So, you want to get healthier... where do you start??

How do you even begin to approach your decision to eat healthier?!

Whether you're coming down off a Holiday sweets bender, or a week long vacation with your honey where you drank at ate to your heart's content, NOW is as good a time as any to recommit to your health and fitness goals!

We all have times where we over indulge-- we’re humans! We make mistakes… and also, really, sometimes we do it on purpose and 100% enjoy it! And THAT IS OKAY TOO! What’s important is that these times are the exception and not the rule.

I firmly believe in moderation in all things… and sometimes that means that you need to take a couple days off and let your mind detox from the focus of keeping your body healthy!

….BUT the goal is that you have developed such healthy habits during the other 80-90% of your days that your ideas about cheat foods change and your treats become things like yummy fresh cheese from the farmers market and freshly baked bread and homemade dipping oil rather than a box of Oreos and a Big Mac. 

...my ideal splurge meal involves lots of beautiful cheese! :D

Once your body gets used to eat in a healthy way, it truly begins to crave it… and it gets easier!

The beginning of any journey is always the most difficult, so what I want to share with you today are my top ways to get on track and STAY THERE! Maybe there will be a detour along the way, but if you can get set on these simple mindset changes you will be jamming to your favorite tunes on cruise control in no time! 

1. Figure out why you want to be healthier.

WHY??? WHY are you making this promise to yourself? WHY do you want to improve your health? This could be as simple as an upcoming event or wedding that you’re using as motivation to launch you into long term healthy habits… or it could be as complicated as being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and a high risk of heart disease that runs in your family.

Having a concrete reason that your health is important to you will help keep you focused on the days when you feel like slamming a box of Girl Scout Cookies and pushing play on the Netflix.

Write this reason down. Write a whole paragraph about it if that will help you, but write it down and post it somewhere that you will see it EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Do not lose touch with why you’re beginning this journey. If you do, you are bound to fail.

2. Don’t change everything all at once.

It seems exciting to jump full steam ahead into a new lifestyle, but when we do this we tend to not be successful. And I am speaking from personal experience when I say this. It has taken me years to not need a night-time sweet treat, and years to not feel like I needed to have squishy yummy amazing dinner bread every single night.

I get it. I am WITH YOU… You have got to wean yourself off of some of things slowly so that you don’t rebel against your own will. 

Choose one or two habits a week to change and ease yourself into it. Your healthier life is just that… FOR LIFE… so while it is important that you start to make healthier choices, it’s just that: the start.

Trying to kick a pop habit? Go from 1 a day to 1 every other day, and then make it a once a week treat!

Trying to avoid the pantry late at night? Keep some fresh fruit in the fridge that you can turn to when you’re needing something sweet, and some herbal tea in the pantry to keep you warm and occupied a little longer ;)

What could be a better way to give into your sweet tooth than a few fresh berries sprinkled with a **few** semi sweet morsels??

3. Create a list of healthy options for each meal and snack and post it on your fridge!

By having a visual tool to give you ideas when you’re in a hurry, you are setting yourself up for so much success. Keep the list posted somewhere in the area in which you store your food so that you have ZERO EXCUSE to not make healthy choices.

…..along that same line…. Post your dinner plan for the week on the fridge too! That way everyone in the house is on the same page about what is being eaten each night and there are no surprises and no “ohhh I can’t think of anything to cook, let’s just order out”—NO! Make a plan, stick to the plan, and allow yourself a night on the weekend to cut loose a little.

 

4. Stop thinking that eating less is going to make you skinny.

STOP IT!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! Women in this country have been indoctrinated for decades to believe that they will lose weight if the just cut back their calories. NO. Well, yes, you will… but you will lose all of your muscle first because you metabolism will use up your disposable matter before it turns to your fat… eventually, at such a defecit you will lose fat as well, but you will be a skeleton. And nobody likes a skeleton. Especially your internal organs. And your reproductive system. And your hair. And your nails. And your teeth.

What we need to do instead is realize that FOOD IS FUEL…. We would never expect our cars to run well on an empty tank of gas with engine oil that hasn’t been replaced in months, so why would we ever expect our bodies to perform in any function well without the proper fuel?

This means you needs snacks. You need to eat like a toddler. Why do we feed children the right way and then as we get older we forget what our bodies inherently need from us?

***Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack*** Eating every 2-4 hours keeps your metabolism cranking and burning fat all day!

Protein, Fat, Carbs: these are all necessary components to our health and a pumping metabolism.

Need help figuring out how much you need to be eating in regards to calories and the macro nutrients that I just mentioned? Reach out to me at bestselfproductions@gmail.com and I can help you figure out your goals!

There are also a bazillion different calculators online that can help you out.

Bottom line: eat NUTRITIOUS, WHOLE FOODS and your body will thank you.

5. Finally start drinking your water. Please.

Go out today and buy a 32 ounce BPA free bottle, if you don’t already have one. Water is the fuel for your cells, and without it you can’t possibly run at your highest potential. Yes, we get some water from the foods that we eat, but all of us need at least ½ of our body weight in ounces daily.

Aim for a gallon.

What’s the worst the happens? You fall short and only get 90 ounces? Still a win!

You will be absolutely amazed at the difference that you feel in your daily life once you make this one a habit.

Challenge yourself to drink a gallon of water a day for 30 days and see what sort of changes take place in your body!

Guys, bottom line is this: You can do anything that you put your mind to. You absolutely, 100% have the power to turn your health and your life around at any time. You just have to choose to do the work.

It’s on you.

No one else can do it for you.

I can’t do it for you, your mom can’t do it for you, your spouse can’t do it for you.

If you want to lead a healthier and more fulfilling life, it’s on YOU.

Time to step up to the plate and start making some better choices.

You can do it.

I have faith in you.

Want some help along your journey?

Email me [[ at bestselfproductions@gmail.com ]] about becoming your coach! 

I would love to guide you along your journey to a healthier life… and with the amazing community and accountability groups that my team offers, you will have the support that you are looking for and you will be able to achieve the success that you’ve been wishing for! 

Stop dreaming and START DOING!  

-B