Healthy Choices Healthy Life

When we know we want to feel better and be healthier, where do we start? There are too many choices out there. Everyone is on a different plan, with a different opinion and it is all so confusing. For those of us that work in the wellness industry and love learning about healthy choices, it is overwhelming. So I know, for my friends that don’t really want to spend hours learning and reading about healthy choices, they finally just throw in the towel. It seems to be too much work. It seems to cost too much money. It seems so hard to even start, because the thought is….”how will I keep this up?”.

Listen, I agree, it is overwhelming, but you HAVE to start. Simple choices can make all the difference. Yes, it takes time, but most good things do. Amazingly, your goal may take time, but feeling better comes pretty quickly when you start making better choices. How we feel is the most important part of it all. With all my years of working with clients, I honestly believe that most of us don’t realize how much better we can feel. We settle. We just decide that this is it. This is the only way we are going to feel. THIS is so far from the truth!! We can all feel better. We just have to make some choices that will help us to feel better.

I believe we are honestly too distracted by the goal of size, weight and numbers, rather than truly living a healthy life. We are more concerned with how fast we will lose the weight, than by how we are feeling in the process. We care more about what the scale says today, than what we are feeding our body today. Listen, I am not saying that we shouldn’t have goals and that we shouldn’t want to lose weight if we need to. I am saying that we should focus on changing our choices to live a healthy life and feel good, and the rest will come. Yes, it takes time, but you are changing your life in the process. This is how habits are formed. Nothing good usually happens quickly. We are talking about our HEALTH here. If anything is worth it, THIS is.

First, with all the different programs out there, how do I know what is healthy? Here are a few obvious signs that the plan is not a “healthy” choice.

1. We should not “diet”, we should be eating healthy.
2. We should not skip meals.
3. We should not restrict ourselves so much that we are miserable or starving.
4. If you can’t continue the plan forever, or a slight modification of it, it is probably too extreme and you will quite possibly see any weight that is lost return eventually.
5. If you are losing a lot of weight quickly, the weight will most likely come back on over time.
6. If you are miserable…NOT a good sign.
7. If you are back on the same plan again, after gaining weight back, this might not be the best life changing plan.
8. Also, be very careful of any type of pills that are not natural promoting decreased appetite or increased metabolism.
9. Remember, our kids are watching our choices. If these choices are not a good example for our kids, it is probably creating an unhealthy relationship with food for us as well.

Now I do know that every situation is different. Some of us are facing serious medical concerns and need to lose weight quickly. In some cases, there are exceptions. Again, every situation is different, but in general, we should be striving for a healthy lifestyle to feel our absolute BEST.

I will write more on this in my next post, but here are some everyday choices and things to remember when trying to take care of yourself and feel your BEST.

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat 4-5 small meals a day.
3. Don’t stuff yourself
4. Don’t skip meals.
5. Eat lots of vegetables and salads.
6. Eat all-natural, avoiding artificial ingredients and preservatives.
7. Be active every day!!
8. Get enough sleep.
9. Use the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time, make really good choices and realize 20% of the time, may not be good choices, and that is ok.

These are just some basic starters. I will talk more about healthy choices in my next post. If you have a plan you would like me to review, please contact me at kelley@ranaudo.com. I would be happy to review. There are some good options out there.

Enjoy today!