There is a growing problem which is a world-wide epidemic. The issue is with what we eat and how we eat it. Unfortunately, the whole “healthy living” fad was just that, a passing trend. In order to improve our lives, we must address the difficult issues which negatively impact us on a daily basis. One of these issues is motivation and the other issue is food.
Getting Motivated
Making a change is never easy; in general, people are not too fond of change. Usually change comes as a result of a negative experience: an unhappy relationship, the loss of a job, frightening results from a medical test, and so on. What people need to understand is that not all change is bad! Sometimes, making a difficult change and seeing it through can really boost our morale and improve self-esteem and self-confidence. The first step in making change is to decide which area of your life you would like to improve. If you sit down and make a list of all the things you wish you were able to do better, you may see a common link between them. Many times, people want to do things which are indirectly related to their diets. Whether you want to go on vacation but feel uncomfortable or want to go hiking or play with your grandkids but don’t feel like you have any energy, you can trace those feelings back to general wellness. This, in turn, is directly affected by your diet.
Making the Change
Once you are aware of your eating behaviors, you will easily be able to see where you can make changes to improve your diet and start eating healthy. Many people say that they already eat healthy foods but cannot seem to shed pounds or feel energized. The easiest and most straight-forward way to address this common argument is to keep a food diary for one week. During this trial, keep a log of exactly what you put into your mouth; both solid and liquid. Don’t forget a single bite. Keep track of the amount, as well. After one week, take the food diary to your doctors or dietitians office and look at it together. There will almost certainly be questionable foods and drinks present which are standing in the way of your healthy lifestyle. Many people do not realize how often they snack on random foods or how often they open a can of beer or soda.
Eating More and Eating Less
One of the biggest culprits of obesity is not what we are eating, but how much we are eating. No, there are no shortages of delicious fried and fast foods to indulge in. No, you should not completely deprive yourself of the foods that you are accustomed to eating because you will likely fail if you go cold turkey. However, the key to success is to limit (drastically) your intake of these taboo foods. If you like to eat cheesecake three times a week, change it to three bites, once a week. If your family goes out to a burger joint, rather than having two double cheeseburgers for dinner with a side of fries, make it a single burger (no mayo) and a handful of your buddies fries. On the contrary, if you are not an avid vegetable eater, you need to change your ways! Vegetables are delicious and high in fiber which means they are healthy and filling! Many people think they don’t like veggies but they haven’t really tried them. There are lots of ways to prepare cooked and raw vegetables which are nutritious and delicious! If your main dietary staple consists of vegetables, you can eat more; almost as much as you’d possibly want!
The End Results
The benefits which you will receive when changing to a healthy diet are immense. Not only will you shed pounds; you will feel energized, healthy, and proud of yourself for being responsible for your well-being! The benefits are even more profound if you have children or grandchildren. When you cook, you will be offering them a healthy meal and healthy snacks. This will set an example for them and give them a great start at living a healthy lifestyle filled with great food choices!
Starting an exercise program can be painfully difficult for many people. Just the thought of 30 minutes of continuous movement will make some couch-potatoes break into a sweat! I have some good news for those of you who think that a good work-out consists of parking more than one space away from the entrance! Exercise doesn’t have to be work! Losing weight and getting a healthy heart and lungs can be fun, exciting, and a great way to spend quality family time together. There are lots of great ways to motivate yourself to exercise:
