You Are What You Eat

I'm on a mission today, people, to have you come away from this discussion with a clearer idea of what you need to do to make some lifestyle changes in your eating habits. You are going to say "Ah-ha, I've got it now!", and you are going to take control over the knife, the fork, and your dinner plate to reclaim your good health and get into alignment with your perfect body. And I believe that you really, Really, REALLY (!), have the desire and the will to make those everyday practices and decisions to succeed at having a healthier, happier, and more energetic lifestyle. And I submit that you are going to make use of this information to fuel the three ‘Really(s)’ you must have to succeed at your particular physical goals.

Eating poorly is a source of concern. Unhealthy eating habits would include skipping meals, or making poor food choices, and over consuming; sodium, sugars, fats, or habitually eating more calories than your body needs. These poor food choices have you experiencing depleted energy, weight gain, disease, disability, and premature death. Good health is dependent upon healthy eating habits.

We do have some challenges in our relationship with food. We are a "fast food nation" and we ask the cashier to "super-size me". The fast food chains are almost relentless in the advertising of dollar menus and we've got fast, fattening, low-nutritious food that caters to our sweet, salt, and fat cravings and is really cheap. People have decided that a healthy banana that cost 69 - 89 cents a pound or a small fruit salad bowl at $3.99 cannot compete with a juicy cheesy 99 cent burger.

We sometimes get ourselves into trouble with food addiction where we seek the food to fill some emptiness, disappointment, or soothe a hurt. Or maybe even to suppress a negative emotional expression on our part. I can think of countless times when I popped open the quart of Edy's ice-cream ('death by chocolate' is my all time favorite), when I really should have first assessed the situation and then used positive self-talk in the conflict or situation to release the need to stuff the negativity down with food.

Thankfully, we have solutions to these poor eating habits and we can make the changes by altering our thoughts. Visualize what your healthy body would look and feel like. Every time you make healthy food choices and exercise, see these actions getting you closer to better health and fitness. Practice becoming mindful of your eating habits. Mindfulness is going from being on auto-pilot to being aware of your food choices and conscious of the physical act of eating your meal. Put your fork down at intervals from time to time to pause and relax...allow yourself to think about your level of satisfaction.

Make food the blessing that it is supposed to be in your life and develop the habit of consuming your food in moderation. You can change unskillful eating habits, and stop struggling with diets. You can lose your fear of food, make meals more meaningful, and become less judgmental of yourself in eating situations. We all have our favorite snacks and sweet treats we like to indulge in from time to time. However, many of us need to practice moderation when making eating choices. Fattening foods loaded with sugar should be replaced with healthier snacks like fresh fruit, vegetable trays, orange juice and bottled water at your various meetings and social events.

Become proactive and involved in your goal for good health. Ask questions and get more information. Learn how to plan healthy meals and snacks, and use the resources available to you like books and the internet. Take notes when getting information from your personal trainers, dieticians and nutrition coaches. Become the driving force in your transition to better health and a better body as you change your lifestyle habits to include regular exercise and sensible eating.