I came across this article yesterday and it was the perfect explanation for something that I blather on about to people all the time in a much more long-winded way: how to retrain your taste buds to actually crave healthier foods. It's a simple concept, but not always so simple to put into practice until you are really ready for change. But, with the holidays on the horizon (trust me, Halloween candy will be on the shelves in the blink of an eye) this is the perfect time to prepare your mind for the sugar that lies ahead.
The article focuses on one detail: we crave what we eat a lot of. So, to crave healthy food you have to EAT healthy food! Simple, but not always easy! Well, not at first. Habits can be hard to establish, but luckily the habit of healthy eating has such quick rewards that sticking to it isn't as hard as we anticipate it will be.
The real clincher in this process goes back to one of my tools of goal-achievement: Intention. Simply put: doing stuff on purpose. Eating with the intent of training your tastebuds to crave different food takes focus, determination, and intention. Here are some ways you can achieve it:
1. Assess and alter your environment. Are you expecting yourself to not eat chocolate anymore, but you have bags of candy in the pantry for other people? Do you have habits that frequently put you face to face with what you're trying to avoid? Get rid of it! Change your routine! Change your pantry. Real change requires real change.
2. Look and plan ahead. For me, it's weekends. All week I trot right through happily on my plan, and then Saturday morning it's all wonked out. My routine is erratic, I'm invited to a party, or I'm bored and my mind wanders. So, I anticipate that and plan for it. I make sure I have a schedule, even if it's not filled with work. I volunteer to bring something to the party to share with everyone else. And, I keep my hands busy!
3. Dig in your heels. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your own wellness is to get stubborn and adopt a "my way or the highway," mentality. No, that doesn't mean everyone else has to bend to your will, but 9 times out of 10 am able to stick to my plan in the face of chaos. It takes determination and sheer will, but again: real change takes REAL CHANGE.
4. Get a support system. I have clients and friends who text me in those hard times. It's not unusual for my phone to beep all weekend with messages like, "I'm at the wedding! They're bringing out the cake! Distract me!" Or, "at a bbq joint, not making eye contact with the dessert menu..." And, I send them to friends, as well! We all need our support systems and they really really help.
The article I linked to also has some great tips. You can get rid of your penchant for whatever is holding you back or just plain annoying you in your nutrition. Try some of these this weekend and remember: get out there and get healthy!
Showing posts with label intentional health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label intentional health. Show all posts
Friday, August 12, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Intentional Health: Tracking Progress!
One of my favorite bosses once said something that stuck with me: you can manage what you can measure. He was talking about marketing campaigns, but it applies to so much more. Since this week is all about intentional wellness, what better way is there to intentionally live healthy than to collect and track data? For today we're going to let the answer be, "none!" :)
There are plenty of ways that we could get all compulsive about our health, micromanaging it down to the point where we're so stressed that we forget that being healthier is supposed to make us happier. I don't recommend that. Instead, let's focus on two of the biggies: what goes in and what goes out. I'm talking about calories, just so we're clear.
First, the calories that go in. For years I collected stacks of little spiral notebooks where I had logged my meals, and then I found http://www.fitday.com/ and started logging my meals online. Way easier. Keeping a food journal is not only a proven technique for permanent weight loss management, but it provides both data and accountability, two of the other tools in my healthy tool chest. When I find myself out of synch, I check the log and look for clues. Have I been eating the same thing for too long? Have I been eating out more often? Or even worse, are there are few days in a row when I *gulp* haven't written anything down? If you're accurate in your log, you should have the data you need to solve the mystery and get back on track. I'll also refer back to it to see what I'm doing right. When I want to go back to a place where I remember feeling better, I flip (or click) back to that date and check to see what my fuel was like back then. I'll give you a hint: it's usually spinach. Planning and logging your food is a great way to use intention to have a healthy day.
Second, the calories that come out. Yesterday I gave you the formula for determining how many calories you need to take in and/or burn to lose or maintain weight, but my favorite tool for tracking this is my GoWearFit. I seriously love this thing. I bought it a year ago and while I haven't been wearing it since I've been pregnant, I am planning to pop that sucker on the second this baby is out. Not only does it track your calorie burn and provide tons of awesome data for you to manage it, it also reveals your sleep patterns, breaks down your macronutrients, and more. Once you enter in your meals, it tells you whether you're on a weight gain or loss trend. Seriously, it cannot be easier. Get one.
Living intentionally well simply means doing something every day to move closer to health. Recording the actions you take to do just that.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and get healthy!
There are plenty of ways that we could get all compulsive about our health, micromanaging it down to the point where we're so stressed that we forget that being healthier is supposed to make us happier. I don't recommend that. Instead, let's focus on two of the biggies: what goes in and what goes out. I'm talking about calories, just so we're clear.
First, the calories that go in. For years I collected stacks of little spiral notebooks where I had logged my meals, and then I found http://www.fitday.com/ and started logging my meals online. Way easier. Keeping a food journal is not only a proven technique for permanent weight loss management, but it provides both data and accountability, two of the other tools in my healthy tool chest. When I find myself out of synch, I check the log and look for clues. Have I been eating the same thing for too long? Have I been eating out more often? Or even worse, are there are few days in a row when I *gulp* haven't written anything down? If you're accurate in your log, you should have the data you need to solve the mystery and get back on track. I'll also refer back to it to see what I'm doing right. When I want to go back to a place where I remember feeling better, I flip (or click) back to that date and check to see what my fuel was like back then. I'll give you a hint: it's usually spinach. Planning and logging your food is a great way to use intention to have a healthy day.
Second, the calories that come out. Yesterday I gave you the formula for determining how many calories you need to take in and/or burn to lose or maintain weight, but my favorite tool for tracking this is my GoWearFit. I seriously love this thing. I bought it a year ago and while I haven't been wearing it since I've been pregnant, I am planning to pop that sucker on the second this baby is out. Not only does it track your calorie burn and provide tons of awesome data for you to manage it, it also reveals your sleep patterns, breaks down your macronutrients, and more. Once you enter in your meals, it tells you whether you're on a weight gain or loss trend. Seriously, it cannot be easier. Get one.
Living intentionally well simply means doing something every day to move closer to health. Recording the actions you take to do just that.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and get healthy!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Intentional Health: Exercise with a Purpose!
It's been said that successful people don't wait for things to happen to them, they happen to things. I like to think of this as good old fashioned doing things on purpose. Specifically, doing things on purpose to benefit YOU! In case you haven't caught on, I'm talking about getting healthy. :P This week is about intentional health.
Intention is something I talk about a lot around the holidays because it is one of the four tools in my healthy toolchest. Unless you're doing something intentionally every day to achieve your wellness goal, you're only going to experience a mediocre level of achievement. Since we're all busy and need to get the biggest bang for our healthy minute, I don't see any purpose in not giving each one of them the full effort.
Today we'll focus on intentional exercise: choosing a workout that is going to be the best fit for what you want to do in life. Exercising for function is just smart, and it makes exercise a lot more rewarding because you're not only working towards getting healthier overall, but you're preparing your body for something else you want to do. For example, if you have a hiking trip coming up and don't want to be winded, you should intentionally do exercise that mimics that activity. Walk outside or on a treadmill on varying inclines and terrains, do step-ups to strengthen your legs and mimic climbing a hill or over a ledge, and gradually increase your distance and intensity over time. As a result, your lungs, legs, and cardiovascular system will be ready for your trip and you'll be healthier overall. Exercise with a purpose. Intentional health.
For me, one of the hardest parts of living in my pregnant body is letting go of my beautiful, sculpted arms. I knew my midsection would go, of course, and my legs and bum as well. It just goes with the territory of storing fat for the little one. But my arms too? Really? I've worked so hard on them, it would be nice if I could keep the guns looking lean and mean a little bit longer! I've turned to intentional exercise: I'm swimming three times a week, doing compound upper body exercises in the gym, and purposely looking for ways I can challenge my arms without lifting too much weight.
A good way to find out if your workout is intentional is to channel the curiosity of a four-year-old child and start asking why. Even little kids know that even the most mundane chores are more fun (and bearable) when there is a purpose. If you're not sure what exercise would be the most intentional for your life goals, inquire with a certified personal trainer (like mio).
Health is more fun when you do it on purpose. Now get out there and be healthy!
Intention is something I talk about a lot around the holidays because it is one of the four tools in my healthy toolchest. Unless you're doing something intentionally every day to achieve your wellness goal, you're only going to experience a mediocre level of achievement. Since we're all busy and need to get the biggest bang for our healthy minute, I don't see any purpose in not giving each one of them the full effort.
Today we'll focus on intentional exercise: choosing a workout that is going to be the best fit for what you want to do in life. Exercising for function is just smart, and it makes exercise a lot more rewarding because you're not only working towards getting healthier overall, but you're preparing your body for something else you want to do. For example, if you have a hiking trip coming up and don't want to be winded, you should intentionally do exercise that mimics that activity. Walk outside or on a treadmill on varying inclines and terrains, do step-ups to strengthen your legs and mimic climbing a hill or over a ledge, and gradually increase your distance and intensity over time. As a result, your lungs, legs, and cardiovascular system will be ready for your trip and you'll be healthier overall. Exercise with a purpose. Intentional health.
For me, one of the hardest parts of living in my pregnant body is letting go of my beautiful, sculpted arms. I knew my midsection would go, of course, and my legs and bum as well. It just goes with the territory of storing fat for the little one. But my arms too? Really? I've worked so hard on them, it would be nice if I could keep the guns looking lean and mean a little bit longer! I've turned to intentional exercise: I'm swimming three times a week, doing compound upper body exercises in the gym, and purposely looking for ways I can challenge my arms without lifting too much weight.
A good way to find out if your workout is intentional is to channel the curiosity of a four-year-old child and start asking why. Even little kids know that even the most mundane chores are more fun (and bearable) when there is a purpose. If you're not sure what exercise would be the most intentional for your life goals, inquire with a certified personal trainer (like mio).
Health is more fun when you do it on purpose. Now get out there and be healthy!
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