Need tips on starting your healthy lifestyle? Tricia set up a few guidelines to get you in the habit of health living!
1. Purge your house of all junk food and don’t buy more!! It will feel so liberating!
2. Determine how many calories you should be eating a day. This will be dependent on your lifestyle, activity level, etc.
3. Keep a food journal for at least a week. This is one of my favorites! If I know I have a goal to achieve, what better way than to make yourself accountable for everything you do. You can monitor and pull out the food items that are causing you to work against your goals. You can always add some back in later and less frequently as a reward for all of your hard work!
4. Start doing weekly meal preps on Sunday.
5. Expect “slip-ups”. We are not perfect, you will slip up from time to time. That is ok, as long as you recognize it and don’t let it become habitual.
6. Remember, healthy eating is a permanent lifestyle change, not a temporary diet. You will get to the point that you look at food as fuel, not as enjoyment. Don’t get me wrong, it is ok to indulge once in a while. Just know that the cravings for bad and unhealthy foods will become a distant memory, and you will need and want the food that will keep you healthy and motivated!
7. Learn how to identify and fight cravings.
8. Don’t drink your calories. Alcohol is a big one! Not that a glass of wine isn’t ok from time to time, moderation is key! Also, I will give up one other high calorie or sugar item if I know I want a glass of wine or two. You can treat it as a trade off! …JUST STAY AWAY FROM SODAS, DIET OR NOT, JUST NO!!
9. Eat real foods. * Tricia’s Rule* If your food does not “go bad”, it is NOT good for you!
10. Make sure you are getting adequate sleep. Lack of sleep can lead to nasty carb cravings, and not the good kinds of carbs. Not to mention can lead to brain fog and lack of proper hydration, so make sure you get your zzzz’s!
Check back for more tips and tricks from APSI and remember that if you can achieve the body you deserve!
About the Author Tricia Vargas is the medical assistant for Dr. Fred Wilder’s office and our healthy living expert at APSI.
