What does Living A “Healthy Lifestyle” mean to you?
For some, it may mean choosing healthier and foods to eat, making better choices and following a strict menu plan.
For others, it may mean working out 5-7 days a week while eating more nutrient-dense foods and drinking tons of water throughout the day.
Now, for me, a “healthy lifestyle” is definitely about choosing healthier, more nutrient-dense foods as well as working out but it is so much more than that. Lifestyle is defined as, “the typical way of life of an individual, group, or culture.”
In other words, a healthy lifestyle is incorporating health into your everyday life. Make it a normal thing and not something you hate doing (like crash dieting or detoxing).
It’s as simple as that.
This is something that has taken me a while to learn. I have FAILED over and over again thinking crash diets and pills would help me lose weight quickly.
Admitting failure is hard.
Now, I could go on and blame the internet for advertising diet pills and I could blame “influencers” who claim that a certain detox tea will help you drop belly fat but in reality, I blame myself.
I blame myself for not being educated enough to realize that diet pills, crash diets, and three-hour workouts won’t help me lose weight or flatten my tummy. Instead, it causes anxiety, massive amounts of pressure to “look a certain way” and all in all, make me unhappy.
Once I educated myself on “healthy living” my world changed. You mean, I can have a glass of red wine at night and not beat myself up about it afterward?
Yes. Yes, I can.
A healthy lifestyle is all about the choices you make. Don’t restrict yourself to 1200 calorie diets and three-hour workouts every day. Instead, make educated choices on the food you put into your mouth, don’t forget to drink water and focus on exercising when you can.
Besides, your body and mind will thank you.
Don’t have time to workout? Run around the house with your kids, take your dog on a brisk walk or do squats in the shower (yes, I’ve done this).
Have no time to cook a healthy meal every day? Take 1 hour every 3-4 days and prep cook/freeze healthy meals. I could write a whole other blog post on meal prep.
Feel like you don’t get enough sleep? Go to bed earlier.
No matter what you do, make sure you throw away those diet pills and crazy workout routines and instead… do your research, make educated choices and just enjoy life!
I used to be one of those people who would vow to start eating healthier once January 1st came. Making grocery lists, finding recipes and setting plans for the new year was so exciting to me. Yeah, that never lasted long.
Once the holidays came, I was the girl who would binge eat starting at Halloween and through the month of December (can’t resist those holiday cookies) until it was time to set up that resolution again. Then back to yo-yo dieting I went.
Not the best way to live a healthy lifestyle, am I right?
Over the years of trying to figure out what the hell I was doing, I have learned a few tips and tricks from my dieting mistakes, learned about proper nutrition, got advice from my coach during my competition days. I taught myself how to trick my mind into eating healthier and making better choices. I made healthier choices for the long term, not the “yo-yo dieting” I was used to in the past.
How can you start eating healthier?
Although I am still learning and teaching myself how to trick my mind, I feel as though I compiled quite a good list of tips/tricks to keep you satisfied, happy and on the way eating healthier and living a healthier lifestyle.
My 10 Tips and Tricks on Eating Healthier
1. Drink water first thing in the morning and before every meal.
I am a huge believer in drinking a cup of hot water with lemon right after I get up (and after brushing my teeth of course). Another thing I do is try to drink a glass of water about 30 minutes before I eat. I feel as though this fills me up quicker and it helps with digestion. It is also recommended to drink water one hour after eating to absorb the nutrients according to Health Xchange.
2. Stuff raspberries with chocolate chips.
Of course, this tip is from my favorite blogger, The Skinny Confidential. She wrote a whole blog post on chocolate stuffed raspberries.
- Two ingredients
- Easy to make
- Won’t make you feel guilty
= YES
I’m going to have to hide this snack from Rosie. I have a feeling she’s going to be obsessed.
|RELATED POST: Meet Coach Kaitlin!|
3. The Three Bite Rule
*RULE: One bite to say hello, one bite to savor the flavor, and one bite to say goodbye.*
I heard Ingrid De La Mare mention this when I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts. So, if you really really really want that decadent triple chocolate mousse cake, have it!
But only allow yourself three bites… one bite to say hello, one bite to savor the flavor, and one bite to say goodbye.
Love this rule.
4. Fill up your tacos, sandwiches, and wraps with more lettuce.
My family and I typically make tacos 1-2x a month. To say we love tacos is an understatement.
However, there is A LOT that goes into a taco. Refried beans, cheese, beef, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, you name it, I put it on my taco. How do you re-create this to fit into that “eating healthier” lifestyle? Well, recently I have been tricking myself into filling up my taco with less cheese, refried beans, and meat, and more A TON OF lettuce. Like, a ridiculous amount.
As long as the lettuce is crunchy I really do not feel as though I am eating anything different.
The same goes for sandwiches and wraps. Give me all the crunchy lettuce.
5. Drink decaffeinated tea before bed.
This was a tip I used a lot during competition days. My meals were scheduled out every 2.5-3 hours and typically my last one was a snack that did not fill up my sweet tooth.
My sister got me hooked on Tea Guys and gave me a ton in my stocking stuffer last year. I am kind of obsessed with the Pumpkin Caramel Cinnamon (literally drinking this right now) and Peppermint Chocolate Vanilla.
Those really help kick that evening sweet tooth.
6. Make your carb dishes into veggie dishes!
Some examples include zoodles (zucchini noodles). I use this spiralizer to create noodles that are “spaghetti-like.” Add a little tomato sauce, sauteed garlic, shredded parmesan and there you have it! So good.
Another thing I do is cauliflower pizza crust. Pinterest has some great recipes for that. This way, I still get my pizza but I don’t feel so guilty.
One of my favorite things to eat is lettuce wraps. I would pick it over a hamburger bun or wrap. I typically use butter lettuce and fill it up with a lean protein, some vegetables and maybe some salsa or guacamole.
7. Nibble on dark chocolate.
My mom gave me this tip. She would buy the POUND PLUS 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Candy bar from Trader Joes and break it into a ton of pieces. Then she would nibble on 1 or 2 a day to satisfy her sweet tooth. I definitely do this on the regular.
8. Write down your meals
This will help hold you accountable and I am all about accountability. Making weekly menus, grocery lists and more can help you set goals and see where the good or bad habits come from.
My recommended journals to help you on your way to eating healthier:
-
52 Week Meal Planner: The Complete Guide to Planning Menus, Groceries, Recipes, and More (From Target)
-
Hello New Me: A Daily Food and Exercise Journal to Help You Become the Best Version of Yourself (From Amazon)
-
Eat Pretty Live Well: A Guided Journal for Nourishing Beauty, Inside and Out (From Amazon)
9. Have cravings? Try veggies first!
If you are craving something try to eat vegetables to curb the craving. Try some sliced peppers with hummus or munch on some celery with a little bit of all natural nut butter.
Then wait 15 minutes.
Still craving the same thing? Refer to tip #3.
10. Shop the perimeter of the store.
Have you noticed that when you go to the grocery store all of the perishable items are on the perimeter and the junk is in the middle?
Think about it… vegetables, fruit, milk, cheese, bread, meat, yogurt, etc are all on the perimeter. Candy, chips, canned food, etc are all in the middle.
Try to shop the perimeter of the store more than in the middle.
There you have it!
Living a healthy lifestyle isn’t hard. You just need to figure out the right resources on how to do so!
Be mindful of what you read on the internet and what you see on TV and if you ever have any questions or need advice, just ask!
My 10 tips and tricks barely graze the surface for ideas on how to eat healthier.
Do you have any suggestions on how to become a healthier eater or on how to live a healthier lifestyle? I would love for you to comment below on some of your tips and tricks!
Before starting any new health and/or exercise program please check with your doctor and clear any exercise and/or health changes with them before beginning. I am not a doctor or registered dietitian and I do not claim to cure any cause, condition or disease. I do not provide medical aid or nutrition for the purpose of health or disease and claim to be a doctor or dietitian.
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