Healthy Habits: Take the First Step
It’s going to feel like work, until it becomes habit.
Often people start thinking about living a healthier lifestyle and become so overwhelmed by all the changes they think they have to make that they quit before they even start. Any step that you take – no matter how small – down the road to living healthier is worth it.
Baby steps – that’s how you learn to walk, how you learn to read, how you learn to ride a bike, and it’s the best way to make meaningful, lasting lifestyle changes. Just like learning to walk or read or ride a bike – it’s not easy. You may stumble along the way, but get back up and try again. It’s going to feel like work, but then one day, it becomes habit. It’s just what you do.
Take exercise – at first you have to write it in your calendar, pre-pack your gym bag and put it on your car seat so you don’t forget. It’s a struggle to get there, but you do. You get it done. And afterwards you feel fabulous! (maybe not on the first day, but I promise, you will!)
Eating healthy food – you have to look up recipes, plan weekly meals, shop in the foreign-to-you produce section. You might have to experiment with 3 different ways to prepare broccoli, but once you find a way you like it – it’s worth it.
Before long these changes won’t take as much fore-thought, planning or even effort. It will just become what you do. Part of your day like brushing your teeth. You will not feel right if you don’t do it. So you’ll rearrange your day to be SURE you get your workout in. You’ll seek out restaurants with healthier options. You and your family may even prefer your home cooked food to the processed or restaurant options.
Baby steps. One recommendation for a place to start – try adding veggies to some of your families favorite meals. Like chili – typically onion, garlic, a few green peppers, canned tomatoes, maybe some beans and ground beef. Try adding more peppers, maybe some red bell peppers, different types of beans, green beans and even chopped squash for color/shape/texture and maybe just 1/2 the ground beef. It’ll save you $$ in meal cost – and medical bills down the road! Or a veggie chili where you replace the beef in your recipe with chopped mushrooms!
Garnish with green onions or cilantro for an extra fresh flavor.
Need help figuring out where to start? I’m here for you. I can help you navigate the grocery store to determine the gold mines from the land mines!