Setting Yourself Up For Success With Healthy Habits!
Crockpot pork roast, roasted asparagus and broccoli, and fermented turmeric sauerkraut!
Are you setting yourself up for success?
I’m all about setting yourself up for success. Change can be hard enough, so why not try to make things a little less challenging for ourselves?
I could probably write an article about each of the topics below in more detail (and maybe I will!), and more. With that said, I think this is a great “starter” list to get you going. Many of you may know by now what works best in terms of setting yourself up for success...but maybe some of you are still trying to figure things out.
Here are a handful of things that have worked for me and many of my clients. The great thing? Try something, and if it doesn’t quite feel right just try something else! I am always shifting and evolving based on what is going on in my world…and this is ok. Being open to new things and flexible is helpful when trying to find a method that works for you.
1. Aim to eat mostly REAL whole foods and cut back on processed foods.
What is “real food”? Real food is a whole, single-ingredient food. Think broccoli, cauliflower, beef, chicken, avocado, banana, eggs, etc. Real food nourishes and supports our bodies. It contains vitamins, minerals, and naturally occurring fats that our bodies need in order to function in a healthy way. It is the opposite of highly processed foods, which are not found in nature and lack the nutrients that we need to thrive. You could ask yourself, “Would my great-great grandparents recognize this as food?”, or “Could I make something like this using ingredients found in my kitchen?” If the answers are no, then it is probably a highly processed food. Read my blog post on easy ways to get in more nutrients here!
Also, eating well-balanced meals with quality proteins, good fats, and carbs (non-starchy veggies mostly!) will help to keep you stay nourished and satisfied between meals (reducing cravings and a desire to snack). We learn all about this in Week 3 of my Restart program when we discuss blood sugar!
2. Try Batch Cooking once a week!
Batch cooking is more my style when it comes to meal prep. Batch cooking is a method of meal preparation which implies cooking in batches – more food, less often. I always like having good food available to grab/throw together if I’m in a pinch and don’t have time to cook. I load up sheet pans with chicken thighs, sausage, and/or veggies (and I always cook extra to make sure there are enough leftovers if cooking dinner this way). The crockpot can also be a life-saver: soups, whole chickens, roasts, and more! Check out more ideas in the Batch Prepping Basics graphic!
3. Keep Good Food In The House!
I know one thing...if you buy and keep nutritious food in your house, you will be more likely to eat nutritious food. This goes for the kiddos, too. If the snacks available are eggs, jerky sticks, raw veggies/hummus, fruit, nuts/seeds, etc., then this is what they will grab. The same works for us adults;). If there are cookies, cereal, granola bars, chips, pretzels, ice cream, candy…this will most likely get chosen first.
It doesn’t mean that you “can’t” ever have these things (remember, it is ALWAYS your choice), but not keeping them in the house makes it a lot easier to choose foods with the nutrients that your body needs to thrive. Save the ice cream for a family outing/treat. It tastes so much better (in my opinion, lol).
I normally do not plan meals in this way, but it works for so many! Here I meal prepped several nutrient-dense meals for a friend that needed a little help:).
4. Find and remember WHY you want to create healthy habits.
What is your intention for eating nourishing foods and living a healthier lifestyle? More energy? Less Inflammation/pain? Athletic performance? Want to reduce symptoms (digestive issues, skin, poor sleep, hormonal imbalances, blood sugar imbalance, etc.)? Perhaps you want to be around and “able” for your kids (and grandkids) for as long as possible. Maybe you just want to FEEL your best.
Find that something that ignites your desire to live healthier. Whatever it is, hold onto it and think of it often. Don’t label each day a success or a failure, just a journey toward a healthier lifestyle with some possible setbacks along the way. Allowing yourself to be human will help you succeed.
5. Learn about how your body works.
I can’t say this enough. Understanding the WHY and HOW behind nutrition has been a big motivating factor in my commitment to supporting my health. Learning about how digestion is supposed to work vs. when and how things go wrong. What happens when we consume sugar: how insulin works, the job of our pancreas, what happens when we consume too much of it over time, and how blood sugar imbalance can lead to serious health problems/ dis-ease.
Learning HOW eating a diet of primarily highly processed foods can lead to deficiencies and chronic inflammation over time will help you make more health-promoting choices. Knowledge is power, and it really does make choosing nourishing foods over highly processed foods a lot easier. This is a primary focus of my Restart Program, and one of the reasons why I love teaching it.
You can never go wrong with salads! Throw some sort of protein on top, add a little extra virgin olive oil and done! This is usually my “go-to” dish if I am bringing something to a gathering.
6. Embrace and grab the “Low Hanging Fruit”
What do I mean by low hanging fruit? The steps that are “easier to grab”:
-Hydrating well
-Slowing down when you eat and chewing your food
-Spending time outside daily, preferably in the sun without sunscreen or eye coverings.
-Moving your body daily
-Surrounding yourself with people and information that inspires you
-Unplugging from electronics for a while each day
-Prioritizing sleep
Well, there you have it: A handful of ways to help set yourself up for success. Find what works for you, and approach every situation with curiosity rather than judgement. Also, don’t be so hard on yourself: PROGRESS, not perfection! Make things easier if possible, but know that you can do hard things.
Have a great day!
Jaime
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