With obesity and diabetes rates in America at epidemic levels, you would think this would simply scare people into changing their poor eating habits. Yet, the bottom line is that Americans are drawn to the fast fix, the convenience of drive-thru’s, the quick pizza delivery, the microwave meals and the ease of processed foods.
With the craziness of our everyday lives, it is no wonder we gravitate towards the easy fix, but in the end we are depriving ourselves of a healthy body and a healthy life. So, what are some of the lies we tell ourselves that stop us from changing our poor habits:
- “I can deprive myself and just not eat today.”
- The ” I’ll start Monday and binge this weekend.”
- “I actually believe I am eating healthy…fried chicken is healthy, right?”
- “I didn’t have time today to prepare anything, I’ll just grab something quick on the go, but it is just this once.”
Healthy living is about creating healthy habits and just like your old habits, they don’t happen overnight. Habits take time to become ingrained, and small progressive changes over a period of time lead to long term success. Fad diets and diets in general don’t work!
Here are a few habits that you can start doing TODAY that will improve your health:
Always eat a healthy breakfast: Breakfast literally means breaking your body’s overnight fast. Eating breakfast yields several healthy benefits, including improved concentration and increased energy. Eating a healthy breakfast also aids in weight management by helping to avert cravings and ravenous hunger before lunch. In addition, breakfast will actually raise your metabolism and helps build lean muscle.
Consistently get 7-9 hours of sleep each night: According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, getting 7-9 hours of nightly sleep will repair your body, keep your heart healthy, reduce stress, improve memory, regulate the hormones that affect your appetite and reduce mood disorders as well as reducing your chance of getting Type 2 diabetes.
Eat a protein source at every meal- never eat a carb alone: Carbohydrates raise your blood sugar, telling your body to go into fat storage mode. Protein blunts this increase in your blood sugar keeping you in a stable fat burning mode. Have a good source of protein every time you sit down to eat. From a handful of almonds with an apple, to a grilled chicken breast with a grilled vegetable. This may seem like an easy habit to conquer, but remember to do it every time!
So what are you willing to start doing today? Making changes are never easy. Start with ONE HABIT to conquer each week and recognize that maybe you aren’t exactly where you’d like to be right now and that’s OK. Remember the first step is always the hardest, but the most important towards improving your overall health and being mindful of changing your habits!