Team Beachbody ¡preestreno!Español Guest

Doing what is right...  Why does it seem like such a complex or difficult idea, nowadays?  And a good majority of the time, we drift towards the wrong side of the choice (or worse, do nothing at all).  This is true for life in general, as well as our health.  What most people don’t realize until it is too late is it is a whole lot easier to keep up with all of it continuously than to avoid it for a time and play catch up later.

However, when our health gets to the point where it is overwhelming to tackle, just doing a little bit every day, will change the course.  Did you know that just a 10-minute walk, following a meal, will help rev your metabolism?  We never seem to have enough minutes in a given day.  Nonetheless, is it really that difficult to find 10 minutes?  Our health issues didn’t get to where they are now overnight, nor will they be altered in the blink of an eye.  It does, however, require effort on our part.

Nutrition is one of our biggest downfalls.  We are constantly bombarded by a torrent of “healthy” sounding foods produced by large multi-million dollar companies, who have more of their bottom dollar in mind than our good health.  Fortunately, actual healthy nutrition is also our salvation.  Taking a small amount of time to remove all of (or at the very least, a majority of) the unhealthy and processed foods, and beverages (including, but not limiting sodas and alcohol) from our pantries and refrigerators, and replacing them with clean, whole foods makes a huge difference.

Set aside time to prepare, cook and measure meals and snacks for the full week.  Making it a family affair can help teach little ones about nutrition and set a solid foundation for their own healthy lifestyles (it can also be a great bonding experience).  Having those healthy foods always available will help prevent settling for the temptations of crud.  A general guideline is if it is bigger than your fist, it is too much food.  Reading the label and measuring out the actual portion size is even better.  Pre-measuring will ensure you don’t sit down and finish off several servings at once. 

Once your measured foods are set, ensure you enjoy them frequently.  To keep your metabolism running smoothly, eat every 2-4 hours, never go longer than four hours between snacks and meals.  Eat 5-6 times every day.  With the metabolism burning nutrients continuously, it encourages your body to burn the calories put into it.  Skipping meals, overeating and under eating can result in your metabolism bogging down and your body hoarding fat for later.

Pointer and tips:

~ Cut veggies, such as sweet peppers, cauliflower, carrots and celery sticks (place in water or air-tight containers for freshness).

~ Pre-measure containers of fruits, such as grapes, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries (1 cup servings).

~ Pre-measure baggies of raw nuts and your own mixes (raw nuts and dried fruits are a tasty delight ~ 1/4 cup serving).

~ Puree fresh fruit and freeze for cool treats or additions to smoothies.

~ Use spices to flavor food instead of sauces (sea salt instead of iodized salt).  For an even better flavor, fill a planter with fresh herbs (what you don’t use can be shared with you neighbors).

~ Try something new.  Sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes (hold the brown sugar ~ they have a wonderful flavor all on their own).

~ Drink your water.

~ Pack a lunch box for the whole day.

~ Get rid of the scale.  A weight scale is only good for making you feel lousy about yourself.  It also does not differentiate between good/bad weight (a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat or a pound of feathers); the number tells you the total of fat, muscle, organs, skin, fluids, etc.

~ Avoid alcohol.  Your body sees it as a poison, and will stop its normal functions, until it rids itself of the alcohol.  The cruddy foods consumed during that time are typically stored in the body, as they are not needed.

~ Include a fitness regime into your daily lifestyle.  It is best to have a system that consists of cardiovascular routines, resistance training, and stretching (such as yoga).

~ Make fitness fun.

~ Workout with a friend.

There are a great many resources available.  Seek out books that teach healthy nutrition habits and lifestyle, versus fad diets.

The bottom line is...  You ARE worth it!  Take a little bit of time to take care of you.  If you don’t, who will?!

If you have not already taken the time to brush up on your personal development, it is HIGHLY recommended.  It will help you with your health and fitness, relationships, your job or business, and every day life.

"The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson.  If you choose one book to read this year, make it this one!  With our micro-wave society, people tend to demand and expect to see results immediately.  If we would simply do our best every moment, every day, the results would astonish us.  On the other hand, do nothing or not even put forth an effort, and the results will astonish us in a whole different light.  Regardless of what you do or do not do, there will be an outcome.

Health is such a big part of that.  So many people allow college, kids, life to get in the way of taking care of themselves.  They only realize what has happened, when something serious has taken place.  If only healthy eating and a bit of fitness fun is an every day occurrence, it is not so overwhelming.  Starting just a 10-minute walk today will change many things in your future.