Monday, March 7, 2016

Getting Excited About My Health! Changing to a Healthy Lifestyle.

    A week ago today, I started a BeachBody workout program, PiYo. It is a happy combination of Pilates and Yoga expertly synchronized by Chalene Johnson (which is my maiden name! haha). This program features short daily workouts and one rest day a week. Also included in the bundle was a bag of Shakeology and a clean eating program to go with it. Its been a hassle getting used to this new lifestyle so I haven't had time for other things like blogging. But that's something I'm willing to keep to a minimum a couple times a week instead of daily blogs.
    When you begin a new life style, its tough to get in to a new groove but, it can be so rewarding! To change my lifestyle I am giving my body a lot more, much needed attention. I'm choosing more active activities and choosing healthier foods, eating smaller portions and learning how to cook lots of new, light, yummy, healthy dishes and I'm excited to be taking control of my health. And here's a tip for any self help junkies or new age junkies learning all about self love: Loving your body IS loving your self!
    What's really been getting me excited are these new recipes and new foods. So, one thing people assume about healthy eating is that its all bland and not filling. Well, let me tell you, eating until you are TOO full is an eating disorder. You don't have to finish all the food on your plate. Once your hunger is satisfied, quit eating! There is a buffer zone between. "not hungry/satisfied", and, "TOO FULL/STUFFED". And that's what you want to avoid. If you're still eating after you feel full, you are eating too much! And you can stick to serving sizes but each person has a different limit, a unique portion size. It's up to you to find out what that is! Try eating smaller amounts of food more frequently throughout the day to keep the metabolism going. Eating too much at once will drastically slow metabolism while eating small "power snacks" throughout the day will keep it on fire!
    Eating healthy does not mean eating bland foods and no eating dessert. You have to be really dedicated to your over all health to really keep to a healthy eating pattern. You will need to learn about new, different foods and what foods combine well together and what foods dont combine well. Every time you eat, a chemical reaction occurs in your belly. This is why you may get a tummy ache after eating dairy and an orange or another citrus-type of food. The acidity of citrus fruits will spoil milk before it is fully digested. On the other hand, in India, food fasting is common and one meal they will eat after sun down or before sun up is yogurt and dates. Apparently this combination is excellent for intestinal flora.
    In one week I have lost about 3 pounds and I feel so healthy. I'm also really taking control of my personal health and dissolving old eating habits and feel like life is good again. I'm so excited for this year. The last year was very dense and heavy. Lots of healing going on globally. This is a new year full of new experiences and new ideas and new creations and new choices and new behaviours. I feel the energy of this year crackling like pop rocks and light and brisk like the cool air off the river after a sunset. It feels like home. There is much momentum in positive directions. I feel it on my tongue. There's a warmth to it, I feel the summer coming, sailing in on the spring breeze.
    Meal preparation is key for these meal programs. Most of what I eat is made from scratch with organic ingredients and lots of alternatives like plain yogurt instead of sour cream, rice noodles instead of white flour egg noodles, coconut or olive oil instead of butter, stevia extract (always go with the liquid, not the powder) instead of sugar. I typically make large batches of food and refrigerate left overs to eat through out the week. In the morning I drink a small glass of water before I eat anything. Doing this and drinking green tea are key components to boosting metabolism along with eating small "power meals" more frequently throughout the day instead of eating three large meals for breakfast lunch and din.
    The reason why most of the food I eat is made from scratch is because, even though the packaged products from the store are convenient like hummus and salsa, they are loaded with unfamiliar ingredients and preservatives that over long periods of time can do a number on the body. In fact, it is my educated guess that preservatives are a silent cause of cancer... hush hush...
    WHY would I make such an assumption? Well, it's not much of an assumption. All cancer is, are mutated cells that, get this, DON'T KNOW HOW TO DIE. You see, death is a natural process of all life and living things, including every cell in our body. In fact, thousands of cells are dying every second, being replaced by new cells. SO when cell death, or, Apoptosis does not occur in a certain tissue or organ... TUMORS appear. Today, there are so many cancer causing criminals out there but I personally believe preservatives could be one of them, keeping cells alive longer than needed.
    Ok, sorry, I kind of went on a soap box there... Back to the topic!
    I think the most challenging part of this life style change has been meal preparation. It's difficult to go from frozen TV dinners and packaged Ramen noodles to cooking rice noodles and making your own pesto sauce with fresh basil, garlic and olive oil. But, hey, these foods are incredible and I feel incredible so I must be doing something right. lol
    Alright, that's all folks.
    Peace, Love and Good Health :)
   

No comments:

Post a Comment

what do you think? share your thoughts, opinions, ideas and beliefs.