- Increase protein intake. I was not consuming nearly enough protein before changing my dietary habits, and this left me craving food...particularly carbohydrates. My body needed more nourishment, but not the easy carbs I tended to reach for to fill those cravings. Now, I strictly enforce this rule: Drink 2 high-protein smoothies every single day, no matter what else I eat. I start with breakfast, drinking a coffee smoothie containing one scoop of whey protein powder (26 grams of protein). At lunch, I drink a fruity smoothie containing one scoop of whey protein powder. Whenever I have wavered on this rule, I've noticed a marked increase in my tendency to crave carby snacks. Now, I don't waver...I drink my smoothies. They give me the edge on resisting foods I know I really don't want to eat...foods that would sabotage my progress. Check the Smoothie Recipes page for high-protein smoothie recipes.
- Increase activity level. I did not easily reconcile myself to a lifestyle that included exercise. But I've finally realized that I can't maintain my health without it. And so, I carefully track my exercise goals and achievements on Spark People. I can't afford (as most cannot) a personal trainer/coach. So I've become very determined to be "tough" on myself. In a sense, I've determined to let my mind be the coach, and make my body submit to what my mind tells me I must do. When I'm exercising, whether it is walking/running/aerobics or it is stretches/crunches/weights, I expect to really feel it...to really push myself beyond what my body wants to do, into the sphere of "going further - doing more." It isn't enough to do what I did last week. I have to push, push, push, or I'm not being fair to myself. I guess you have to want it bad enough, but I don't allow myself to whine about sweating, or go easy because it is hard. HOWEVER... I do guard against injury at all times, and I read, read, read, to learn about proper techniques and strategies to exercise safely and effectively. You owe it to yourself to do the same. Look at it this way - You know that a sedentary lifestyle leads to an early grave. Love life enough to do whatever it takes to be healthy and feel good. Love your self enough to take every measure you can to live well. Someone might say "do it for your kids/spouse/family/friends/you fill the blank. But for me, I've realized I must do it for my SELF. And those around me surely do reap the benefits as well.
- Increase nutritional value of diet. I was not content with someone telling me to eat my veggies. I wanted to know if it really mattered what I ate, and whether or not nutritional supplements and vitamins really did any good. So I researched the researchers. I don't have labs and scientists and blind studies to perform today, thankfully. Thousands upon thousands have been done already, by reputable universities and labs that don't stand to gain monetarily from their findings. So all I had to do was get online and look it up. After reading much much much about the importance of vitamins, minerals, phyto-nutrients, and such, I began to add one or two at a time to my diet. I progressed slowly, and I'm still doing the research, but I'm already noticing undeniable benefits from the drastically increased nutritional content of what I eat and take as supplements. I eat fresh vegetables and fruit at every meal, and take additional vitamins and nutritional supplements daily. This list includes: multi-vitamins, alpha-lipoic acid, MSM, D-3, Chromium, Cinnamon, Ginkgo-biloba, and Omega 3, 6, and 9.
- Increase food awareness. Another hard and fast rule I follow is to track every single food I take into my mouth, except for those in fresh (uncooked) vegetables. (My reasoning is that their nutritional value is so high, and their caloric value so low, I consider them "free foods".) I track my nutrition on Spark People every day. The result has been SUCCESS in maintaining my caloric intake goals. It was simply too, too easy for me to 'fudge' on myself before keeping this caloric record. And, I should add, my nutritional tracking also tracks the actual nutritional values of the foods I eat, not just the calories. I can generate reports that show areas of my diet that are adequate and those that may be lacking, at a glance being able to see how I might change what I'm eating to better achieve my goals.
- Increase water intake. My body was thirsty, and I didn't even realize it. Now I realize that many foods I craved, particularly ice cream, of all things, was due to the fact I was needing a good, long drink of water. I now make a point of drinking 1/2 my weight in ounces of water, daily, with an emphasis on drinking lots of water early in the day. Not only does this decrease overall hunger by filling the stomach, but more importantly, it hydrates every cell in my body so it can work efficiently to do the job it was designed to do. And did you know that your blood actually thickens as it becomes dehydrated, increasing the work your heart must do? And did you know that water flushes toxins from your system, not only keeping you healthier to start with, but helping your body rid itself of things like viruses. Drink early, drink often, as if your life depends on it. It does.
The benefits I've personally experienced would have sounded to good to be true before I experienced it for myself. And I have no idea what benefits you will experience should you make similar personal commitments. However, what I'm experiencing, I'm experiencing first hand, and I'm sold. Thus far, I've experienced:
- More energy
- Better sleep
- Drastically increased hair and nail growth
- Smoother and rejuvenated-looking skin
- Amazingly decreased neuropathy in my legs and feet (practically non-existent now)
- Visibly better circulation in my legs and feet
- Decreased blood pressure, beggining at 134/93 I'm pretty steady at 121/71
- Decreased resting heart rate: 58, down from 89.
- AND I'VE LOST 16 POUNDS!
A large part of my success is due to the wonderful tools I've found at Spark People, the best free health and weight-loss site I've found anywhere. But the biggest favor I've done myself is avoid the trap of "no, no, no" and embraced a mantra of "yes, yes, yes." I just like telling myself yes better than telling myself no...doesn't everyone??
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