Lifestyle Changes for Eating Healthy
It can be a difficult thing to change our diets. Various diets are doomed to failure, as they might work in the short term but we will always, always fall off them. Don’t go on a diet — go for a healthy lifestyle change instead. That means to make changes that you can sustain for the rest of your life.
Here are some simple lifestyle changes you can make and keep in your diet:
- Substitute whole grains for refined carbs. Ditch white bread and eat whole grain bread (note that wheat bread and whole grain bread are different – the first uses enriched wheat flour, which is refined, and the second uses whole grain flour, which isn’t). Eat whole grain pasta instead of regular pasta. Eat brown rice instead of white. Whole grain bagels instead of regular. You get the idea. Whole grains are much healthier — more nutrients, slower to digest, more fiber. Refined carbs offer nearly no nutrition in exchange for lots of calories. And after a little while, you won’t want to go back — whole grains taste better and are more satisfying.
- Eat more fruits and veggies. Yes, everyone will tell you this. But it’s an easy change to make — just stock up on them every week when you go shopping, and snack on them throughout the day. Have berries for breakfast. Snack on fruits at your desk in the office. Eat raw or steamed veggies with lunch and dinner. Fruits are a great after dinner snack. Fruits and veggies not only provide nutrients and fiber, but they fill you up without giving you too much calories and fat.
- Eat leaner meats (or better yet, other forms of protein!). Switching beef for lean chicken or turkey is an easy switch to make. You might love red meat, but it’s killing you. There are very tasty dishes you can make using lean meat. And even better is soy protein, or nuts and whole grains, beans and other such forms of protein. All the nutrients with none of the saturated fat! If this is difficult for you, try doing it one day a week to start with.
- Cut back on sweets. This is my most difficult challenge. I have not been completely successful on this, and this will be the topic of a future post, but I have made progress by cutting back on the pastries and candies and other sweet desserts — I usually just have a little now, and find healthier treats to enjoy instead.
Implement these changes one at a time, slowly and over a long period of time. Don’t start tomorrow by saying you’re going to drastically change your entire diet. You will have a difficult time, and suffer, and fail within a few weeks. When the change is very drastic and restrictive, it is too hard for most of us, and it’s just a matter of time before we fail.
A final tip: if you decide to cut back on sweets, or something similar, give yourself one cheat day a week. This will make it easier on you, and give you something to look forward to. It will also increase the likelihood of your success. Give yourself a break sometimes!
Rules for Exercising
Exercise Rule #1: Start today, and just do anything to get you going. It doesn’t matter what exercise you choose, just start. I think walking and running are great ways to start, because you don’t have to pay to join a gym or get fancy equipment. All you need is a pair of shoes. I started with an old beat-up pair of sneakers, and didn’t buy real running shoes until I’d been doing it a few weeks. Swimming and biking are two great exercises too, though.
Exercise Rule #2: Stop making excuses. I know from experience — we all have a million excuses. Not enough time. No place to work out. I’m tired. I don’t have the money. These are all a load of crap. I don’t blame anyone for making these excuses, because I made them myself, but the truth is, we rationalize so that we can continue to be lazy. It isn’t as hard as you think. Just set a date with yourself, or your spouse, or a friend, to get out for just 10 or 15 minutes today, and walk or jog. No! Stop making excuses!
Exercise Rule #3: Just put on your running shoes, and get out the door. That’s all you have to do. The rest will be much easier than you think. It’s the initial inertia that we must overcome. Once you’ve done that, it’s actually invigorating and fun.
Exercise Rule #4: Start out small, and slowly. You might start a program full of vim and vigor, ready to run a marathon or lift huge weights. Hold yourself back. The main reason is that if you start slowly, you are more likely to succeed, and if you start by trying to do too much, you will more likely burn out and fail. If you think you can run for 30 minutes, only run 10 or 15 to start with, then slowly increase over a matter of weeks. Try for 2-3 times a week at first, with the goal of exercising for at least 30 minutes five times a week, eventually. The side benefit — and this is a great one — is that if you hold yourself back, you’ll be eager to get to your next workout, when you’ll be doing a little more than this one. And that eagerness is a tremendous boost.
Exercise Rule #5: Make your goal public. Post it on your blog. Tell your family and friends. For my marathon and triathlon goals, I began writing a column every two weeks for my local newspaper, as a journal of my personal journey along the way. Positive public pressure will keep you motivated for a sustained period — you won’t want to let people down and look bad. Don’t let the pressure up — once you do, your motivation will go away.
Exercise Rule #6: Reward yourself. Make a list of mini goals, and next to each one, list an appropriate reward. For example, if you just go out and jog today, allow yourself to buy a book on Amazon. If you can do it for two days, give yourself an ice cream. If you can do it for a week, buy some songs for you iTunes. Whatever rewards work for you — be they shoes, clothes, a massage, a tattoo, or whatever, let yourself have them after reaching the mini goals. Just don’t make it too much sweets!
Exercise Rule #7: Allow yourself adequate rest. Some people try to run hard every day, or workout hard every day. Just remember, your muscles need rest in order to recover. If you don’t let them recover, you are just continually breaking them down. Follow the hard-easy rule: after a day of hard exercise, go easy or rest the next day. Also, you need at least a day of rest each week. Your body can only take so much before it begins to break down. Don’t let it get to that point. Many very wise people have said that rest is just as important as exercise when it comes to improving performance.
Exercise Rule #8: Think positive. This is probably the best rule of the bunch. It has helped me in countless ways. Any time that a negative thought comes into your head (“I can’t do this!” “It’s too hard!” “I don’t feel like working out now!” “I want to stop!” “I feel lazy today!”), just push it out. Squash it. And then replace it with positive thoughts: I can do this! I am strong! This isn’t too hard! This is no problem! I’m tough! I am AWESOME!!!!!! Positive thinking will get you past any exercise barrier.
Exercise Rule #9: Don’t be motivated only by weight loss goals. If you’re just trying to lose weight, you will more than likely stop. Why? I have no idea, but it’s true. Have other motivators: do it to feel good, for the great energy you get, to lower your medical bills, to live longer, to enjoy life more, to look better, to be stronger, to be healthier, to achieve something worthwhile, to overcome a challenge. Make a list of the reasons you want to exercise and post them up somewhere. And yes, cut out a picture from a magazine that will motivate you and post that up too. Losing weight is a great goal, but don’t let it be your only one.
Exercise Rule #10: If you fail, get up, brush yourself off, and start again. We all fail sometimes. No matter how great we are, we fail. I have missed workouts plenty of times in the last year, but the key is that I just get back on that horse again. I don’t let it stop me from continuing. Look at it like I do: it’s a long road ahead of us, and little problems along the way are mere bumps in the road. Don’t let a bump in the road stop you from continuing your journey.
Exercise Rule #11: If you can, get a workout partner. It’s a great motivator. If you know you have to meet someone to workout, you’re more likely to keep that appointment. However, if your partner has to cancel for some reason, don’t let that stop you from working out on your own.
Exercise Rule #11: Have fun! Exercise can and should be fun. Don’t let it be painful. If it is, slow down a bit, and enjoy the scenery. Exercise in a nice place, with water or trees. Breathe deeply and enjoy the fresh air! Look at that sunrise or sunset! The day is glorious, and you are partaking of it fully. Life is great!
Rules for Eating Healthy
Eating healthy is something a lot of us want to do, but we have such a hard time because of temptations at home and work and on the road. I won’t lie and say that making changes in your diet is easy, but I will advise against making drastic changes and in favor of making gradual changes.
For example, I eat pretty healthy right now, but my current diet is a cumulation of small changes I made over time. I first started eating leaner meats, and trying to incorporate more fruits and veggies. Then I added in healthier breakfast cereals, oatmeal, whole grain breads. I switched to lower fat milk and other low-fat options. I ate more nuts, and tried things like flax seeds. Eventually I had a fairly healthy diet (except for the sweets), but then I became vegetarian. I cut out meat completely, including chicken and fish. Eventually I started to phase out dairy and eggs, and started using soymilk and other soy products. I slowly tried out vegan recipes, to the point that I am now nearly 100% vegan, and loving every minute of it. Lately I’ve been trying to cut out caffeine and sweets, but gradually. If you try cutting one little thing out at a time, eventually you will get used to the change and it will become normal for you. Then repeat the process.
Healthy Eating Rule #1: Pick one or two things to change about your diet, and start simply with those. Every week or two, try something healthy and incorporate it into your daily or weekly menu.
Another thing I’ve learned is that when I am trying to cut out something bad, it helps to replace it with something healthy and tasty that I come to enjoy. Like caffeine — I am cutting out coffee and replacing it with water. I did that before with colas (although I’ll have an occasional cola now, but not nearly as often). Now I love drinking water instead of the more sugary stuff. I replaced milk with the much healthier soy milk, and now I love soy milk. Same thing with veggie burgers, healthy cereal, whole grain bread and more. Find healthy options that you love — make a list and keep them close by.
Healthy Eating Rule #2: When cutting out something bad from your diet, replace it with something healthier and tasty.
I’ve also learned to incorporate a variety of not only fruits and vegetables, but nuts, calcium-rich foods (like soymilk, calcium-fortified OJ and tofu, almonds, and leafy greens), foods with good fats (like olive oil, flaxseeds, almonds, etc), high protein but lean foods (like tofu, soy protein, nuts, beans), and high-fiber foods. What I avoid, like the plague, are things high in saturated fats or too sugary (like I said, I’m cutting this out more and more now).
Healthy Eating Rule #3: The first things to cut out are fried, fatty foods (like McDonald’s) and stuff that’s too sugary (donuts, colas, candy) and other junk food. Don’t cut it out completely, but start to phase it out gradually and replace it with healthier, tasty stuff (see first two rules).
Another important concept is to eat small portions. I used to pile my plate high, but that’s a sure way to fatness. I slowly cut back on my portions by adding healthy snacks in between meals. The key here is to plan it out so that you not only have your three squares, but maybe a yogurt in between, and fruits, or instead of having a large lunch, do what I do and have two smaller sandwiches.
Healthy Eating Rule #4: Eat smaller portions and more often during the day. If you wait until you’re really hungry, you’ll pig out.
This leads me to another great concept: if you’re going to be on the road, you have to plan ahead, or you’ll end up eating something convenient (read: fast food) which won’t be as healthy and will definitely be more expensive. When you go grocery shopping, look for healthy snacks that you like and then pack them when you go to work or on the road. Blue corn chips, nuts, raisins, fruit, veggies, low-fat pretzels and the like are good things to pack and easily portable.
Healthy Eating Rule #5: Pack healthy snacks to take with you, and plan for meals when you go on the road.
Yet another important point: these things won’t make a noticeable difference right away, at least not on your waistline. Losing weight — especially fat — shouldn’t happen overnight, or you will easily gain it back. Be patient, and think long term. Don’t look for quick fixes.
Healthy Eating Rule #6: Set long-term goals, and don’t expect quick results. Be patient!
There are many more tips, but these are the basic rules for eating healthy, which is the foundation for getting fit. Incorporate these rules one at a time, slowly, and you’ll see a big change over time. You’ll love yourself for it!
Tips for Quitting Smoking
1. Commit Thyself Fully. In the quits that failed, I was only half into it. I told myself I wanted to quit, but I always felt in the back of my mind that I’d fail. I didn’t write anything down, I didn’t tell everybody (maybe my wife, but just her). This time, I wrote it down. I wrote down a plan. I blogged about it. I made a vow to my daughter. I told family and friends I was quitting. I went online and joined a quit forum. I had rewards. Many of these will be in the following tips, but the point is that I fully committed, and there was no turning back. I didn’t make it easy for myself to fail.
2. Make a Plan. You can’t just up and say, “I’m gonna quit today.” You have to prepare yourself. Plan it out. Have a system of rewards, a support system, a person to call if you’re in trouble. Write down what you’ll do when you get an urge. Print it out. Post it up on your wall, at home and at work. If you wait until you get the urge to figure out what you’re going to do, you’ve already lost. You have to be ready when those urges come.
3. Know Your Motivation. When the urge comes, your mind will rationalize. “What’s the harm?” And you’ll forget why you’re doing this. Know why you’re doing this BEFORE that urge comes. Is it for your kids? For your wife? For you health? So you can run? Because the girl you like doesn’t like smokers? Have a very good reason or reasons for quitting. List them out. Print them out. Put it on a wall. And remind yourself of those reasons every day, every urge.
4. Not One Puff, Ever (N.O.P.E.). The mind is a tricky thing. It will tell you that one cigarette won’t hurt. And it’s hard to argue with that logic, especially when you’re in the middle of an urge. And those urges are super hard to argue with. Don’t give in. Tell yourself, before the urges come, that you will not smoke a single puff, ever again. Because the truth is, that one puff WILL hurt. One puff leads to a second, and a third, and soon you’re not quitting, you’re smoking. Don’t fool yourself. A single puff will almost always lead to a recession. DO NOT TAKE A SINGLE PUFF!
5. Join a Forum. One of the things that helped the most in this quit was an online forum for quitters (quitsmoking.about.com) … you don’t feel so alone when you’re miserable. Misery loves company, after all. Go online, introduce yourself, get to know the others who are going through the exact same thing, post about your crappy experience, and read about others who are even worse than you. Best rule: Post Before You Smoke. If you set this rule and stick to it, you will make it through your urge. Others will talk you through it. And they’ll celebrate with you when you make it through your first day, day 2, 3, and 4, week 1 and beyond. It’s great fun.
6. Reward Yourself. Set up a plan for your rewards. Definitely reward yourself after the first day, and the second, and the third. You can do the fourth if you want, but definitely after Week 1 and Week2. And month 1, and month 2. And 6 months and a year. Make them good rewards, that you’ll look forward to: CDs, books, DVDs, T-shirts, shoes, a massage, a bike, a dinner out at your favorite restaurant, a hotel stay … whatever you can afford. Even better: take whatever you would have spent on smoking each day, and put it in a jar. This is your Rewards Jar. Go crazy! Celebrate your every success! You deserve it.
7. Delay. If you have an urge, wait. Do the following things: take 10 deep breaths. Drink water. Eat a snack (at first it was candy and gum, then I switched to healthier stuff like carrots and frozen grapes and pretzels). Call your support person. Post on your smoking cessation forum. Exercise. DO WHATEVER IT TAKES, BUT DELAY, DELAY, DELAY. You will make it through it, and the urge will go away. When it does, celebrate! Take it one urge at a time, and you can do it.
8. Replace Negative Habits with Positive Ones. What do you do when you’re stressed? If you currently react to stress with a cigarette, you’ll need to find something else to do. Deep breathing, self massage of my neck and shoulders, and exercise have worked wonders for me. Other habits, such as what you do first thing in the morning, or what you do in the car, or wherever you usually smoke, should be replaced with better, more positive ones. Running has been my best positive habit, altho I have a few others that replaced smoking.
9. Make it Through Hell Week, then Heck Week, and You’re Golden. The hardest part of quitting is the first two days. If you can get past that, you’ve passed the nicotine withdrawal stage, and the rest is mostly mental. But all of the first week is hell. Which is why it’s called Hell Week. After that, it begins to get easier. Second week is Heck Week, and is still difficult, but not nearly as hellish as the first. After that, it was smooth sailing for me. I just had to deal with an occasional strong urge, but the rest of the urges were light, and I felt confident I could make it through anything.
10. If You Fall, Get Up. And Learn From Your Mistakes. Yes, we all fail. That does not mean we are failures, or that we can never succeed. If you fall, it’s not the end of the world. Get up, brush yourself off, and try again. I failed numerous times before succeeding. But you know what? Each of those failures taught me something. Well, sometimes I repeated the same mistakes several times, but eventually I learned. Figure out what your obstacles to success are, and plan to overcome them in your next quit. And don’t wait a few months until your next quit. Give yourself a few days to plan and prepare, commit fully to it, and go for it!
BONUS TIP #11: THINK POSITIVE. This is the most important tip of all. I saved it for last. If you have a positive, can-do attitude, as corny as it may sound, you will succeed. Trust me. It works. Tell yourself that you can do it, and you will. Tell yourself that you can’t do it, and you definitely won’t. When things get rough, think positive! You CAN make it through the urge. You CAN make it through Hell Week. And you can. I did. So have millions of others. We are no better than you. (In my case, worse.)