only nutritious but extremely delicious when you take the time to learn new ways to cook and think outside the comfort zone.

Good Food Recipes Sources

http://health.facty.com/food/nutrition/11-clean-eating-meal-ideas/

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/18330/lifestyle-diets/clean-eating/quick-easy/

http://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/smart-choices/clean-eating-recipes#clean-eating-recipes_2

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/clean-eating-recipes

https://greatist.com/eat/clean-eating-recipes-that-taste-amazing

For Vegetarian Lifestyle

https://www.cleaneatingmag.com/recipes/vegetarian?_escaped_fragment_=