Morning! Today is supposed to get up to 60 degrees! Can you even believe it? I’m giddy with excitement over here.
I wish I was going for a run today, but maybe tomorrow. I’m still taking it easy with my side. It’s MUCH better, but I’m still not full fledged running. I did some intervals yesterday which felt pretty good, but they were SLOW. I mostly walked and threw in 3-5 minutes of running here and there.
My stomach has been a bit off the past week or two. I’ve been eating semi-bland foods, like whole wheat or spelt bread and lots of soups. It’s kind of boring but it’s all about comfort food. I’m trying to get veggies in, in the middle of the day, so it’s not awful. Hopefully I feel better soon though.
With all of these belly issues going on, it’s so easy to feel like I should just throw in the towel on healthy eating. But really healthy eating isn’t an ALL or NOTHING situation. Just because I’m not eating how I usually eat, doesn’t mean I should be going all out on bread, pasta, chocolate and french fries.
So often we feel like our diets HAVE to be ALL or NOTHING. We feel like we should be eating salads & grilled chicken and if we’re not eating like that we should be eating hamburgers, grilled cheese, pizza, french fries and Girl Scout Cookies.
It DOESN’T have to be like that. We need to find BALANCE. And that’s what I really try to do with the majority of my clients. Find a balance, eat well and don’t deprive yourself because that’s what leads to binging on the not so nutritious foods. I promise if you find a balance, you’ll start to crave those veggies, fruits and whole grains!
Get Crowded: Instead of getting rid of foods, start by crowding out the not so good foods in your diet. Add in foods, like fresh fruits and veggies into your lunch and dinners. Make Swaps: Swap out your favorite foods with their healthier counterparts. Love french fries? Try sweet potato fries. Love potato chips? Try popchips. Start Small: Don’t over haul your whole diet overnight. Make small changes. Maybe revamp your breakfast with some oatmeal or a smoothie. The next week work on your lunch. Put Goals into Place: Write down what you’d like to achive. Write them down specifically & realistically, don’t be vague. Put up inspiring pictures. Look at these things everyday. Share with Others: Get other people on board with you. Have fun cooking new meals with your family. Share your goals and desires with a supportive community. Forget it: If you slip up or go over board with a particular meals or snack, forget about it. Well first, acknowledge how it made you feel afterwards, and then forget it. There’s no point in dwelling on the past, just make a better choice the next time you go to eat. I always like to say that every day is a new chance to make better choices. Don’t waste time feeling guilty. BE DETERMINED! Do you really WANT to get healthy? Well then make it happen! Focus on how much BETTER you feel when you make good food choices & exercise! Channel those thoughts when you are faced with situatins where you may make less than stellar choices!
How do you find balance in your diet? What’s your favorite tip to share with others?
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
just tweeted this..great info for people
for me balance is totally unbalanced…I just go with the flow since my life changes in milliseconds…
Tara Burner recently posted..Physical Hunger vs Emotional Hunger
Great great great great post!!
Great post!
Just like you said, it’s so easy to disrespect our bodies through gorging (all the while having some date in the future to treat it respectfully), or completely deprive ourselves as some sort of ‘penance’ for the times we didn’t eat well.
Thanks for bringing to light this subject, and best wishes for you feeling better, Nicole
Dr. Mike Tremba recently posted..Vacation time
EXCELLENT advice. I am SO with you on this one. I used to have a really hard time battling the all or nothing mentality – and would throw it all out the window if I slipped up one day, just figuring well I screwed that meal up, might as well forget it for today, tomorrow, etc. But it worked against me. I gained weight because I wasn’t eating balanced all the time, I was on a foodie rollercoaster rather than feeding my body healthfully and consistently day in and day out. Now that I eat the same amt (roughly) everyday and fill my plate with nourishing foods, I feel stronger, more energized and fitter. AND I don’t feel deprived because I eat what I want, plan for the indulgence and don’t ever feel like I’m “cheating” that way. Healthy living and eating is a lifestyle, not something with fits or starts.
PS I hope you feel better!
PPS sorry for the novel length blog comment!!
Jess recently posted..The sneakers or the runner?
I absolutely love this post, Nicole! It’s so easy to live with that all-or-nothing mentality when in actuality it’s pretty detrimental because life isn’t always one way or the other – it’s dynamic! Changing! Flowing! My main thing is to not get discouraged if I “fall off the wagon” but remind myself of truth: I’m active, healthy, moving, trying to make good choices, and I have to start over right then, not the next day or next week. One choice at a time. Thanks for this great reminder – pinning this puppy for sure!
Bonnie recently posted..100 Burpee Challenge
Small changes, is my favorite tip. Not trying to change everything at once makes things much more manageable. And not beating yourself up if you slip up!
So sorry your tummy is not cooperating, hope it settles back down!
Heather Blackmon @ Better With Veggies recently posted..WIAW from Atlanta to New Orleans
Love your tips and mentality! I used to be an all or nothing person when it came to healthy eating and even working out. Finding balance is hard but one thing I do (kind of like what you said) is focus on adding healthy things into my meals/workout routines versus focusing on what I’m going to remove. This, in and of itself, has made a HUGE difference.
Parita @ myinnershakti recently posted..Ugly Words and Thoughts
Great post Nicole! I’m sorry your not feeling so hot. Hopefully you will get back to your old self soon!
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) recently posted..Something Old, Something New…
This is awesome Nicole!! I hope your stomach feels better asap!
Lindsay @ In Sweetness and In Health recently posted..Easy and Healthy Turkey Chili
love this post! great works of wisdom dear friend!!! and we all need this reminder from time to time that life and food is about balance and finding what works!
and we hope you feel better soon!!!!
Pure2raw twins recently posted..Protein Thin Mint Cookies
small changes over time! i like that. its about the swap. and we don’t have to deprive. I agree!
Lindsay recently posted..Homecoming…
I always tell people to “start SMALL!!” because it’s so hard to stick to something when you cut every bad habit out at once! It’s pretty much impossible!
Maren recently posted..Life Happened
I abandoned the all or nothing mindset long ago. I saw something on Pinterest that was so true.. it was along the lines of “If you drop your cell phone, you don’t grab a bat and bash it to bits.. so if you slip up on your diet, don’t eat everything in sight.” It was worded way better than that, but you get the idea.
janetha recently posted..march seventh.
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