We Are What We Eat

It's easy enough to say, but not always easy to live by; we are what we eat.

If we lived by this and we truly believed that what we eat is going to depict how we look and how we feel, we would be much healthier and happier. If we chose what to eat by first picturing the unhealthy foods as the fatty tissue on our "problem areas"and the healthy food as sexy, lean muscle in all the right places, it'd help prevent many unwanted pounds.

I hate to admit it, but I myself sometimes have a tough time living by this motto...especially in the summer when ice cream is calling to me on those beautiful sunny days. But nothing tastes as good as fit feels- I know it's true, with everything in me. So, I opt for a healthier version of my favorite foods. If I'm craving an ice cream cone (my #1 weakness) , I go someplace that I know has frozen yogurt or will get a freezie instead. If I'm craving an ice cap, which is a new craving for me, I get it made with low fat milk instead of cream. I don't get cravings for fast food or chips (comes from not having it for years- trust me it'll happen for you too if you go long enough without it), but there are healthy options for those too! Get grilled chicken with no mayo instead of a burger, get salad or chilli instead of fries if you can, get water instead of pop. Grab a bag of pretzels instead of chips (high in sodium still, but much healthier) or a bag of baked chips are good too (try Old Dutch!). Popcorn (kernels you pop yourself rather than the fatty kind you get at the store) would be the healthiest substitute for chips. If you get chocolate cravings, get low calorie hot chocolate or dark chocolate with 70% cocoa.

We all go through stages where it's easier to eat better and times when it's a little harder. The way to win is to try sticking to an 80/20 lifestyle: eat healthy 80% of the time and the 20% that you don't is forgivable. That's easy enough isn't it?

I don't think it's fair to expect anyone to eat perfectly all of the time. And, ya know, I really don't think there's enough knowledge behind food and nutrition for anyone to know what "perfect" is yet anyway! There are so many different opinions and theories that, from what I've learned, it's best to keep it simple and not get caught up in all the hype. Listen to common sense- eat real food (as natural and unprocessed as you can get), eat mostly fresh vegetables, eat lean mean, and be sensible when it comes to the "junk". If you get too obsessed and consumed with what to eat and what not to, you may start to get resentful and angry at your "diet", and that's when you'll resort back to unhealthy ways.

Let me know if you have any comments or questions! I'd love to hear them :)

Mom's New Goal

It's amazing how quickly your body adapts with exercise and becomes more efficient at everything- even breathing. I just started my mom on a jogging program this past Saturday. She hasn't jogged in at least 20 years, and we're both very excited to see how quickly she progresses. I know she's going to see progress each time she works out; small differences in her form, her breathing, and how quickly she recovers afterwards. We're starting slow and the goal is to build up to jogging 5km none-stop. She'll be there before we know it!