March Wellness Tip

2019 Monthly Wellness Tips – 12 things you can do towards Health

March

Make small (sustainable) changes to your diet! Whether your goal is to get control of a health condition, or lose a few pounds, start now for amazing results. Healthy weight loss is anywhere from 1-2 pounds a week (depending on the person) so with about 12 weeks until summer you could be easily down 12 pounds or more.

Does it feeling like you have been on every diet out there? Maybe you had great results, but gained some or all of it back? Diets don’t work mainly because of how we go into them – thinking of it as a quick fix and then go back to our old ways once the weight is off.

A Diet is simply the foods that you eat, so by changing your “diet”, you’re changing what you eat. Period. We try to complicate this. My advice is to follow these simple steps to start seeing positive changes to your health and weight.

Set a realistic goal. If you have a large goal, then break it down into smaller goals and reward yourself when you hit them with positive rewards such as a massage, new clothes, or a trip.
Get your support team – if you let your friends and family know your goal, they can help you when you are struggling and not unknowingly sabotage you. Note: if someone deliberately does things to sabotage your goal… they are not your support, find someone else. Even if that is your spouse or best friend, find another person to be on your support team (and address it with the saboteur).
Rather than deciding on what Fad Diet you are going to do, instead, pick one healthy thing you can start doing, and one unhealthy thing you can stop doing and start there. Once those become a habit, then pick one more of each category and continue on. For example: Stop drinking Soda and start drinking more water. The goal is to make these permanent changes.
Find some healthy swaps for your favorite foods, and look for ways to make your favorite foods healthier.
- Add in more veggies… inside burritos, into your spaghetti sauce, on top of your pizza, into an egg scramble, as a snack, etc.
- One meal a week, swap out a gluten (flour) option – Try spaghetti squash or zoodles in place of regular noodles, use a lettuce wrap instead of bun, have a burrito in a bowl rather than a shell, try a Fat Head or cauliflower pizza crust instead of regular.
Don’t be afraid to eat healthy Fat! Fat makes you feel full and satisfied; is imperative in the development of maintenance of healthy cells, is a crucial factor in Hormone balance and the list goes on. Choose coconut oil for high heat cooking; olive oil and avocado oil for medium heat cooking, flax oil for salads and eat plenty of fish which contain healthy fats. Other great sources are: olives, coconut, avocado, and nuts and seeds.
Keep a food journal – you don’t have to do this forever, but often we don’t realize what we are actually eating or how much, you can do this on paper, or use an app. When you get into the habit of tracking everything you put in your mouth you’ll be amazed at what you forget and you become more aware. The bonus of all of this is that you will be able to identify which foods make you feel like crap so you can avoid those and look for alternatives.
Only weight yourself monthly – weight can fluctuate on a daily basis and it is easy to become discouraged. Trust that you are making good choices and the results will follow.
If you feel like you need additional support or guidance – seek out a nutrition professional. I’m available to walk through this journey with you!