My Next Steps

 

 Well, I made the decision that it was time to get healthy and change my habits, but what was I going to do about it?  How do I start? I talked the talk but now it was time to walk the walk! 

After reading the book that I mentioned in my previous post, there were some good tips that I put into action.   First thing was first! 

GET THE UNHEALTHY FOODS OUT OF MY HOUSE!

I cleaned out the fridge and the cabinets.  All processed sugars and breads, anything that had the ingredient high fructose corn syrup went out the door.  My cabinets and fridge have never been so clean, so that was an added bonus!  I had lots of soda/pop in the house too...GONE GONE GONE! 

What did I replace all that food with? "WHOLE FOOD" 

Fresh Veggies and Fruits

Coconut Oil (My Favorite Oil)

Grape Seed Oil

Olive Oil

Sustainably Raised/Grass Fed Meats

Wild Caught or Sustainably Raised Fish 

Raw Unfiltered Local Honey

You will find out more later why my favorite oil is coconut oil!  I eat it, I cook with it, I use it in skin and hair products.  Coconut oil is WONDERFUL!

There are very few things that I buy or use that actually has a label on it.  Yes, there are things that are a must to have that may have gone through some sort of processing, but I try to look for things that are minimally processed and have real ingredients in them.  Things that I can actually pronounce.  I attempt to stay away from things that have dyes and chemicals.  It is really important to read the labels.  I don't by foods in large amounts for the most part.  Things that have real food in them can spoil faster.  Yes, I shop a lot.  I am at the store at least 2 or 3 times a week, but the freshness of the food tastes so much better! 

Sounds pretty expensive doesn't it? 

Let's take a few things into consideration. 

Fast Food....this had to stop for me!  I was stopping on my way to work EVERYDAY for breakfast.  That in itself got pretty darn expensive.  Then I would go "grab" something for lunch.  Well because I was filling my day with unhealthy foods, I rarely had the energy to come home and fix dinner, so guess what I did?  I stopped on my way home an picked up dinner.  The soda, or as some people call it pop.  I would easily go through a six pack a day if not more.  There was more money.  Coffee houses, I would stop for those expensive designer coffee drinks every day, multiple times a day.  That really adds up too!

NOW....

I fix my breakfast (recipes to come) every morning. 

I fix my lunches...yes there are the rare occasions that I would go out with a friend for lunch, but not every day.  Maybe once or twice a month.  But I was careful about what I did eat when I went out. 

I come home from work and cook dinner. 

I drink one cup of coffee in the morning about 1/2 a teaspoon of raw/unfiltered honey in it and some almond or coconut milk in it.  Then the rest of the day, it is water for me.  I have a glass water bottle that I refill throughout the day.  I drink at least 80-90oz of water.  Yes, water gets boring and sometimes I need some flavor...fruit is a great addition to water to give it some flavor.  My favorite is grapefruit because it aids in getting rid of fat, but I also like a slice of orange and some rapsberries for energy, or even a piece of watermelon. Cucumber is also a good thing.   This is where you get to be creative.  Don't just put them in there, shake it up a little so the fruit gets broken down a little and the taste gets into the water.

Why don't I just drink some of that bottled water that has fruit FLAVORS in it?  Well I am going for an all natural approach and I want to know what is in my water that hasn't bee run through a processing plant.  Who knows what else is in there.  Just do it yourself, then you know what is going in it. 

The whole thing is about retraining your tastes buds and your mind. 

Yes, this part took a lot of dedication and commitment, but I had to prove to myself that I could do it, and I DID IT!  

At the time that I had decided to do this, I was still going through physical therapy for my knee injury twice a week.  He had me active twice a week for at least an hour.  Hmmm, should I join a gym?  I wanted to start getting some exercise.  Even though I was not able to do much, I had figured that every little bit would help.  I have exercises that my Physical Therapist had me doing to strengthen my knee and my hip so I would continue doing things that he had shown me and add a few things.  I wanted a mix of cardio and strength, so I decided to join a gym.  Plus I have a yoga ball at home that I could incorporate exercises everyday into my new healthy lifestyle! 

I will cover some of my daily exercise routines in a later post. 

In my next post, I will tell you what my daily eating and beverage routine consists of.  Some of you by now may think that I have begun starving myself, but trust me, I eat more now than I ever have...it is just all healthy and healing foods!  Also, you will find out how I got the pickiest eater I know, my husband,  to eat green veggies and fruits, which he has not eaten since we have been married...until now.

Until next time, have a happy and healthy life.  Remember, things will only get better and better. 

Lisa