Wednesday 21 December 2011

How to eat better and feel great

A lot of people are in a rush these days.  I mean it's Christmas, the holidays are here and everyone is in a rush to do something.  Whether it be to get presents or just trying to catch up with work, or taking care of your family.  Everyone has something to do and no one has time for thinking about eating healthy and taking care of your body.  It happens every year and then people start making their crazy new years resolutions to make up for all the bad habits they have allowed themselves to fall into over the holidays.

It wasn't that long ago that I was in college, and it was very stressful.  At the time I was considering switching to an online degree because I figured it would be easier if I decided to move or travel I could still keep working towards my goal.  It was just stress coming in from all angles and I didn't know what to do or how to handle it.  So I did what most college kids did I ate lots of fast food, got lazy didn't work out and by the end of the holidays I was fatter than I'd ever been and definitely not happy.


I realized that it was a combination of everything that had gotten me there and I promised myself that I would not let it happen again.  I vowed right there that I would make a real difference in my habits everyday.  Let's be honest that lasted all of two days before I was back to my usual habits.  So over a course of a couple weeks I realized I really needed to make a change and I needed to stick to it.

I realized I was doing a lot of work at home and that making a change had to be about a daily change.  So I put a notepad on the fridge and everyday I would write down everything that I ate, anything I felt was bad I put in a big black marker.  Anything I ate that I felt was healthy and putting me towards my goal I put in a nice colorful marker and then everyday before I went to bed I would review the list.  It amazed me as I saw all the black on the list instead of nice colorful writing. 

The more I reviewed the list the more I would remember to make a change each and everyday.  When I would go to the fridge I would see the list from the day before and try and make changes every time I ate.  I also made other simple healthy choices.  I realized it was unrealistic for me to go to the gym everyday.  I simply didn't have the time, so instead I made quick easy changes.  Instead of driving the couple blocks to the grocery store and being lazy, I would walk it.  Instead of driving to school everyday and searching for a parking spot wasting gas, I bought a bike and rode to school.

It doesn't seem like much, but after a while everything started to click.  I realize these are very easy changes that anyone can make, but the more I made them, the more my subconscious would kick in and start making them automatically.  The moral of the story is when the holidays end and you decide to make your new years resolution, be realistic with your goals. 

Don't tell yourself you'll work out everyday or that you will eat healthy everyday.  It's not impossible, but it just won't happen overnight.  Instead start making small gradual changes and you will see that overtime it will become not only easier, but the subconscious decision in your head.  I still eat a fast food burger every once in a while, but my subconscious healthy decisions have evolved and now I work out 3 times a week, ride my bike to work, and almost always have a nice yogurt and fruit breakfast and a healthy salad with dinner.







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