Wanted: Healthy eating habits

The older I get the more important it is for me to have healthy eating habits. As a personal trainer I know exactly what I should eat. Knowing it and doing it are two entirely different things right?

I can say the more I focus on the benefits of healthy eating and the more I read and research the more excited I get about eating healthy. I would challenge you to really study all the amazing benefits of healthy eating. My motto is to eat food as close to the way that God put it here as possible. So fresh fruits, vegetables, and raw nuts are a great choice.

If you are the person that feels like diet is a four letter word (which it is) like me then you may feel as if you have failed every time you have tried to change your diet. It is not the person who falls that fails it is the one who quits.As long as you never quit you never fail!

Also some of the biggest success stories I have heard are the people who have experienced the most setbacks. They learned from mistakes and kept growing and improving along the way. So I never go on a diet because diets always have a beginning and an ending. What I work towards is lifestyle changes and forming healthy eating habits.

One thing that has worked for me is planning ahead. if I know what I am eating for the week then I am less likely to detour. I also keep the unhealthy foods that tempt me out of sight. This works great as long as you can also keep them out of your mind, because if you allow yourself to think about a food long enough you will just go get it.

Give yourself a day or meal to cheat and have something you have been wanting, this actually helps me stay on track knowing I give myself a little breathing room. This may be something you do after reaching specific health and weight loss related goals.

Start reading labels. This is a big one. Do not be fooled by a food labeled healthy. A lot of the time these foods have artificial sweeteners or added sugar so get good at reading ingredients. If you can not pronounce it, have no idea what it is, or it has a list so long  you don’t have the time to read then I suggest not eating it. A healthy snack bar that is a treat for rewarding yourself are the Kind bars. The sea salt and dark chocolate is my favorite.

Remember this is a journey and forming healthy eating habits does not happen over night. Do not get frustrated! Keep going in that direction of improved health and see yourself there. Get that mental picture of you succeeding and reaching your healthy eating goals not only for you, but the example you can be for your family.

You have no idea how many people you may inspire by having a testimony and leading by example. I work on this everyday in all aspects of life. God has called me to encourage others and share my progress as well as my struggles.  If this information has helped let me know by commenting and sharing.

To your health,

Jenay Green