…and slowly let the bad ones die! Habits, I mean. There are things that we do every day of our lives without a second thought. Activities and practices become a part of us and they come to fit nicely into our daily schedules before we know it. But remember that 24 hours isn’t time enough to do everything, so let’s focus on helping the beneficial ones grow and starving the harmful ones with a lack of time, attention, and money.
It is so easy for us to quickly fall into the trap of deciding to do something good for ourselves only to let it fall by the wayside after a few weeks. I am as guilty as anyone else, so don’t beat yourself up about it! But here is the good news: healthy habits are just as easy to create and grow as unhealthy ones are!
Words of wisdom: Don’t do it all at once. Many of us are stuck in the idea of “it’s Monday…time to radically change my diet” or “it’s January 1…let’s do everything the opposite of how I would normally do things.” (Although this was a funny Seinfeld episode, I wouldn’t recommend it as very practical.) Start small. Pick one GOOD habit that you will plant and nurture for one week. Write it down. Post-it notes are very handy here. Stick it on your steering wheel, your bathroom mirror, or on the fridge.
Examples: Eat 5 raw vegetables every day. Go for a 30 min walk each night after dinner. Eat fruit for dessert instead of chocolate. Fold my laundry immediately after it gets out of the dryer. (that one is my personal one from last month) Spend 10 minutes before your morning shower or before you go to sleep at night stretching and praying.
Bad examples: Don’t eat junk food. Don’t swear at other drivers. Don’t be a slob. Don’t watch TV. These sentences are poor character-builders because they are negative. Just like children, we must train ourselves to respond to positive affirmations rather than focusing on something we CAN’T do.
Give it a week. Plant, water, and nurture one little seedling of a positive habit and before you know it you’ll be on your way to a beautiful garden.
Love it! I’m taking the Kristy challenge. I’m going with getting the full servings of fruits and veggies for the next 45 days.
So it’s 2 pm my time. And eating my veggies is BORING. I want chocolate. Maybe a cupcake.
Elaine apparently changes her mind drastically in a period of three hours. If you have a sweet craving, try a piece of sweet, ripe fruit… eat a peach, a banana, or an orange to load up on some healthy carbohydrates and vitamins. (Cupcakes would be unhealthy carbohydrates and no vitamins, just so you know.) Haha.
I ate an entire thing of pineapple. : ( I think I need to incorporate more grains and proteins earlier on in my diet. Altho I did have the Ezkiel cereal you recommended for breakfast, and I got blueberries to sprinkle on top for tomorrow.
In case you were wondering how I was doing, I’ve significantly increased the amounts of veggies & fruits I’m eating, but still am not even close to hitting my 5 to 7 everyday. Also, my next goal is to cut out my afternoon caffeine for afternoon protein. What are your thoughts on sources? I’m currently eating a salad with garbanzo beans and unsalted walnuts on it.
I’m very proud of you for doing so well! I don’t want to undermine your efforts here, but the recommendation is currently 7-13 servings daily of fruits and vegetables. But never fear, you are making great strides I’m sure.
Can I first pose the question of why you feel you need extra protein? In reality, most of us are “over-proteined” as it is. Adults really only need about .49 grams per pound of body weight per day. (Too much protein contributes to dehydration, leaching calcium from bones, kidney fatigue, and a host of other issues.) Beans and walnuts are perfect. You should aim for plant-sources of protein so that your body is more alkaline rather than acidic. Whole grains, especially quinoa, are a fantastic way to get some extra protein in. Prepare this ahead of time and you can put it on a salad or in a wrap. Beans and corn consumed together are another option.
Another thing to keep in mind is that it’s not how much protein is IN a food, but it is how much is ABSORBED by our bodies. Our body expends a whole lot of energy to break down the protein from a chicken breast and other meats to form amino acids before it can be used by the body. When we eat plants, the amino acids are used directly. Our bodies save the step of breaking them down and they we have conserved energy to be used for something else.