Last Updated on July 14, 2020 by admin
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. (John 1:2, ESV)
Where to Begin?
It’s the new year, and you’re feeling pretty motivated to make some changes for a healthier, more energetic life. You’re interested in making real health changes that last but you don’t know where to begin. Admittedly, you’re struggling to get started. You’re tired and in a hurry to get to work. You’re looking at the food labels like they’re in a foreign language, and before you’ve even gotten started, you’re already feeling defeated.
You throw your hands up.
Who has time for this?
Fear not. You are not alone, and you are NOT a failure. But you are busy and the odds are already stacked against you. You spend most of your day racing the clock, and convenience foods are more than convenient– sometimes, it’s just survival.
So let’s take a baby step instead. Before you get going on your journey, you will need to first assess where you are. You’ll need to identify the areas in your routines which are not serving you, and many of those you may not even be consciously aware of just yet. This is an important first step to making real health changes that last. So let’s just start with taking some simple inventory.
Taking Inventory of Your Current Routine
For at least a few days, start with simply observing your daily routines and meals without altering a thing.
How many times did you reach for a soda or coffee? Did you frequent the snack machine at work? What kind of snacks are you having? What kind of snacks did the kids have? How would you describe breakfasts and dinners? Did you go through a drive-thru or have pizzas delivered?
Is this the norm in your home or routine?
Read the Ingredients!
For every packaged food or beverage that you pick up, read the ingredients list. Don’t worry about the “nutrition facts.” The ingredients list is really where it’s at! Just get familiar with the big unpronounceable words on it. Notice that the closest to the top means the highest concentration. For example, if sugar is the first ingredient listed, that means there’s more sugar in the product than any other ingredient. Particularly, notice words like corn syrups (high fructose or corn syrup solids), partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, soy, and other GMO ingredients. Notice monosodium glutamate or any other unrecognizable term.
Notice Your Eating Triggers
Start paying close attention to your eating triggers. “WHY you eat determines WHAT you eat!” If you are eating to nourish your body, you will choose real foods that are nutrient dense. If you are eating to fill a void (even boredom) or deal with some emotional pain or stress, you will likely choose hyper-palatable foods that hijack your brain chemistry to give you a high: (Processed foods that have flavor profiles of fat, salt, and sugar).
When you reach for a sugary snack or highly processed food, pay attention to how you are feeling at the moment.
Are you stressed? Sad? Bored? Lonely? Hormonal? If the answer is yes, then these emotions are your “trigger” to reach for foods that lights up the pleasure centers of your brain- flooding it with dopamine (a hormone and neurotransmitter that plays a big role in motivation and reward). In addition, sugar is highly addictive! Many studies report that it is more addictive than cocaine!
Were you simply in a rush– grabbing “survival meals”?
Try discussing your cravings out loud to someone as they occur. There is power in our words, and simply speaking out loud to a co-worker or friend when you are having a craving will make you more aware and can help alter the behavior. How are you feeling at that very moment? Could you just sit on the impulse for a moment and wait for it to pass? If not, how did you feel when you gave in? Did you feel guilty? Relieved? Both?
How are you Sleeping?
Beyond food, it’s so important to get a general sense of well-being, which ultimately influences our eating decisions and decisions about exercise. So take a good look at your sleep. Are you getting 7-8 solid hours a night? If not, what is preventing you from doing so? Jot this down in a journal or speak it aloud so you can get a good visual of your sleep deficits.
Do you feel sluggish during the day or experience “crashes” which leave you reaching for sugary or caffeinated products? Do you desperately need to nap?
Without proper sleep, your body can not function optimally. End of story. We tend to make this a last priority, when it should be the first! “Sleep is involved in healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, and stroke” (NIH) not to mention depression, anxiety, obesity, and wrinkles! It affects our decision-making ability, moods, and overall cognitive function. If you have kids, you already know what one crummy night of sleep does to your little angel. But we are not exempt from that!
What is your Stress Like?
Stress is probably the most detrimental aspect to our health! We have to give a very honest look at our stress because we will have to tackle this one head on if we hope to have successful health-outcomes. Nothing derails good intentions faster than sleep deprivation and stress!
On a scale of 1-10, how stressful is your job? Your marriage/relationship? The health of a family member? Your parenthood? Finances? Your living arrangement? Friendships?
Do you consider yourself a highly-strung individual who needs to maximize time and plan meticulously? Are you someone who needs to be in control?
Are you ok with imperfection? Do you worry a lot, or can you roll with the punches with a fair amount of ease?
Can you allow your house to be dirty sometimes, or does that send you over the edge? What is your clutter like? How does it make you feel?
Would you say that you are overextended? Do you wish you could say “no” to some of your commitments? Are you always on-the-go?
Do you have the ability to set boundaries with how people approach you or ask things of you?
Where on your body would you say you carry your tension (ex. back, neck, shoulders, head)? When you feel stress, what is your method for alleviating that stress? Are you reaching for caffeine or alcohol? Sugar or fried foods?
Knowing Where You’re Stuck will Help you get Unstuck
Taking good inventory for several days to a week will help you to identify your areas of weakness as well as your triggers, and that is the first real step to making health changes that last. Diets rarely work. To see lasting results, you’ll want to do a lifestyle overhaul.
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While you’re doing inventory this week, head on over to my next article, Why You Should Choose Organic (Part One) and What if You Could Just let Go?
Ahmed, S.H., Guillem, K., & Vandaele, Y. (2013). Sugar addiction: pushing the drug-sugar analogy to the limit. Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care, 16 4, 434-9 .
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