You have now decided to start, you have set a goal(s) in place and you are on your way to a lifestyle of health, happiness and the key to youth, energy and beauty mind, heart and body. With anything new, the more you know, the better. One of my most favorite quotes by Maya Angelou is that when we know better, we do better. She quotes; ‘I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.’ This quote has stayed with me and holds true to all things. But if this is true, how do we not all do better each day. If we care about something, if we set out to achieve something, there is no excuse. The information to do what we set out to do is available to us. We somehow still fall short on our accountability to stay true to what we want and to stay the course. It is easy to say that we do not have time, that we have other things that take priority and that somehow taking care of ourselves is too time consuming, inconvenient and selfish. Does this make sense? I know that when I feel my best, I put my best out into the world. I can think clear, achieve more and be satisfied at the end of the day. I can live what I teach and be the example I choose to be. With living my healthiest lifestyle, I have learnt the value of knowledge and balance. There is a reason to why you may be tired, grouchy, moody, sick. It has taken me time and every person is individually different to how their lifestyle dictates balance, but the commitment to knowing the reason to your results or lack there of is an extremely important step towards achieving a short term target as opposed to a lifetime of health.
With this said, let’s squash some common misconceptions on living your healthiest lifestyle and what it actually takes. This month I will focus on:
I am too busy –
This can absolutely be the case and I’m not going to lie, this lifestyle takes preparation and commitment. However, the more consistent you are, the more you implement it into your lifestyle, the more it does not take away but actually allows you to be more efficient with your time and have more energy to do the things you love to do with the people you love!
*Preparation: You must pre plan your day and incorporate meals as though they are mini appointments. To avoid the crash and burn or need for a spike of energy, you must fuel yourself properly throughout the day. You will avoid cravings and find you have energy that lasts and a clear head to achieve deadlines and finish projects! Just as though you would pre plan a movie date with your children, a coffee date with friends, a late night at work or studying, you must also plan time to prepare your food. Pick two days a week to cook your proteins and section out carbohydrates, fruit and veggies to have for the week. Pop the cooked proteins in the freezer if you wish and pull out as you need them or the night before the next day. No need to spend more than 5 minutes in the morning packing your daily meals….you will be ready before your coffee even has time to brew.
*Invest in a good cooler – there are lot’s of great cooler options that you can pack full of meals for the day, no matter where your day takes you. Never leave home without a meal. When we fail to prepare, this is when we make bad decisions based on things we perceive as convenient and are more than likely to stop and pick up fast processed food, than to stop at a grocery store for a healthier option.
*Leave the ‘processing’ to your kitchen – stay away from buying things with added sugars, ingredient labels with more than 3 ingredients listed, anything in packages with long shelf lives. Add the herbs and spices to your own foods, cut up fresh veggies and fruits and cook things yourself in your own kitchen. This will allow you to know what you are consuming in a day and staying away from added sugars will help avoid cravings.
*Measure your food – A lot of us eat healthy, we just may be eating more than our body can use. Track your servings. You will find you are satiated without being full or uncomfortable and you will consume less.
*Stay hydrated – Drink water! Lot’s of it! We crave sugar when we are dehydrated.
*Schedule your meals – set a timer on your phone to let you know you it’s time to eat. Eat a meal every 2-3 hours throughout the day.
*Get your sleep – Sleep means growth, regeneration and recharge.
All change needs time and effort before it becomes habit. This will be a bit of an adjustment if you do not do meal prep currently, but you will end up loving it and finding new ways to use Tupperware and to create new and exciting clean meals to fuel throughout the day! Your energy, change and commitment to the lifestyle will be all the talk at school, the office, the staff room, wherever you are and you will become a source of motivation for others to start living their healthiest lifestyle too! Being a source of motivation for others is the most powerful form of motivation for yourself to keep going and to continue to inspire and put your spin on this lifestyle!!
xoxo
Holly Barker