So what do those of us that have trouble with such change do to begin on the path to a healthful lifestyle? Well, all the literature instructs people to make small lifestyle changes and be sure to stick with them. As simple as that sounds, it is a much more complicated thing to actually implement. What I hope to do with this blog is not only provide tips along the way to educate people on health and fitness but to provide an inside look at just what these lifestyle changes are supposed to look like. Express the successes and failures that the average person sees along the way and how to balance healthy living with life (one area that I feel is not portrayed often enough). With that said there is one thing I would like to stress, which is that I am a fairly average person. I am not a health and fitness nut. I love fast food, soda, and ice cream. I have trouble finding the motivation to exercise. I struggle with a lot of the same things that everybody struggles with. Therefore, if I can do this, there is no excuse for anybody else. Anyone can make small changes in their lifestyle to improve their health.
My small changes to start out on my path will be the following:
- No "unhealthy" fast food - Ideally I should not eat out at all. However, as busy as I am, it would be a big step to do so and remember we're trying to make smaller steps right now. Therefore, I am simply going to avoid fast food places that serve primarily fried food and/or burgers.
- No high calorie sodas - Again, it would probably be best if I avoided all sodas but to make it a smaller step I will still allow myself diet sodas.
- Get at least 30 minutes of activity in at least 3 times this week - Today I am going to make sure to take my dog, Buddy, on a nice long walk.
This is actually really hard for me to leave it at that because I want to set up goals for the future, a cheat day, a more strenuous workout regimen, various menus for the week, and so much more. If you often feel the same way when making healthy lifestyle changes try forcing yourself to only focus on a few things at a time. Wait until you see success with those few things before adding more to your plate.
Personally, I am going to wait a week before adding more changes. Each Thursday, I will revisit my goals, assess how I did during the previous week, and make any adjustments as necessary.
Please feel free to comment. I would love to hear what adjustments you are making.
I am really looking forward to this journey and hearing about yours.
Dude, this is amazing. Question... what would you consider an acceptable fast food place for us midwesterners without In n Out?
ReplyDeleteHaha, nice. I do like In n Out since it does not seem as processed but it would still be on my "banned" list. Not sure if you're looking for a serious answer but here it is if you are:
ReplyDeleteIf you're thinking of fast food as something with a drive through, I might have to say that you're out of luck. But there are obviously places like Subway, Panera Bread, and Chipotle (if you're careful) that are pretty convenient but also more toward the healthy side. There are some fast food places that do have healthier options but I would be very careful because they are often still high in calories and highly processed, e.g. the salad dressing given to you with a salad can ruin the whole idea of getting a salad. That is why I am choosing to stay away from those places entirely.
I would suggest moving back to CA. Some things just aren't worth sacrificing for ;-)
ReplyDeleteIn-N-Out kidding aside, I've found that starting off slow has 100% been the key for me too. I wish you'd had this blog a few years ago...Maybe I wouldn't have had to learn the hard way :)
ReplyDeleteKristi - That's exactly what I hope to help people with. I really hope that some people can use this blog to get started off on the right foot and avoid the problems a lot of us typically face.
ReplyDelete