Recently, I was listening to my personal life coach’s podcast, The Motivation for Moms, and she said, “Each of you have a light to share and when you share that light, you are making the world a better place.” She has said this many times, but for some reason it struck an accord with me that day. So, today, I am sharing my experiences and advice for adopting a healthy lifestyle!
With all of the “Healthy Information” out there, it may leave you asking one, or more, or even all of the following questions:
How do you choose what information to trust?
How do you change so many things at once?
Where do you start?
Why is eating healthy so hard?
Why can’t I change as fast as her or him?
Do any of these sound familiar? I know I have asked a few of these questions myself.
Truth is, there isn’t 1 perfect health plan and most of them won’t be right for you. The Perfect Health Plan for YOU is the one that you will stick to and the one that supports YOUR body the best. You are the perfect judge of what’s working and what’s not working for YOU!
For example, I have been reading about the health benefits of eating almonds. A study that was quoted in the book, Eat Smarter by Shawn Stevenson, which was published in the journal Nutrition Research and Practice, found that “by eating a handful of almonds before their meal, study participants lost significantly more body fat and even reduced visceral fat compared to the control group who didn’t include the almonds.” Not only that, but almonds are a great source of Magnesium, Calcium, Copper, B-Vitamins, and Vitamin E. With all of this added knowledge, I started snacking on almonds while we were on road trips. However, by the end of the trip, my tongue started to feel numb and my throat felt weird. Finally, after 3 road trips, and a quick review of my food sensitivity test, I have discovered that I have an allergy to almonds. Despite their healthy benefits, almonds are no longer on my healthy eating plan.
Tip #1 - Food does not affect all people the same. What works for one person may not work for you.
WATER is a lifeblood source for your body!
FACT: Your brain is made up of 80% water.
FACT: Your Cerebrospinal Fluid cannot do its job without water.
FACT: Dehydration is the #1 cause of daytime fatigue. (First three facts taken from the book, Eat Smarter.)
FACT: “Just a 2% drop in your body’s baseline hydration level, can lead to impairment in task requiring attention, motor coordination, and executive function.” (From a study cited in Medicine and Science and Sports and Exercise and quoted on the Model Health Show Podcast #503.)
FACT: “Rehydration restores brain value.” (Quote from the Model Health Show Podcast #503.)
Friends, your body needs WATER, not Soda, not Gatorade, not Juice….WATER! Your body needs sufficient Water intake to function properly. If you feel like your body isn’t functioning properly, INCREASE YOUR WATER INTAKE!
How much water is sufficient? In my research, most of the health professionals suggest using this simple formula:
Your Body Weight ÷ 2
The answer is the total amount of water in ounces that you should be drinking each day. (If you are over 200 pounds, your max amount of water should be 100 ounces per day.) However, if you are exercising, then you should increase your amount of water.
I measure out my water each night and put it in my own container in the fridge. That way my amount of water I need to drink the following day is prepared and ready to go for the morning.
Drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning can boost your metabolic rate by 30%, according to the book Eat Smarter! That’s a simple change to add to your morning routine. I don’t know about you, but I am so thirsty in the morning. So instead of reaching for some OJ, Coffee, or whatever your morning go-to is, try keeping a bottle of water by your bed and reach for that instead. Starting your morning hydrated is a sure way to set yourself up for success!
I also fill my stainless steel water bottle with water and ice first thing in the morning. That way I can grab it to take with me on the go. I also created a challenge for myself where I have to take a sip of water at every red light. (or if you live in a small town with no stoplights, every stop sign.) This encourages me to stay hydrated in my morning drop-offs and while running errands.
Also it is a good idea to invest in a good water filter. Regular Tap Water, depending on the source of your local water, may contain pharmaceutical chemicals leftover from recycled water, or other harmful things. “Water isn’t just H₂O, It’s H₂O with other things dissolved in it. And the things dissolved in it help determine how it hydrates or dehydrates you.” To discover more about this topic please refer to Chapter 4 of the book ‘Eat Smarter.’ Just remember, “if you don’t use a water filter, you become the filter!”
Can’t stand the plain taste? Try adding fruit, some vegetables (like cucumber), or herbs like mint to your water. Let your creative side come out and experiment to find what flavor you like best! I enjoy squeezing lemon and lime over ice and then pouring my water over the top! Delicious!
TIP #2 - Increase the amount of your water intake to half your body weight in ounces.
If we all made one healthier choice each day, in 10 years we would be a healthy nation! Some people think that in order to be “healthy” you have to make some grand declaration and throw out your unhealthy lifestyle completely and focus only on the things that are healthy. This is completely untrue. If you were to do this, burnout would soon approach and you would instantly go back to your old ways. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is a gradual process. If Rome wasn’t built in a day, then you can’t expect yourself to be healthy in a day!
For me, I chose 1 goal per month to focus on. The first month it was drinking more water. I measured out my water each day and found ways to drink the whole thing. After 30 days, I was a pro! The next month I chose to remove white flour from my diet. After 30 days, I tried some homemade bread using white flour and discovered it sent me into a migraine. The next month I chose to remove processed junk from my diet. I am still continuing with my monthly goals of healthy habits.
As you can see, nothing that I have accomplished or learned has happened overnight. It’s been a process with a steep learning curve. However, what I have learned from all of this is that adopting a healthy lifestyle is about just simply making healthier choices each day.
TIP #3 - If Rome wasn’t built in a day, then you can’t expect yourself to be healthy in a day!
Here are a few examples of making healthier choices each day:
Instead of reaching for that soda you love (even if it’s diet), you reach for your new stainless steel water bottle. Instead of buying McDonald’s for your children, you make them homemade chicken nuggets and fries. Instead of buying plain Mayo, you look for an organic version made with Avocado Oil. Instead of eating out for lunch each day, you pack your own.
This may seem like a ton of work because now you have to make homemade chicken nuggets instead of rolling through a drive-through or now you have to read the ingredients labels instead of just buying what you are used to.
Adopting a healthy lifestyle does require planning. However, if you spend 10 minutes planning meals each week, it will actually save you time in the long run.
Here’s an example from the Bostwick house:
Amber: What do you want for dinner?
Scott: I don’t know. Whatever feels good.
Amber: Well, what feels good to you?
Scott: A pizza.
Amber: I can’t eat pizza.
Scott: Then you choose.
----Hours later----
Amber: What do you want for dinner?
Scott: I don’t know.
I am sure you have all felt this way at some point. Hours wasted on choosing what to have for dinner. It’s frustrating and it almost always leads us to eating whatever junk we have lying around or eating out. Both of which typically do not support the healthy lifestyle you are trying to adopt.
My life coach, Sara Muender, taught me to plan out 2 weeks worth of meals. Then once the 2 weeks are up, you can either repeat what you have in place or tweak it to fit your needs. For best results, plan all of your meals—Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks. When you have your meals written out, you can clearly see where healthy tweaking needs to take place. You can see where you need to add more veggies, fruits, healthy fats, etc.
Planning your meals also saves you some serious cash at the grocery store! When you have a plan and stick to the plan, then you aren’t wasting your hard-earned cash on wasteful foods that do not support your waistline!
TIP #4 - Planning saves you TIME, MONEY, and SANITY!
I think I have said this in just about every healthy eating blog post I have written, READ YOUR FOOD LABELS!
Just because the front of the package makes a food item appear to be healthy, doesn’t mean that it actually is healthy. Turn it over. Usually it contains harmful additives that can really hurt your body.
Want to know an easy way to know if it’s a harmful additive? Try to pronounce it. If you can’t, it’s usually a clear indication that it’s not good for you. Another thing to look for is if the ingredient is made from something you clearly know what it is (apples, tomatoes, bananas, etc). If it is not, don’t buy it.
Avoid food items that include the following:
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Aspartame
Soybean, Canola, or Corn Oil
Natural Flavors
Any Color Dyes
Dextrose
Maltodextrin
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
There are others, of course, but these are the main ones. I have noticed that by avoiding these, you are automatically avoiding the others.
When available you should purchase Certified Organic products. Organic products are free from:
GMOs
Pesticides
Hexane— “Most vegetable oils (canola, soybean, corn, sunflower) are extracted using the neurotoxin hexane (distilled from crude oil), and some residue may remain in these oils. There’s nothing prohibiting hexane-processed ingredients in non-GMO products, but hexane is banned from production of USDA organic products.”
Being Fertilized with Sewage Sludge
Growth-Promoting Drugs in Meats
*Information taken from the book ‘Feeding You Lies’ by Vani Hari, The Food Babe.
TIP #5 - Don’t trust the front of the package. ALWAYS READ YOUR FOOD LABELS!
Just because you are now on the pathway of adopting a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean that you have to give up all of the foods you enjoy. Find a healthy swap!
Here are a few of my favorites:
Kraft Mayo → Primal Kitchen Mayo, made with Avocado Oil—From COSTCO
Pace Salsa → Organic Jack’s Cantina Salsa—From COSTCO
Any off brand Sour Cream → Daisy Sour Cream—From any grocery store
Chip Dip → Kirkland Organic Hummus—From COSTCO
Tostitos Tortilla Chips → Siete Brand Tortilla Chips—From Sams Club, Smith’s, Target
Kix Cereal → Nature’s Path Organic Gorilla Munch Cereal—From WinCo
It doesn’t matter where you shop, you can discover new and exciting brands to purchase. Most of the time, the cost isn’t that different. A few of my favorite stores that surprisingly carry a good selection of Organic products are: Target, WinCo, Wal-Mart, and Costco.
Tip #6 - Don’t give up what you like, find a healthy swap!
Let’s be honest, you knew my next tip was coming—Ditch the Sugar!
Did you know that eating sugar makes your brian light up in the same way as using Cocaine does?
It’s honestly crazy what sugar does to not only your brain but your body as well. Dr. Rangan Chatterjee lists a few symptoms that may indicate that you are eating too many sweets:
Feeling the need to eat every 2 hours
Concentration dropping mid-morning
Experiencing an afternoon slump
Feeling hungry—irritability between meals
Feeling shaky or dizzy
Experiencing a huge boost in energy or fatigue after your meal
Overreliance on caffeine and sugar to “keep me going”
Craving for sweet foods and snacks between meals
Feeling light-headed if you’re late for a meal
Bottom line is that unnecessary added sugars are in almost every pre-packaged food item and bottled drink you can imagine. It’s amazing to me that by drinking one bottle of typical soda, you are consuming 15-20 TABLESPOONS OF SUGAR! I bet you’d throw up if you tried to eat 15-20 tablespoons of sugar in the same time it took you to drink it! WOW!
The sad thing about all of this unnecessary added sugar is that is what we are feeding our children! If we, as grown adults, do not need all of this added sugar, just think about what it’s doing to their tiny little bodies!
This summer, as with most summers, we walk down to our local high school to pick up our free summer lunch. Not that we are in need of the assistance, it’s mainly just something to do and it gets us out of the house each day.
The typical meals that we received were:
White Milk
*Chocolate Milk
*Juice
*Either Cheese Burger, Chicken Burger, or Corn Dog
*Chips
Either an Apple, Orange, or Pear
*Fruit Cup
*Either a Pop Tart, Muffin, or Cereal
*Some kind of treat—Sorbet, cookie, etc.
Basically every food item in their bags was filled with unnecessary added sugars! WOW!
We must start paying attention to how much added sugar we are consuming each day and how much we are feeding our children!
Tip #7 - Ditch the Sugar!
Our culture today has adopted the “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” mentality. We push ourselves more than any other generation to get the job done. We have broken the bounds of the typical 8-5 job. We now check emails, answer phone calls, and work during non-working hours. We work around the clock because our bosses and customers expect us to.
This new way of working has many people not getting adequate amounts of sleep. This leaves us with increased leptin levels, gut permeability, inflammation, fat mass, and insulin resistance, according to Dr. Rangan Chatterjee.
Here are a few ideas to increase your quality of sleep:
No technology at least 90 minutes before bed.
Make your room dark by getting rid of unnecessary lights.
Be outside in the morning.
Don’t watch a thriller or anything that gets you alarmed before bed.
Enjoy your caffeine before noon.
Complete an evening Meditation.
*For more ideas, please read Dr. Rangan Chatterjee’s book ‘How to Make Disease Disappear.’
Tip #8 - Get more quality sleep.
A family member of mine went to the doctor when her children were young to treat her depression. Her wise doctor told her to go for a walk every morning—rain or shine. She did. Years later, even though her children are grown with children of their own, she still goes for her daily morning walk.
Friends, daily exercise and especially some exercise that allows you to be outside is a must! By moving our bodies, we invite ourselves to use our muscles, clear our minds, and ward off depression!
Set a goal of moving your body for at least 5 minutes a day. Yes, you read that right—5 minutes a day. Everyone has 5 minutes to spend toward this goal. The idea behind the 5 minutes is that you make your goal ridiculously easy—so easy that you have to do it. Most of the time, you’ll find that you naturally exercise for longer. However, on those days where you don’t feel good, 5 minutes is obtainable.
Remember that exercising doesn’t have to mean that you have to wear workout clothes, drive yourself to the gym, and hire a personal trainer in order to complete the task. Exercising could look like a brisk morning walk, a 5-minute HIIT workout on your phone in your underwear in your room, or a dance party in the kitchen while making dinner with your kids. The truth is, if you make it easy and fun, you’ll do it!
Tip #9 - Make your 5 minute daily exercise fun and easy!
Discover your WHY! If you do not know your “why” behind adopting a healthy lifestyle, then you will never be able to fully adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Chris Johnson, author of the book ‘On Target Living,’ defines you “WHY” as your desire, your need; it is your fuel for change to take place.
Maybe your why is out of necessity—your doctor has suggested you change your ways or you don’t like the way you feel. Maybe your why is having enough energy to do activities with your family.
For me, my “why” is to be free from the awful pain of migraines, to set an example of what healthy looks like for my girls, to help the world uncomplicate what being healthy means, and to feel great!
Just a reminder—No matter what your “WHY” is, it must be bigger than your “BUT!”
TIP #10 - Get Clear On Your WHY and make it bigger than your BUT!
Friends, I have given you 10 easy ways to start your healthy transformation! Here is a quick review:
Tip #1 - Food does not affect all people the same. What works for one person may not work for you.
TIP #2 - Increase the amount of your water intake to half your body weight in ounces.
TIP #3 - If Rome wasn’t built in a day, then you can’t expect yourself to be healthy in a day!
TIP #4 - Planning saves you TIME, MONEY, and SANITY!
TIP #5 - Don’t trust the front of the package. ALWAYS READ YOUR FOOD LABELS!
Tip #6 - Don’t give up what you like, find a healthy swap!
Tip #7 - Ditch the Sugar!
Tip #8 - Get more quality sleep.
Tip #9 - Make your 5 minute daily exercise fun and easy!
TIP #10 - Get Clear On Your WHY and make it bigger than your BUT!
To make adopting a healthy lifestyle even easier, pick just 1 to start today! Do that 1 thing each day for 30 days and then add another. Keep going! Don’t give up!
I am convinced that being healthy can be easy! All you have to do is just be a little healthier than you were the day before!
You are only in a competition with yourself on this healthy journey, and no one else. So there’s no reason to compare yourself with another. If you are making healthier decisions than you were the day before, then you are winning. If you messed up today, you are learning!
Don’t be so hard on yourself! You are the only judge that matters! You are the only person that can determine how you feel!
Making 1 healthy decision each day for the rest of your life, will change your life! You CAN do this!
If you need help along your journey, reach out to me. If you need other ideas to start your healthy transformation, reach out to me. If you feel stuck, please reach out to me.
All quotes where taken directly from the books that are listed below.
Here are links to the books I’ve quoted in today’s post:
Here is a link to listen to the Motivation For Moms Podcast or you can search for it wherever you listen to your Podcasts.
Here is a link to the Model Health Show Podcast or you can search for it wherever you listen to your Podcasts.
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